Key components and teaching methods of life skills-based HIV education

Life skills-based education for sexual and reproductive health and HIV/AIDS prevention in schools (extracted from The World Health
Organization’s Information Series on School Health Document 9: Skills for Health: Skills-based health education including life skills: An important
component of a Child-Friendly/Health-Promoting School)

A. Key components

COMMUNICATION AND INTERPERSONAL SKILLS
 Communication Skills:
Students can observe and practise ways to:
- effectively express a desire to not have sex
- influence others to abstain from sex or
practise safe sex using condoms if they cannot
be influenced to abstain
- demonstrate support for the prevention of
discrimination related to HIV/AIDS
 Advocacy Skills:
Students can observe and practise ways to:
- present arguments for access to sexual and
reproductive health information, services, and
counselling for young people
 Negotiaton/Refusal Skills:
Students can observe and practise ways to:
- refuse sexual intercourse or negotiate the use
of condoms
DECISION-MAKING AND CRITICAL THINKING COPING AND SELF-MANAGEMENT SKILLS
SKILLS
 Decision-making Skills:  Skills for Managing Stress:
Students can observe and practise ways to: Students can observe and practise
- seek and find reliable sources of ways to:
information about human anatomy; - seek services for help with
puberty; conception and pregnancy; reproductive and sexual health
STIs, HIV/AIDS, and local prevalence issues, e.g., contraception,
rates; and available methods of condoms to prevent HIV or
contraception unplanned pregnancy, sexual
- analyse a variety of potential situations abuse, exploitation, discrimination,
for sexual interaction and determine a (gender-based) violence, or other
variety of actions they may take and the emotional trauma
consequences of such actions
 Skills for Increasing Personal
 Critical Thinking Skills: Confidence and Abilities to Assume
Students can observe and practise ways to: Control, Take Responsibility, Make a
- analyse myths and misconceptions Difference, or Bring About Change:
Students can observe and practise
about HIV/AIDS, contraceptives, gender
ways to:
roles, and body image that are
perpetuated by the media - assert personal values when
encountering peer and other
- analyse social-cultural influences
regarding sexual behaviours pressures
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COMMUNICATION AND INTERPERSONAL SKILLS DECISION-MAKING AND CRITICAL THINKING COPING AND SELF-MANAGEMENT SKILLS
SKILLS
 Interpersonal Skills:
Students can observe and practise ways to:
- show interest and listen actively to others
- be caring and compassionate, including when
interacting with someone who is infected with
HIV

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B. Participatory teaching methods for building skills and influencing attitudes

TEACHING DESCRIPTION BENEFITS PROCESS

METHOD
CLASS The class examines a problem Provides opportunities for students to learn • Decide how to arrange seating for discussion
DISCUSSION or topic of interest with the from one another and practise turning to • Identify the goal of the discussion and
(In Small or goal of better understanding an one another in solving problems. Enables communicate it clearly
Large Groups) issue or skill, reaching the best students to deepen their understanding of • Pose meaningful, open-ended questions
solution, or developing new the topic and personalise their connection • Keep track of discussion progress
ideas and directions for the to it. Helps develop skills in listening,
group. assertiveness, and empathy.
BRAIN- Students actively generate a Allows students to generate ideas quickly Designate a leader and a recorder
STORMING broad variety of ideas about a and spontaneously. Helps students use • State the issue or problem and ask for ideas
particular topic or question in a their imagination and break loose from • Students may suggest any idea that comes to
given, often brief period of fixed patterns of response. Good mind
time. Quantity of ideas is the discussion starter because the class can • Do not discuss the ideas when they are first
main objective of creatively generate ideas. It is essential to suggested
brainstorming. Evaluating or evaluate the pros and cons of each idea or
• Record ideas in a place where everyone can
debating the ideas occurs later. rank ideas according to certain criteria.
see them
• After brainstorming, review the ideas and add,
delete, categorise
ROLE PLAY Role play is an informal Provides an excellent strategy for practising Describe the situation to be role played
dramatisation in which people skills; experiencing how one might handle a • Select role players
act out a suggested situation. potential situation in real life; increasing • Give instructions to role players
empathy for others and their point of view; • Start the role play
and increasing insight into one’s own
• Discuss what happened
feelings.
SMALL For small group work, a large Useful when groups are large and time is State the purpose of discussion and the amount
GROUP/ class is divided into smaller limited. Maximises student input. Lets of time available
BUZZ groups of six or less and given a students get to know one another better • Form small groups
GROUP short time to accomplish a task, and increases the likelihood that they will • Position seating so that members can hear
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TEACHING DESCRIPTION BENEFITS PROCESS
METHOD
carry out an action, or discuss a consider how another person thinks. each other easily
specific topic, problem, or Helps students hear and learn from their • Ask group to appoint recorder
question. peers. • At the end have recorders describe the group’s
Discussion
GAMES AND Students play games as Games and simulations promote fun, active • Remind students that the activity is meant to
SIMULATIONS activities that can be used for learning, and rich discussion in the be enjoyable and that it does not matter who
teaching content, critical classroom as participants work hard to wins
thinking, problem-solving, and prove their points or earn points. They
decision-making and for review require the combined use of knowledge, Simulations:
and reinforcement. attitudes, and skills and allow students to • Work best when they are brief and discussed
Simulations are activities test out assumptions and abilities in a immediately
structured to feel like the real relatively safe environment.
• Students should be asked to imagine
experience.
themselves in a situation or should play a
structured game or activity to experience a
feeling that might occur in another setting
SITUATION Situation analysis activities Situation analysis allows students to explore Guiding questions are useful to spur thinking and
ANALYSIS allow students to think about, problems and dilemmas and safely test discussion
AND CASE analyse, and discuss situations solutions; it provides opportunities to work • Facilitator must be adept at teasing out the key
STUDIES they might encounter. Case together, share ideas, and learn that people points and step back and pose some ‘bigger’
studies are real-life stories that sometimes see things differently. Case overarching questions
describe in detail what studies are power-ful catalysts for thought • Situation analyses and case studies need
happened to a community, and discussion. Students consider the adequate time for processing and creative
family, school, or individual. forces that converge to make an individual thinking
or group act in one way or another, and • Teacher must act as the facilitator and coach
then evaluate the consequences. By rather than the sole source of ‘answers’ and
engaging in this thinking process, students knowledge
can improve their own decision-making
skills. Case studies can be tied to specific
activities to help students practice healthy
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TEACHING DESCRIPTION BENEFITS PROCESS
METHOD
responses before they find themselves
confronted with a health risk.
DEBATE In a debate, a particular Provides opportunity to address a particular Allow students to take positions of their choosing.
problem or issue is presented issue in-depth and creatively. Health If too many students take the same position, ask
to the class, and students must issues lend themselves well: students can for volunteers to take the opposing point of view.
take a position on resolving the debate, for instance, whether smoking • Provide students with time to research their
problem or issue. The class should be banned in public places in a topic.
can debate as a whole or in community. Allows students to defend a • Do not allow students to dominate at the
small groups. position that may mean a lot to them. expense of other speakers.
Offers a chance to practice higher thinking • Make certain that students show respect for
skills. the opinions and thoughts of other debaters.
• Maintain control in the classroom and keep the
debate on topic.
STORY The instructor or students tell Can help students think about local • Keep the story simple and clear. Make one or
TELLING or read a story to a group. problems and develop critical thinking skills. two main points.
Pictures, comics and Students can engage their creative skills in • Be sure the story (and pictures, if included)
photonovels, filmstrips, and helping to write stories, or a group can work relate to the lives of the students.
slides can supplement. interactively to tell stories. Story telling • Make the story dramatic enough to be
Students are encouraged to lends itself to drawing analogies or making interesting. Try to include situations of
think about and discuss comparisons, helping people to discover happiness, sadness, excitement, courage,
important (health-related) healthy solutions. serious thought, decisions, and
points or methods raised by the problem-solving behaviours.
story after it is told.