Create, Curate or Cart It?

“What curriculum do you use for [fill in the blank]?” is a question you’ll regularly see posted by health educators on twitter and facebook.The general consensus (as judged by the comments) is that a “home-grown” curriculum is best and while I don’t completely disagree; I’m pretty confident it’s not the answer people are looking for.

Oftentimes the person asking is new to health education, new to a particular grade level or new to a particular skill or content area. It’s an unfortunate truth that most teachers inherit nothing but a closet full of markers (most of which don’t work) and a filing cabinet full of miscellaneous handouts; some of which have the purple tint that only a ditto machine could have created many, many years ago.

According to a 2009 Brookings Report, having a set curriculum has a bigger impact on student success than many other measures including teacher effectiveness. While this report was specific to achievement in math, it seems the findings could be universal. Having an effective curriculum is critical.

And that means our students shouldn’t have to wait for it.

If you agree that curriculum is vitally important, the next step is to make sure ALL health educators (and as such, all students) have access to it. Teachers have 4 viable options:

Creating their own curriculum based on state and/or national standards.
Curating their curriculum from existing programs many of which are supported by non-profits.
Carting it. Purchasing a curriculum that suits your school and students needs.
Combining some or all of these methods to patch together your curriculum.

Let’s take a closer look at each option.

Create your curriculum.

👩‍🏫Who is this option good for?

Those who are confident in their understanding of current standards
Those who enjoy the creative process
Those who have ample time to create materials of their own
Those who have an arsenal of pedagogical tools at their disposal

👍What are the advantages of this option?

You can tailor curriculum materials to your student population
You can target topics & skills that are valued or needed in your community
You can edit materials as needed because you created them

👎What are the disadvantages of this option?

It requires a lot of time especially for those who teach multiple courses
It requires a trial and error process to land on lessons that work
The community may question a “home-grown” curriculum

🖱️What resources are available for those who want to create their own curriculum?

5 Steps to Transition to a Skills-Based Health Program by Jen Mead
Skills-Based Health Education by Mary Connolly
The Essentials of Teaching Health Education by Sara Benes & Holly Alperin

Curate your curriculum.

👩‍🏫Who is this option good for?

Those who don’t feel confident in their understanding of current standards
Those who love teaching but don’t love creating curriculum & materials
Those who have considerable time to look for materials that work for their program
Those with little to no money to spend on their program

👍What are the advantages of this option?

Having access to the research/rationale for pre-existing programs
Using lessons that have been tested and vetted
Access to support if curating materials from non-profit organizations

👎What are the disadvantages of this option?

It may require a lot of time to find materials that are appropriate for your program
You may not be able to easily edit materials from outside sources
Materials are often content focused with less focus on skills

🖱️What resources are available for those who want to curate their curriculum?

Sexual Health: Advocates for Youth 3Rs Curriculum
Substance Abuse Prevention: Stanford’s Safety First
Mental Health: Erika’s Lighthouse

Cart It. Purchase Your Curriculum

👩‍🏫Who is this option good for?

Those who have limited time available for creating or curating curriculum
Those who don’t feel confident in their understanding of current standards
Those who love teaching but don’t love creating curriculum & materials
Those with money to spend on their program

👍What are the advantages of this option?

Confidence in meeting standards with lessons that have been tested & vetted
Leaves time for grading, communicating with families and for life
Customer support in research, rationale, application and updates

👎What are the disadvantages of this option?

While costs may vary, this option does require funding
May or may not be able to easily edit purchased materials
May have annual recurring costs for updated materials or subscriptions

🖱️What resources are available for those who want to purchase their curriculum?

Skills-based health curriculum: Health At School and Project School Wellness
Subscription based models: CATCH Health Ed Journeys and Health Smart
Text-Book Models: Comprehensive Health Skills for Middle School and High School

A teacher may feel confident creating materials for goal-setting, use a program like 3Rs for sexual health and purchase a unit for decision making. Regardless of which option an educator chooses, having a curriculum in place helps improve student success and has many benefits for the teacher like:

No late night, after hours lesson planning which means more time for having a life;
Actually being able to use prep periods to work on grading, communicating with families and connecting with colleagues; and
Easily being able to share curriculum with families who want more information

So next time you see that twitter post asking what curriculum you use, feel free to share this blog post. A home-grown curriculum is awesome but there’s definitely other options👍!

This microblog post was a featured post in #slowchathealth’s #microblogmonth event. You can search for all of the featured posts here. Please do follow each of the outstanding contributors on social media (including Jen Mead, the author of this post) and consider writing a microblog post of your own to be shared with the global audience of slowchathealth.com

You can also visit Jen’s website.

Pair this blog post with the following:

Building Your Health Curriculum by Amy Prior

Using the National Health Education Standards and Other Important Elements to Guide Your Teaching in Health Ed by Jenny Withycombe (for SHAPE America)

Assessment – Let’s Change the Stigma by Amy Falls

Have you read the latest Book of the Month recommendation?