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Level Up Health Education
Helping health educators level up their teaching.
Episodes
27 episodes
The Question Box #1: Financial Literacy & Teaching Students With Cognitive Disabilities
In today's episode, I open up my (virtual) Question Box to answer two questions submitted by health education teachers. I give my take on teaching about financial literacy in health class and share resources for teaching students with cognitive...
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The Changes I'm Trying Out This School Year
In this episode, I talk through the changes I'm going to try out in my classroom this year. And, because I missed this opportunity while recording, imagine this as the introduction to this episode: "Health teachers talk about changes a lot, but...
A Different Way to Think About Advocacy
A conversation with a confused student, combined with a lesson created by two student teachers, led me to rethink the skill of advocacy.Resources Mentioned in This Episode:
Teaching Skills Across Multiple Grade Levels
In today's episode, I explain what teaching the same skill across multiple grade levels could look like. I share how we teach advocacy in grades 6, 7, and 8 at our middle school. Other NHES skills, such as interpersonal communication and analyz...
"This or That?" Skill Practice Review
I start every class with a review of what we went over in the previous class, and if we completed any skill practice, I make sure to include examples in my review. Today's episode covers the "This or That?" activity I use to review at the start...
An Advocacy Statement "Formula"
In this "Summer Session," I share a set of skill cues for teaching the skill of advocacy in a skills-based health education classroom.Resources From This Episode:SHA...
Maximize Learning With the Jotter Box Handout
In this "Summer Session" episode, I talk about the "Jotter Box Handout," which replaced mini white boards in my classroom. It's an absurdly simple, basic, low-tech document that I call a "Swiss Army Knife" and use for a variety of purposes in m...
Curious About Skill Transfer?
After a two-month break, I'm back! As part of my "Summer Sessions" series, I'm revisiting email newsletters I sent out before I started my podcast and recording them as podcasts, with updates as needed.Today's episode is a brief look at ...
Revamping a Unit Assessment: "Fill The Gaps"
A few years ago, I was looking to revamp my summative assessment for a sixth-grade unit. This unit focuses on the skill of interpersonal communication and uses the content area of anti-bullying/seeking support from adults. This unit was initial...
Skills-Based Health Education: 7 Ways to Level Up Your Teaching
You can improve your skills-based health education teaching and curriculum without a major overhaul. In today's episode, I go over 7 strategies you can use in order to "level up" your SBHE teaching and/or curriculum. These strategies work for b...
Updating Health Units to New Standards
I recorded this in a different location than usual, so the audio quality might not be what it usually is. When the SHAPE America National Health Education Standards were revised in 2024, I mourned the loss of an oft-used performance indicator f...
Shifting Health Education From Self to Others
I want to encourage you to think about a mindset shift. A mindset shift relating to your curriculum. A shift relating to your students. Ultimately, a shift in how you decide to teach health education. This shift is based on changes made to the ...
Sprint Episode: Taking FIRME Action
In this "sprint" episode, Jeff tackles a topic in under five minutes. Today, Jeff reviews a concept known as FIRME Action, developed by Research for Better Teaching. This checklist can be used during instruction or between classes, whenever you...
Two Skills Walk Into A Unit...And Chaos Ensues!
Want a simpler, stronger way to build real health literacy? In today's episode, I make the case for teaching one National Health Education Standard skill per unit, pairing it with relevant content and using the skill-development model to delive...
What About Functional Content?
What's the point of health content if students don't know what to do with it? Where does functional content knowledge fit into skills like decision making, analyzing influences, and advocacy? In today's episode, Jeff talks about where functiona...
Legos and Scaffolding and Health Education, Oh My!
My daughter's enthusiasm for Legos has me feeling nostalgic for the sets I built as a kid. It's also made me think a lot about scaffolding, both as a dad guiding her through Lego builds and as a teacher in the classroom. In this episode, I shar...
Mid-Year Challenge: Intentional Connections
Connecting with our students is an important part of our job as health teachers. This episode shares ideas for embedding how you connect with students into your instructional practice and a Mid-Year 5 Day Challenge to help you be intentional ab...
Creating Engaging Activities for Health Class
If you ask five different educators what makes a lesson or activity engaging, you'll probably get five different answers. In today's episode, I talk about what engagement is, and what it isn't, in a health education classroom.
Reflecting on Gratitude and Joy
In this episode, I reflect on teaching with a lens of gratitude and joy. Happy Holidays, everyone!Submit your questions here! Question FormDon't forget to sign up for my free email...
Valid or Viral? Helping Students Access Reliable Health Information
Teaching students how to access valid and reliable information has never been more challenging...or more important. In this episode, I answer a health teacher's question about teaching the skill of accessing valid information. I review practica...
Using Visible Thinking Routines in Health Education
In this episode, Jeff answers a question about visible thinking routines. He reviews what they are, why they're effective, and how to use them in your health education classroom.Future episodes will follow a two-week-on, one-week-off for...
Dive Into The Skill of Analyzing Influences
In this episode, Jeff answers a question about teaching and assessing the skill of analyzing influences, or National Health Education Standard 2.Links Mentioned:
Connecting With Students: Every Class, Every Day
In this episode, Jeff explains five things he does every day to build connections with his students.Check out the First Five emails here.Do you have a question you'd...