Section outline

  • Why do some people have a hard time asking simple questions? - QuoraThis module will explore how to answer difficult questions in health education. It is not possible, or even desirable to provide value-free education. However, as a teacher, your goal is to distinguish between:

    • Relatively UNIVERSAL values: shared by most families, or specifically written into law or policy, which the teacher is, in fact, expected to teach), and
    • PERSONAL Values : those the community is not in agreement on, and which the teacher should think carefully about before expressing their personal opinion or belief).

    Key Outcomes:

    1. Consider using an activity to build empathy within the classroom.
    2. Use of a protocol to support the teacher in answering a variety of fact-based, universal or personal questions in the classroom.

    • Examining three potential types of questions that a teacher might receive from a student in the classroom include:

      • Personal Questions: 
      • Fact-Based: 
      • Value-based:

    • Review this document to learn how you may answer difficult, especially value-based questions in the classroom. 

    • This brief presentation describes ab activity teachers might use to show a range of beliefs in their classroom.

    • This quiz is a review of the Answering Difficult Questions Protocol

    • Practice Makes Perfect!

      Consider your most dreaded or embarrassing question coming from a student. Write it down. Then, use the steps of the Protocol to answer it. 

    • 1.    How can identifying the type of questions help guide your response to a question?

      2.    What are three strategies identified in the Advocates for Youth presentation that can help you more effectively answer questions.

      3.    How can you build empathy and demonstrate a range of beliefs?

      4.    Chose a difficult question that you have received from a student. Describe how you could reply using the answering difficult questions graphic organizer.