Topic outline

  • Welcome!

    The modules in this course collectively create a comprehensive course to support educators teaching health education. The goal of health education is for students to gain knowledge and become proficient in skills that will help them adopt and maintain healthy lives.  

    These modules will equip educators to develop skills around implementing high impact teaching strategies and effective health education practices. Each of the course modules below focuses on one important aspect of health education. The modules are set up to be viewed sequentially; however, they are self-contained, meaning there is flexibility to review the modules individually at your leisure. Information on receiving a certificate for hours completion of the modules can be found in the  "Course Contact Hours Certificate of Completion" module.  Modules have been created by Colorado health educators with support from the Colorado Education Initiative, and funding from the Colorado Health Foundation. If you have questions or feedback regarding the course or modules feel free to contact hurley_j@cde.state.co.


  • 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.