Community Health – Health at Every Size: The debate rages on!
I am enjoying this unit so much. The class has come alive with informed debate and differences of opinion. Surprisingly the one student who I thought I would have most debates with has been the easiest to convince of the alternate point of view. This could be used as a learning experience to demonstrate how easily some adolescents are convinced of a proposed truth, but I think that might push the relationship too far.
There have been some significant interruptions to this unit, resulting in us losing 6 lessons (2 weeks) in this first six weeks of term. As stated in the previous post, the students negotiated a due date for the research report of week 6. Losing 2 weeks of learning time in that first six weeks had caused a change in how I am presenting the learning, and how much I am expecting to them to learn independently. But a due date is a due date and I don’t want to get into moving them, as interruptions will always be there.
This lost time has me scouring a lot of the research papers, and highlighting / bookmarking appropriate sections for the students to gather information from. (You can read how I do this on my Journey With Digital Pedagogy blog.) This will make it easier for students to find the information, but does not reduce the requirement for them to select information from research. I always tell my students that an”A” student will work beyond what I provide them with. However as time is short I need to put in some extra effort to ensure achievement is representative of their potential, especially considering the general poor performance last term.
One activity has highlighted the desire of some students to complete extra work they find engaging or useful. I have initiated what is entitled the “Health Ed 2.0 Expansion Pack.” This will essentially be a group of extension tasks that are voluntary. The tasks will be delivered, responded to and managed online – they will not enter the classroom. I will make this distinction to ensure students do not feel pressured to complete the tasks. What is interesting is that more students respond to these tasks, than the number that complete homework assigned during class time. It could be because I am engaging them in a context in which they feel comfortable responding (its just between me and them), but I am excited that the response is occurring. This will inspire me to continue providing the extension tasks. If you are interested in following these, then just go here.
The next couple of weeks will see the students research and prepare their submission. This becomes a great opportunity for me to interact with them on an individual basis, providing specific feedback relevant to their skills and knowledge in Health Education.
