Focus on Higher Risks
11.1 Focus on Higher Risks
This policy direction has three components; the first is to address the needs of gay, lesbian and bisexual youth who are at the highest risk of HIV and STD infection but who are the least well-served by school sexuality education and preventive sexual health services. The second is to address the reluctance or inability of teachers to teach about the sensitive issues associated with sexuality. The third is to address the needs of students who may be isolated from mainstream approaches to sexual health promotion; students with disabilities, ethnocultural minorities and aboriginal students.
Gay, Lesbian and Bisexual Students
This study has reported that current curricula, teaching/learning methods and learning materials are not addressing the needs of these students adequately. Adolescent sexual health services have not been adapted to meet their needs. A minority of school systems and public health systems reported that they are actively preventing or seeking to reduce homophobia. The schools can be unfriendly places for these students.
We recommend that decision-makers and practitioners address these issues as soon as possible, as the most urgent priority arising from this report.
Teach Students to Handle the Sensitive Issues
This report has noted that teachers shy away from teaching about sensitive topics associated with sexuality and use methods that discourage open discussion and learning. This may be because of a lack of time in the curriculum, the lack of teacher preparedness with interactive teaching methods, the sensitivity of the topics or other factors. As a result, students are bored with the factual approach and do not have an opportunity to learn the skills and acquire the attitudes and beliefs that are necessary for them to make healthy choices about sex.
Sexuality is more than anatomy or disease. It is more than the controversial topics of condoms, sexual acts and unintended pregnancy. It is about feelings, love and intimacy, of honest and equitable relationships. It rejects coercion and exploitation. It is these things that the students in the focus groups told us that they wanted to learn about and to discuss. It is these skills and beliefs that will best prepare our children to deal with the real issues in sexual decision-making.
We recommend that qualitative research be done to explain the barriers that teachers face in using active learning/teaching methods and teaching about certain topics, that more efforts be made to disseminate good materials on these topics and that more professional development be focused on these methods.
Adapted Materials for Minorities
Although much attention has been paid to the development of materials and teaching approaches for students who are disabled , from a minority culture or who live in aboriginal communities with unique needs, this report finds that these materials are not readily available to or are not used teachers.
We recommend that more efforts be put into dissemination activities.