Section A: The Presentation Rationale The Purpose of the Presentation
The purpose of this presentation is to present crucial information that policymakers, parents and educators should know about sex education. It is also intended to discuss how to speak about sex issues to adolescents without losing the intended meaning and its importance. The reason is that whenever sexual messages are passed to adolescents and perceived wrongly, it can lead to misconduct and undesired outcomes such as teen pregnancies and diseases. The topic is sensitive and hence extra care should be taken when addressing it.
The Appropriate Audience
A suitable audience for this type of presentation is the policymakers that include the government, and the authorities concerned with educational matters, educators, and parents (Ballantine, & Hammack, 2015). These groups are also the stakeholders in early childhood development as they play a significant role in physical educational and spiritual upbringing of children during the formative years of development and adolescence stage.
Significance of the Topic
The presentation is noteworthy as it is about the stage at which children need enough guidance before entering the usually sensitive puberty stage. Educators, teachers have not adequately addressed the topic, and parents due to the lack of guideline on whose responsibility it is in presenting and explaining present the issue to the children, between parents and teachers (Ballantine & Hammack, 2015). For example, some parents have been complaining about teachers teaching children about sex at a very early stage of life. Therefore, a clear understanding and a comprehensive objective of the need for such education should be communicated to demystify the notion that sex education is inappropriate.
Section B the Plan
Introduction
Sex education should be taught in elementary schools from as early as sixth grade. Sexuality is a lifelong process where the acquisition of information on forming relationships, beliefs, attitudes, identity values, and intimacy is learned (Rosenthal and Feldman, 2009). If this is taught early enough, the children can gain knowledge to enable them make rational decisions both in the present and in the future. The paper will discuss the method of teaching, the content, and outcomes and provide a conclusion.
Method of teaching
Instructional Method
The instructional method used emphasizes activeness, experiential and classroom pathologies, which promote students engagement in the class work. The use of interactive teaching methods helps students engage in the learning process. It involves the use small groups, role-playing, class discussions and digital media that can contribute to explore the content and brings the curriculum into their lives and understand it better.
The Content
The content of the sex education will include relationships, sexual behavior, sexual health and human development. Research by David (2015) indicates that relationships can be taught about friendship, love issues, dating romantic relationships lifetime commitments and marriage. On sexual behavior, they will be taught on lifelong sexuality, masturbation, shared sex behaviors, abstinence, and sexual fantasy among others. On sexual health, the lessons will include teen pregnancies, diseases transmitted sexually, sexual abuse, abortion, and assault. On human development, issues’ regarding puberty, body image, reproduction, and gender identity is relevant. A good example is the get real approach seen in figure 1, indicating the programs for learning.
Expected outcomes
The applied sub-concepts in human development will help the children appreciate their bodies, seek any information needed on reproduction and interact with the opposite gender carefully and respectfully. According to Rosenthal and Feldman (2009), sexual behavior concepts at this age will let the child express their feelings according to one’s values, can engage in behavior relationships, and seek information on sexuality appropriately. Sexual health enables the child to obtain necessary parental care, avoid sexual diseases, avoid teen pregnancies and uphold behaviors promoting health.
Conclusion
Despite being a challenge to educators, parents, and policymakers, sexuality education is necessary. The content should also be well planned and prepared so that it does not go beyond what the child can synthesize and apply in practical life. In the end, the learned concepts should be practical in helping the child grow and apply them whenever the need arises. It can be said that sexuality is as important as physiology and anatomy and cannot be avoided.
- Ballantine, J., & Hammack, F. M. (2015). The sociology of education: A systematic analysis. Routledge.
- David, M. (2015). The State, the Family and Education (Routledge Revivals). Routledge.
- Rosenthal, D. A., & Feldman, S. S. (2009). The importance of importance: adolescents’ perceptions of parental communication about sexuality. Journal of Adolescence, 22(6), 835-851.
- ETR. (2016). School-Based Sexual Health Education Guidance Tool. Retrieved July 25, 2016, from http://www.etr.org/ebi/programs/get-real/
