STUDENT WELLBEING: MENTAL HEALTH EDUCATION

Workshop 4: Resilience Approach to Drug Education

Whakatauki

Ka pu te ruha

Ka hao te rangatahi

The old net is cast aside

The new net goes fishing

Past experiences of teaching and learning that are no longer useful can be put aside.

New structures and visions are cast into our learning communities to reward us all.

Workshop Intentions

Explore a resilience approach to effective drug education.

Develop an understanding of key features and strategies for effective drug education and enhancing student resilience (using the newly released Drug Education Matrix: Levels 1 – 8)

Explore approaches to review school wide policies and practices relating to Effective Drug Education through a strength based approach.

Chunking the day

Prior knowledge

Increasing knowledge

Reflection leading to action

Our prior knowledge on Drug Education

Record on stickies your thoughts/ideas on the following questions.

The most important thing for me in teaching drug education is?

The most challenging thing for me in drug education is?

The most useful thing I have found in teaching drug education is?

What is a Drug?

think/pair/share

• Write your own definition and share with the person beside you

• Share with larger group.

Promoting Student Health and Wellbeing

A Guide to Drug Education in Schools

Refer to the above resource and find ‘Definition of a Drug’

Page Number:

Compare this to your own definition

Definition

‘ A drug can be defined as any chemical substance which effects the way a person’s mind or body works. Drugs include illegal

substance such as heroin, cocaine or cannabis but also the more ‘acceptable’ and legal

substances such as alcohol, tobacco and both medicines prescribed by doctors or those you

can buy without prescription, such as headache tablets.’

- Practical Partnerships pg 99,

Commonwealth of Australia 2001

Own thinking around Drugs and Drug Education

In pairs discuss your statement and then make a decision as to where you would place this on the continuum

Discuss choices

Agree

________________________________

Disagree

The New Zealand Curriculum, 2007

“In health education, students develop their understanding of the factors that influence the

health of individuals, groups and society… Students develop competencies for mental

wellness … Students build resilience through strengthening their personal identity and

sense of self-worth, through managing change and loss, and through engaging in processes

for responsible decision making…”

Why Drug Education?

Drug Education is an important component of the key learning of Mental Health.

“Three decades of extensive research into the effectiveness of school based drug education has

highlighted the complexity of addressing harmful use of drugs by young people and the need for multifaceted

evidence based approaches… Programmes that integrate comprehensive curriculum implementation

with whole school approaches and community involvement are most likely to be successful in reducing

drug related harm amongst young people.”

-Drug Education Matrix of Learning Outcomes for Levels 1-8 within the New Zealand Health and Physical Education

Curriculum (Draft)

Promoting Student Health and WellbeingA Guide to Drug Education in Schools

Complete the

Promoting Student Health and WellbeingA Guide to Drug Education in Schools Bingo

with a partner.

What does the research say?

Choose one of the readings and silent read – record thoughts on the sheet provided

Share with a pair

Report findings from the pair

Harm minimisation/Harm reduction Approach

Read ‘Minimising Drug-Related Harm’

Drug Education Guidelines, pg 26 -27 Divide into 2 groups On the paper provided record any responses to the 2

questions:

What are the advantages of ‘harm minimisation’ and ‘zero tolerance’ to drug education?

What are the disadvantages of ‘harm minimisation’ and ‘zero tolerance’ to drug education?

Swap over Report back

Resiliency Activity

The Resilience Connection

“ An environmental approach to drug education recognises there are many factors in family, cultural, economic,

political, social and physical environments that influence drug use and misuse. While schools can do little about mitigating risk factors in the wider environment, they

can strengthen protective factors in the school environment through adopting whole school policies and

practices that support an ethos of care and high expectation, are responsive to the cultural and social

needs of the community and where students feel valued, secure and connected…”

-Drug Education Matrix of Learning Outcomes for Levels 1-8 within the New Zealand Health and Physical Education

Curriculum (Draft)

Resilience Research

“The overall message from prevention research is that schools can prevent the onset, severity

and duration of problematic substance use, bullying, violence and mental health problems

by undertaking a process of developing a culture that promotes resilience.”

- Fuller 2001

Traits/family/school/community

Belonging and connectedness to peers, family, school and community support

resilience and are protective of problematic substance use.

Being resilient

Personal attributes/skills: healthy relationships – socially competent

creative, flexible, solves problems

independent and sense of self-efficacy and mastery

positive, sense of purpose, humour.

Environmental supports: bonds/support from family/friends/work/local

community

belonging to group/social club/sport/hobby etc.

access to help/services.

Comprehensive drug education strategies

Curriculum Teaching and LearningDrug Education Matrix

Key components of evidence based drug education

Effects on well-being, choices and consequences

Communication and relationships Strategies to support and protect self and

others Rights , responsibilities, policies and laws Critical thinking about societal issues, and

critical action.

Drug Education Matrix – Pg 31

Drug Education Matrix cont…

Choose a level of the Matrix that you are familiar with

Look at the suggested learning outcomes Identify existing opportunities that students

have to engage in learning around the outcomes

Highlight areas where learning is not occurring Consider what opportunities could be included

- (Use resources available) Share back ideas

Policy Making

Could include;

A rationale

A preventative Approach to harmful

drug use

Intervention

Procedures for identifying and monitoring students with drug-related problems

Support and referral

Safety Procedures

Evaluation

Policy Making cont…

In pairs take 2 of the suggested policy headings and using the resources available draft some key statements that you consider to be essential in a policy.

Share back with the group

These will be collated and emailed to you

Evaluating Outside Providers

Effective drug education programmes in schools are based on the health and physical education curriculum and delivered by appropriately trained and supported teachers.

(Drug Education: A Guide for Principals and BoTs)

At times schools may want to use external providers to strengthen their curriculum-based approach. Providers must be able to show the ways their sessions meet quality standards for drug education...

(Strengthening Drug Education in school Communities Pg 14)

Consider your Whole School Approach

What we are doing?

Complete the overview grid - ‘A Resilience approach to Drug Education’

Consider what needs to be done?

Using the action sheet complete ‘What we could do?’

Revisit our initial questions

Using the different coloured stickies provided revisit the questions and make your

responses.

Contact Details

Barbara Batchelor

Student Wellbeing: Mental Health Education

Project Co-ordinator

University of Canterbury, Education Plus

barbara.batchelor@canterbury.ac.nz

Ph 027 405 6737