How HealthSmart builds skills
How does HealthSmart teach skills?
HealthSmart uses a research-based, step-by-step approach to skills development, with special attention to how a skill is best broken down and taught, particularly at the earliest grades.
- First, the teacher introduces the skill and helps students relate it to their lives through examples.
- Next, the teacher explains the sequential and specific steps for the successful performance of the skill.
- Then the teacher models the entire skill sequence for students, going through each step with relevant examples. This is a very important part of the process.
- Students then have the opportunity for guided practice of the skill through structured roleplays, large-group discussion or small-group work with support from the teacher.
- Finally, teachers can assess students’ mastery of the skill as they demonstrate the skill on their own and receive feedback and reinforcement.
So, what are these key skills for health?
Essential skills for health literacy are described in Standards 2 through 8 of the National Health Education Standards. The performance indicators for each standard support the progression and gradual deepening of skill development across the K–12 grade span.
Standard 2:
Analyzing
Influences
Standard 3:
Accessing
Resources
Standard 4:
Interpersonal
Communication
Standard 5:
Decision
Making
Standard 6:
Goal
Setting
Standard 7:
Health Practices and Behaviors
Standard 8:
Advocacy
Does my state require skills-based health education?
More and more state standards mandate the teaching of skills as an essential part of health education. HealthSmart has excellent alignment to state standards that incorporate the skills found in the National Health Education Standards.