Reducing Adolescent Sexual Risk: A Theoretical - ETR Associates

out of these different situations (see situationsactivity in Chapter 4). They also might involveidentifying different situations in which protectionagainst pregnancy or STDs might notbe used and brainstorming methods to avoidor get out of these situations without havingunprotected sex. These activities might includegroup identification of these situations, groupsuggestions for avoiding or getting out of them,roleplaying to practice skills needed to avoid orget out of them, and individual decision makingabout which solutions would work best foreach individual. The key is to provide multipleopportunities to apply the content for maximumknowledge gain.10. Learning is promoted when students are giventhe proper balance of challenge and support(Blair and Caine 1995; Angelo 1998). Studentsshould be taught basic concepts or skills and, asthey strive to apply them, they should be givenfirst reasonably easy and then progressively moredifficult problems to solve or skills to learn. Asneeded, they should be given both appropriatefeedback and coaching. When coaching, giveyoung people ample time to ask questions andexplore options before jumping in with suggestions.Feedback should be timely, specific andconstructive. However, it also should be withdrawnover time. That is, students should begiven the support they need to learn a conceptor skill, but that support should gradually bewithdrawn so that they learn to use conceptsor perform skills well on their own (Collins,Brown et al. 1989).11. Learning is promoted when students areencouraged to apply or integrate their newknowledge or skill into their everyday lives.As noted above, students should be encouragedto think about which decisions are rightfor them, which situations they will avoid, andwhich skills they will need to abstain or useprotection. They also learn more if they have toreflect on, discuss or defend their new knowledgeor skill and if they use their knowledge orskill in new personal ways (Merrill 2002). Forexample, when they encourage their peers eitherto abstain from sex or use condoms or otherforms of contraception, they may use their skillsin new ways. Homework assignments in whichstudents are asked to use a skill or share withothers the information they learned may helpthem integrate that information and understandit more clearly.12. Learning is promoted when instruction isindividualized (Mullen, Mains et al. 1992).There are many ways to individualize instruction.For example, when students roleplay, theycan be given several different scenarios andchoose ones that are most appropriate or realisticfor them individually. When calling STDhotlines or clinics, students can craft questionsahead of time that they wish to have answered.When students are given the opportunity to putquestions in an anonymous question box, theirindividual questions can be answered.If students can move at their own pace, theyalso can learn more. Thus, interactive computerprograms that present or review relevant materialand that allow students to move at their ownpace can be helpful. Similarly, written materialsand resources in the community can allow studentsto access and read them when they wantto do so. Well-designed interactive computerprograms also can tailor the activities for theindividual student’s gender and sexual experienceor intentions.13. Learning is promoted when effective teachersuse an array of teaching methods, becausethere is no single, universal approach thatsuits all situations (Blair and Caine 1995; VanMerriënboer 1997). Different people learn mosteffectively in different ways. For example, somepeople learn most efficiently through hearing,others through seeing and others throughexperiencing. In addition, some methods arebetter suited to teaching certain skills and fieldsof knowledge than are others. At a minimum,teachers should use different instructional methods,and, if possible, should become familiarwith the instructional methods that are mosteffective with their own students and use those40 Reducing Adolescent Sexual Risk: A Theoretical Guide for Developing and Adapting Curriculum-Based Programs