EDUC 4704 – Curriculum Studies

Dear Parents,

This term our class focus will be on the topic ‘What does it mean to be healthy on the inside and out?’ We will be doing a number of activities which will help students to develop an understanding of how being healthy doesn’t mean we just eat good food. We will also look at how being active helps us maintain a healthy life. On top of that we will also be incorperating how have a healthy mind and self esteem helps us stay happy and healthy.

If you would like further information regarding the unit please feel free to come in and see me.

Miss Hein

Yr 3/4 Teacher

Well… what’s to say…

From our final result you could see that we weren’t exactly the ‘top’ country. In all honesty after a while I started to confuse myself with what was actually going on. The idea of the game fascinated me and it’s very interesting how the world/countries bid against each other for buisness. I believe it’s an area that would require a lot of research, study and practice to understand the complexity of how it truely works.

It was a really fun and interesting activity!

Choose and discuss three key points from the health articles…

1. What are the health concerns that teachers and schools are trying to cover throught their health education?

The main things that are being covered in schools is drug and alcohol education, nutrition and diet, physical exercise and now also saftey in cars/vehicles and road safety when riding push-bikes.

2. For many years, school-based promotion programs were implemented in the form of traditional health education through the school curriculum:

 Now schools use more of a holistic veiw of health behaviour which means focuses on what the enviroment and wider community and what it contributes to our life styles, as opposed to just looking at the facts of the biology and anaotmy of human bodies.

3. What do the programs usually involve?

Knowledge and skills, as well as community particiaption. It has also been recognised that healthy policies and supportive environments are important in encouraging children to make lifestyle changes to improve their health.

What impact will health promotion have on your teaching?

I’m a big fan of health promotion in every aspect. I think children learning what it means to be healthy on the inside and out, meaning body and mind, is so important as it will help children to develop into stable, healthy adults. I will hope that I am not just a teacher to the students, but also a role model when it comes to a healthy living.

How will you build a safe and supportive classroom that is inclusive of all?

Let students know that they are all equal and have a right to express what they think and feel. Also, by being aware of the students different learning styles and catering lessons for the individuals – and also offering extra support for those that need it.

The school in which you work will shape your health and that of the students. Reflect on your School in reagrds to Health Promotion:

 The school where I am on prac has a number of policies and practices in order to keep all people in the school safe. Such as vistors need to sign in and sign out of the school.

They also have a Sun Smart policy that helps inform students about the dangers of the sun and how to protect themselves. Two out of four terms students are required to wear a hat if they are outside playing. There are plenty of shady areas around the school where students can play and they all have access to sunblock in their classrooms.

As far as healthy food is concerned at the school I don’t think there is a set policy on what students can and can’t bring to school which is something they could work on.

Reflect on School partnerships with the wider community:

The school where I am at is position in between two towns with no other buildings near by except for a childcare centre. There are only paddocks and vineyards in all directions with a main road directly out the front of the school. Because of this there are fences enclosing the entire school so that students are kept safe from cars and strangers.

The school welcomes visitors and often has volunteers there helping for various reasons. They are currently in the processes of supporting an upcoming event in April which involves the local and wider community. This event allows many people with all sorts of skill and attributes to be involved with the school and help out.

This sort of participation and working together as a community gives the school great opportunites to show what they have to offer and what the community has to offer and the support it gives the school.

Comment on the health promotion approach discussed in article 5:

The health promotion approach in article 5 seems to be a complex approach, however it produces significant results as shown in table 1 and fig 2 and table 2. 

The article covers a number of health promotion approachs through out the past 3 decades and it says that although a large majority of school-based programs have utilised only education and/or a social skills approach and have incorporated some community involvement, there has been no attempt to implement and evaluate a program which has adopted the Health Promoting School concept completely to date. 

I believe it is important for children to learn the skills required for developing critical thinking. Teaching children to question, analyse and interpret information will help them to be able to make their own judgements and educated opinions, rather than just taking things on face value. These skills will help them throughout their whole life which is why it is so important to teach it from a young age.

Hi all!

As you can see from the title this is my FIRST BLOG! Up until now I have had absolutely no idea what a blog is and what it’s actually used for. From what my lecturer has just said this is something along the lines of what blogs can be used for as a teacher…..

Blogging is not just about written text. There is also the element of being a digital citizen. This means that it is helping people to develop an awareness of the technology they are using and the useful ways in which it can be used, also how it can be abused and how the abuse can affect individuals.