I taught this course three times while teaching at the College of Micronesia on the island of Pohnpei.  The curriculum is decided by the college and topics include:

 

• Achieving Personal Health

• Mind-Body Communication

• Stress and Mental Health

• Introduction to Physical Fitness

• Choosing a Nutritious Diet

• Body Image and Eating Disorders

• The Respiratory System and Cardiovascular System

• Sexuality and Sexually Transmitted Diseases

• Pregnancy and Childbirth

• The Immune System and Infectious Disease

• Cancer and Environmental Health

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Diagrams: When giving students diagrams of the human body, I always use the information gap method that I first tried in this class. Students receive either the "A" or "B" version of a diagram, which have the opposite half of the terms filled out. They must partner up with a student with the opposite letter, sit back-to-back, and talk to each other to fill out their diagrams. It is a more engaging way to fill out diagrams and it helps information stick more than mindlessly copying terms from the board.  

 

Food Diary Assignment: I taught this couse in a nation with one of the highest obesity and Type II Diabetes rates in the world.  My students were not used to looking at their food and nutrition at all, and SPAM and ramen were staples of their diet.  This activity is common to us in Canada but was completely foreign in Micronesia.  Together, we were able to analyze their diaries and determine food groups that were lacking.

 

Blood Pressure Lab: This was a really fun activity that taught students to use a blood pressure cuff and analyze what the output values meant. They took a partner's blood pressure before and after exercise and graphed the results.