This week's #slowchathealth blog comes from health educator Eric Conrad. While I was browsing a past blog post here at slowchathealth, I was introduced to the ASCD Whole Child Podcast. Two episodes of particular interest addressed the topic of working together to improve learning and health collaboratively within the education and public health domain. It …
I contacted a stranger today, who I found on the internet. I checked out their profile and decided that I would like to start a relationship with them. Internet dating? No. Shape America's revamped Mentor Match program? Yes, indeed. I wouldn't be the teacher I am today without the support of family, friends, teachers and …
Using hashtags on social media is a great way to find specific information and effective use of hashtags will make your life easier when searching, and or promoting content. Hashtags allow YOU to create a community of people interested in the same topic by making it easier for them to find and share information related …
It’s been 12 months since I first started blogging and I continue to reference those that inspired me to start putting my thoughts down on paper (computer screen?). Prior to launching slowchathealth.com the conversation among some members of my PLN at that time was that the voice of health teachers was in need of being …
This is a great time of year for teachers to set goals, commitments, or even a word of the year. Irrespective of the method that you choose, finding ways in which to improve your teaching can only be a good thing. I've blogged, and even podcasted about how I set professional goals at the start …
August 27th sees the return of one of the most amazing examples of the #physed and #healthed community coming together as a global community to give back to their own. This free online conference, led by the amazing Physedagogy team, provides a world class digital professional learning opportunity for health and physical education professionals through …
Social media has connected us in a way that we could never had imagined when we first signed up. In addition to creating a global PLN of teachers with whom I have had the opportunity to collaborate it has also allowed me access to great authors too. My first 21st Century book discussion was based …
I'm fortunate to work at a school that not only supports my attendance at conferences but actively encourages me to submit proposals to present. And the more that I network at conferences and on social media, the more I realize that there are many teachers who have their professional development restricted due to a lack …
As a British transplant in America, with teaching experience on both sides of the pond I'm often asked how is teaching different between England and America. Inevitably after naming a few subtle differences I'll come back to the same point - children are children wherever you are. They all deserve the best from caring, responsible …
There is a school of educational thought that says 'binary opposites' are a great way for young learners to understand concepts. Right/Wrong, Happy/Sad, Love/Hate, Hot/Cold and so on, for early learners this can be an introductory way to recognize contrast in thought, language and behavior. Egan calls this binary structuring one of the defining features …
I get it. Money is tight, and getting release time to go to conference becomes more difficult every year. And anyway, isn't everything I need available on the internet? If I need help with my teaching, can't I just Google it? As a teacher it is important that we stay connected with other teachers, advocates …
It's time for that oft-asked question at this time -"What are your plans for the summer?" and my response of late has been "Finding time to switch my brain off for a rest". It's been a busy school year for me and I am need in of re-charging my batteries a little. Having said that, …
It's that time of year where we reflect on how the past school year has been for us and our students. We consider the sessions that we saw at conferences and other professional development, the books that we read and the podcasts that we listened to. The subject of health is so dynamic and some …
Self-efficacy has been on my mind this week, and not just because I was reading about it in the awesome The Essentials of Teaching Health Education from Sarah Benes and Holly Alperin. I saw that my home country of England has been excited about the visit of President Obama and among the news headlines was this one …
One of the many highlights from my attendance at #SHAPEMinneapolis was attending a session from Dr. Sarah Benes and Dr. Holly Alperin in which they talked about the concepts and principles covered in their new text The Essentials of Teaching Health Education. The book "presents a skills-based approach to teaching K-12 health education—one that will prepare …
Aside from the fact that I prefer to talk about STI's than STD's (and here's why), I am excited for this awareness month because the message has been reduced to three key words: Talk - openly and honestly with future sex partners and healthcare providers. Discuss your sexual history and the prevention methods available to …
In less than two weeks I will travel to Minneapolis to present at the SHAPE America national conference and I'm not saying that I'm ridiculously excited, but it has been the only thing I've been looking forward to since the start of 2016! I've not been to a SHAPE conference and found the dominance on …
Spring Break is just around the corner, and hopefully recharging your batteries is number one on your list. The clocks have changed, the weather has improved and 4th quarter has a nice ring to it. However, if you do find yourself looking for free professional development during your break, here's my Top 10 list. #1 …
Our school YRBS data tells me that my sophomore students are at a time in their lives where knowledge of consent is extremely important considering the relationships they will have and decisions they will make regarding sex over the coming years. Consent has become one of a number of hot topics in #healthed, and a …
What does a fully comprehensive health education curriculum look like? This week I participated in an interview for the February SHAPE America podcast that was specifically targeted at us! The #healthed community!! The questions, as always, were posed by the awesome duo behind the podcast - Colin Brooks and Matt Pomeroy and they opened the show …
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