Sex education- teaching tips from The Guardian

Sex for beginners

Students say they want more openness at school and to learn about feelings as well as mechanics, says Lyndsey Turner in The Guardian- April 24th, 2007

It seems schools still aren't doing enough to help pupils negotiate the tricky territory of teenage sexuality. Recent government campaigns may have focused on promoting awareness of sexually transmitted diseases and reducing the number of teenage pregnancies, but according to a new report published by Ofsted, students are calling for a more frank discussion of sexual health issues and a more open dialogue about the emotional implications of sexual relationships. The debate over how sex education should be taught provides teachers with an opportunity to engage in an honest and informative conversation with students.

Sex education
Begin the lesson with the cartoon parody of traditional sex education films featured on an episode of The Simpsons: www.youtube.com/watch?v=VKy8aeVvgKU.
Ask students to identify the conventions of the genre being parodied. Where do students get their information about sex (for instance lads' magazines, TV shows, parents, friends)? Challenge them to list the advantages and disadvantages of receiving sex education from these sources.

Investigate the history of sex education in the UK (www.open2.net/healthliving/body_mind/thehistoryp_.html). What developments in the way in which sex is taught in schools would they like to see in the future?

Investigate the way sex is taught in other countries (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sex_education).

Introduce pupils to the Dutch Long Live Love programme (www.teachers.tv/video/12118) and ask them to write analytically about the advantages and disadvantages of this method of teaching.

 Introduce the work of True Love Waits (www.lifeway.com/tlw/), an American organisation which promotes abstinence over safe sex (www.lifeway.com/tlw/faq/). Discuss whether such a strategy is possible or even desirable in the UK.

To explore the emotional implications of sexual relationships set up a drama exercise in which students re-enact and parody romantic scenes from soaps such as Hollyoaks and The OC. Then ask the students to devise "real life" equivalents that reflect their own experiences or the ways they imagine such situations would really play out. Use this exercise as the basis for a discussion about the potential disappointments young people may feel when embarking upon a relationship. The video clips available at www.channel4.com/learning/microsites/S/sexliessoaps/prog1_activities.html will help to illustrate the way soap operas set up unrealistic expectations about sex and romance.

Test younger students' knowledge and understanding of pregnancy with this quiz: www.avert.org/pregnancyquiz.htm. A startling proportion of teenagers fail to use contraception when having sex.

Challenge students to find out where they can get free contraception locally, (including young people's contraception clinics: www.fpa.org.uk/finder/).

Set a quiz about emergency contraceptives (what are they, how they work, when they are most effective).
If students fail to come up with the answers, encourage them to visit www.likeitis.org/emergency_contraception.html and www.channel4.com/health/microsites/0-9/4health/sex/con_emergency.html.

Some girls stop taking the pill because of side effects they have experienced. Ensure students understand that different pills have different side effects, and that it is possible to change to another type which may have fewer side effects (www.netdoctor.co.uk/womenshealth/sexlife/contraceptivepills.htm).

Teenagers are often unsure about whether their dealings with health professionals are bound by the same codes of confidentiality as those that govern adults. Ask students to read about consent and confidentiality (www.fpa.org.uk/information/factsheets/documents_and_pdfs/detail.cfm?contentid=115) before summarising their research in a wall chart which could be displayed in a student common room.

Sexual health
A combination of unprotected sex and an ignorance of the nature of sexual health has led to an increase in the spread of sexually transmitted infections among teenagers. Ask groups of students to research different infections (www.ypsh.net/sti/sti_intro.htm) and to use the information they find (including symptoms, treatments and methods of prevention) to create an STI database.

Ask students to comment on the impact and perceived effectiveness of the government's new sexual health campaign: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/6132822.stm.

Stress the effectiveness of condoms in preventing sexual infection and disease by examining the history of contraception (www.fpa.org.uk/information/factsheets/documents_and_pdfs/detail.cfm?contentid=105).

Curriculum links

Key stage 2
English (En1) 1a-c, 2a, 3a-e, 4a-d; (En2) 3a-d; (En3) 1a-b, 2a-e;
ICT 1a-b, 3a-b, 4a;
PSHE & citizenship 1a-d, 2a, 2e, 2k, 3c, 3g, 4a, 4c

Key stage 3
Citizenship 2a-c, 3a;
English (En1) 1a-c, 3a-e, 4a-d; (En2) 1a-c, 4a-d, 5a-d; (En3) 1l-o;
ICT 1a-b, 3a-b, 4a;
PSHE 2a-b, 2e-g, 3d, 3h-j

Key stage 4
Citizenship 2a-c, 3a;
English (En1) 3a-e, 4a-d; (En2) 1a-e, 4a-c, 5a-d; (En3) 1l-o;
ICT 1a-b, 2a, 3a-b, 4a;
PSHE 2a-b, 2e-f, 3e-f, 3j
Scottish curriculum
English (levels C-F);
Health education (levels C-F);
ICT (levels C-F);
Personal and social development (levels C-F)

· Teachers and students will find a complete KS3 lesson plan exploring the issue of sex education on the Guardian's daily online newsdesk for schools: www.learnnewsdesk.co.uk