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FRESH Tools for Effective School Health First Editionhttp://www.unesco.org/education/fresh

Teacher Training for Drug Prevention Education

The information in this tool was adapted by UNESCO from the following publication:

United Nations Office for Drug Control and Crime Prevention (UNODC), 2003. School-based Drug Education: A guide for practitioners and the wider community. Vienna:UNODC.

Description of document:This manual aims to provide a conceptual basis upon which teachers, policy makers andschool administrators can make decisions about the design and delivery of effective school-based drug prevention programmes. In addition to providing guidance on the principlesbehind effective drug education and practical information about planning, content, teachingmethods and evaluation for school drug education programmes, the manual includessections on managing drug related incidents, counselling and referral for students, andstrategies for involving families and the community in drug prevention efforts.

Description of tool:This tool emphasizes the importance of teachers being properly trained and supported to beeffective as drug prevention educators. It offers recommendations for the design andimplementation of teacher training based on the findings of research and programmeexperience about what contributes to success in the area of school-based drug education. Italso includes guidelines on when and how to use outside experts.

FRESH offers a strategic framework fordeveloping an effective school healthprogramme. Planning and evaluation areessential processes that enable you to adaptthe framework to local resources and needs.Careful planning and documentation ofoutcomes enhances the success andsustainability of school health programmeactivities.


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Teacher Training for Drug Prevention Education1

Introduction

In all subject areas, the quality of the teaching is directly related to the quality of the learning,and drug prevention education is no exception. Teacher training is as important to consideras content, resources and teaching methods in the development of drug educationprogrammes. Evidence from evaluated programmes confirms that drug education is moreeffective when teachers receive formal training and ongoing consultation and support.

I. Basing teacher training on the theory and methods of effective drug education

A large body of research and experience in the area of health education generally and drugeducation in particular suggests that successful drug education programmes share anumber of common characteristics. An understanding of the theoretical and practicalunderpinnings of effective programmes is an essential starting point for the training ofteachers involved in school-based drug education.

Making what works the basis of teacher training1

Understanding the theory underpinning drug education programmesTeachers must understand the theoretical rationale underpinning drug educationand master the skills needed to implement with fidelity appropriate

teaching/learning methods.

Understanding the life skills adolescents need to develop to deal with thechallenges of adolescent lifeTeachers need to understand the importance of integrating life skillsdevelopment into their drug education programmes; they also need practice atproviding real life situations and contexts for student to develop these skills.

Understanding adolescent developmental changesTeachers must be aware of the wide range of adolescent behaviour that is partof the natural process of developing a sense of autonomy and independence,

separating from parents, and acquiring the skills necessary to function effectivelyin the adult world. Profound physical, social, emotional and cognitive changesoccur during adolescence that significantly alter young peoples perceptions,motivations and thinking which affect the way they view themselves, others andthe world.

Understanding of interactive classroom strategiesInteractive teaching strategies that promote the active participation of students,such as role-playing, discussion and small group work, and programmes usingthese techniques have been found to be more effective than didactic teachingstrategies. A major emphasis in teacher training and support should therefore be

on developing the facilitation skills of interactive teaching methods.1 Botvin, 1995

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Drug education training should not focus on training teachers inthe use of a specific set of resource materials, but rather provide anorientation to drug education that enables participants to selectcontent and use a wide range of strategies and resourcesappropriate to meeting student needs.

II. Training objectives

Some objectives of training programmes are to:

assist teachers in planning, developing and implementing a drug educationprogramme for their classroom;

train teachers to identify students who may be at risk of alcohol and drug problemsand the steps to assist them in getting help;

increase teacher comfort level with the content and process of drug education;

increase teacher level of knowledge of the facts of student drug use and relatedissues;

expand the repertoire of methods for delivering drug education;

increase the competence, confidence and commitment of teachers of drug education;and

improve teacher confidence in using interactive teaching methods.

Students also reap the benefits ofincreased teacher competence,confidence and commitment.

III. Training elements

These elements contribute to the success of training for teachers:

1. Support from the principal and other administrators is apparent.

2. School personnel attend training over an extended period.

3. Training provides information related to the prevention of drug use and othernegative student behaviours.

4. Time and technical assistance is given to develop a programme.

The commitment of teachers and administrators is a vital element of success.

The training effect can be strengthened by:

requiring a school administrator to be a member of the school team;

regular technical assistance meetings to help facilitate project goals; and

incentives, either psychological (public recognition, support) or of a more materialnature (release time, monetary stipend).

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Teachers may benefit from assignments that offer choices such as attending a treatmentcentre or other community health related activity, developing a prevention plan or presentinga mini-session of the course to colleagues as an in-service opportunity.

Training should seek to increase participants knowledge regarding substance useprevention and develop confidence in their ability to recognize and respond effectively tostudent alcohol and drug use problems. The application of adult learning principles to thedesign of the training will produce the best results.

Adult learning processes incorporate experiential and multi-directional techniques, as opposed to one-way learningprocesses, to enable participants to contribute their personalexperiences and skills to enhance their own and others learning.Multiple sessions, appropriately sequenced and involving active

participation produce higher levels of skill acquisition.

Effective training should enable teachers to identify information relevant to students ofdifferent age levels and social backgrounds and to combine knowledge-building sessionswith sessions designed to build essential life skills, such as decision-making, assertivenessand coping skills.

Teacher training in the area of life skills should be conducted in small groups, reflecting theapproach recommended for use in the classroom, as small group work increases individualparticipation and provides opportunities for a more free and thorough exchange of ideas. In

addition, group work is more effective for encouraging participants to evaluate, and even tochange, their attitudes and feelings about drugs and drug education.

The major processes used in successful teacher training programmes include:

small group discussion video and film presentation

independent study experiential learning

simulation and role-play structured learning experiences

practice in using the techniques lecturing followed by large groupdiscussion

curriculum development

It is important to help teachers develop a sense ofbelonging or collegiality, and to ensure that teachersare working within their comfort zone. It is alsocritical to build in short term success by organizingthe training into a logical sequence of clear andachievable goals with demonstrable outcomes.

IV. Guidelines for the use of external agencies for training and teacher support

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1. Agencies engaged to provide drug education or technical support in schools should beevaluated on their capacity to contribute to the achievement of established drugeducation learning objectives, or their ability to provide services beyond the scope andexpertise of the teacher/school.

Quality agencies are characterized by their knowledge of school policies and guidelines,and syllabus documents, and their capacity to work collaboratively with schools toachieve learning outcomes.

2. Decisions to use outside experts should be made on the basis of their programmes orservices compliance with the overarching principles and values of your schools drugeducation programme. (See the Guiding Principles for School-based Drug Education.)

Using external agencies to conduct professional development and training, rather thanproviding sessions directly to students, may serve the drug education programme betterin the longer term.

3. There should be understanding and agreement between the school and the providerregarding the content of the session and the resources to be used prior to thepresentation.

The effectiveness of an external provider will be enhanced when the school provides thepresenter with information about how his/her contribution will fit into the wider context ofthe school programme, and the presenter demonstrates how the presentation willcontribute to the schools defined learning objectives.

The school should provide the person or organization (external agency) with:

the school policy and guidelines for engaging external agencies;

an opportunity to discuss the proposed presentation with the appropriate staffmember, including the context in which the presentation is placed;

the learning objectives of the presentation and the content to be addressed;

information about the developmental level of students, socio-cultural, economic,gender and other issues that may be relevant; and

a process for evaluating the session/presentation.

The person or organization should provide the school with:

information about the agency and its position on drug education;

how the presentation will address the learning objectives;

learning experiences (activities), resources and content;

pre-session requirements and suggested follow up actions; and

a list of operational requirements for the proposed session, such as audio-visualequipment, whiteboard, handouts, etc.

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A sample checklist of procedures to follow for the engagement of external providers is givenbelow.

School checklist for the engagement of an external provider

The decision to engage the agency has been informed by an analysis ofschool needs, current internal resources and how learning outcomes canbe addressed adequately.

The external agency will neither replace an existing school programme norassume the role of the teacher as the person accountable for the learningoutcomes.

The school has approved the content, the teaching/learning methods and theresources to be used with students.

The session uses interactive activities rather than just passive informationgiving.

Criteria have been developed by the school to evaluate the presentation.

A teacher will be present during the programme/presentation.

Parents have been informed.

OR

There is no need to inform parents in this instance.

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1 Adapted from: United Nations Office for Drug Control and Crime Prevention, 2003. School-based DrugEducation: A guide for practitioners and the wider community. Vienna: UNODC.

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