To learn more about Drug Talk: Body. Mind. Future., SDERA.wa.edu · Drug Talk: Body. Mind. Future. (Drug Talk) is an holistic program that recognises the interconnectedness of the

To learn more about Drug Talk: Body. Mind. Future.,

visit SDERA.wa.edu.au.

Make healthier and more informed decisions for your own and others’ safety and wellbeing, now and into the future.

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© 2018 SDERA | DRUG TALK DRUG TALK. Teacher resource. Teaching and learning experiences. 2

Title Drug Talk: Body. Mind. Future.

SCIS no: 1766649

© School Drug Education and Road Aware, 2018The Drug Talk program has been proudly funded by the Mental Health Commission, Western Australia.

Contact Details SDERA (School Drug Education and Road Aware) Statewide Services Centre 33 Giles Avenue PADBURY WA 6025

P: 08 9402 6415E: [email protected]: www.sdera.wa.edu.au

Author Linda Thorburn, Resource Coordinator, SDERA

Design & Production Helen Bailey, Advance PressLinda Thorburn, Resource Coordinator, SDERA

Acknowledgements SDERA acknowledges Western Australian schools, individual teachers, and SDERA consultants who provided feedback during the development of this resource.

The author has made a comprehensive effort to cite and credit all sources. Any omissions detected are not intentional.


GETTING STARTED The following are suggestions for teachers engaging with the Drug Talk teaching and learning materials for the first time.

1. Read the following documents:

Drug Talk: Body. Mind. FutureTeaching alcohol and other drugs education – An overview

Drug Talk: Body. Mind. FutureConsiderations for teaching alcohol and other drugs education

2. The Drug Talk program recognises that there may be differences in the amount of alcohol and other drugs education students have participated in. Therefore, teachers are encouraged to determine students’ knowledge and understanding about alcohol and other drugs using the quiz What do you know or want to know more about? available on the Drug Talk webpage SDERA.wa.edu.au/programs/drugtalk. This information can then be used to structure the alcohol and other drugs teaching program drawing on students’ current knowledge and interests.

3. Teachers are also encouraged to revisit or introduce the theories and models that help to explain alcohol and other drug use as this information is discussed and drawn upon throughout the lesson activities. The video Drugs and what you need to know (available on the Drug Talk webpage SDERA.wa.edu.au/programs/drugtalk) is a good starting point for revising or introducing this content.

4. The Drug Talk program includes a short introductory lesson using the quiz and video mentioned above (page 6).

AREAS OF FOCUS The program offers teachers flexibility in the way that they choose to structure their lessons, which drugs they choose to focus on, and how they plan to structure classroom lessons. This acknowledges that teachers are best placed in understanding their students and how they learn. It also recognises that teachers are well positioned to understand any local context alcohol and other drug issues and respond to them through providing relevant, well-researched and engaging lessons. Developing a flexible program promotes ‘just-in time’ teaching and learning and recognises that if students are engaged in learning through a differentiated approach, learning is targeted and effective.

The learning experiences for students in the Drug Talk program are divided into three focus areas:1. Body.Mind.Future.2. Risk-taking.3. Help-seeking.

These focus areas have been determined by research and the needs and requirements of adolescents engaged in an alcohol and other drugs education program (Davis & Kelly, 2012; McBride, 2003; Midford et al., 2014; Teeson, Newton & Barrett, 2012).

© 2018 SDERA | DRUG TALK DRUG TALK. Considerations for teaching alcohol and other drugs education 1

The early and middle secondary years have been identified as a crucial time to consolidate alcohol and other drugs education as the number of students who have been exposed to and/or have used drugs is relatively low. It is also a time when adolescents are beginning to assert their independence, making more personal decisions and challenging the constraints of parental guidance. It is for these reasons (and many more) that alcohol and other drugs education in the early and middle secondary years must be factual, real, relevant and skills-based.

TO CONSIDER1. How alcohol and other drugs prevention education

is taught is as important as what is taught. Students need both time and opportunity in classroom activities to explore their own beliefs about alcohol and other drugs and also practise skills such as problem-solving, assertive communication, help-seeking and decision making in alcohol and other drugs related situations that may occur in their own social settings.

2. Teaching alcohol and other drugs education can involve discussing sensitive issues which may make some students in the program uncomfortable. It is therefore important to establish a safe and supportive environment where students can explore their own knowledge, understandings, values and beliefs before starting alcohol and other drugs education.

3. Set clear ground rules about discussing student drug use experiences before commencing alcohol and other drugs education. Encourage students to respect a person’s privacy by not using names when talking about experiences and be prepared to protectively interrupt those students who may disclose sensitive information. If disclosure does occur in the classroom, teachers should tactfully but firmly

interrupt the student, acknowledge that they have heard the student and indicate to the student that they may want to discuss this later. Straight after the lesson, arrange a time for a follow-up conversation.

4. Staff should not disclose personal stories about drug use experiences.

5. Give students opportunities to consider when, where, how and by whom there may be pressure to try alcohol and other drugs. Consider situations that involve both overt pressure from peers or family and also covert pressures where students put pressure on themselves to use alcohol and other drugs, perhaps to please or be like friends or family.

6. Incorporate learning opportunities that correct inaccurate beliefs about the normality and acceptability of drug use. Normative beliefs are most relevant when the forms of drug use in question really are uncommon and not widely accepted among young people, but might be thought to be more common. Using current prevalence data such as that collected through the Australian Secondary Students Alcohol and Drug (ASSAD) survey can provide an accurate indication as to the extent of drug use in particular age groups and challenge and dispel some myths surrounding alcohol and other drug use.

7. Inaccurate and sensationalised media reporting on the effect alcohol and other drug use (including methamphetamine use) has had on individuals and the community may impact students’ understanding of alcohol and other drug use and the potential effects. It is important that the facts are presented, myths de-bunked and students provided with sources where they can get accurate information and help, as required. It is also important to acknowledge there will/may be pockets of higher prevalence use than national/state averages in some locations and educating accordingly will be important.

CONSIDERATIONS FOR TEACHING ALCOHOL AND OTHER DRUGS EDUCATION

© 2018 SDERA | DRUG TALK DRUG TALK. Teaching alcohol and other drugs education. An overview 1

How alcohol and other drugs education in our schools is taught is very important. Through research and anecdotal evidence, we know that effective school alcohol and other drugs education should focus on skill development and provide students with the capacity to make healthier and more informed decisions for their own and others’ safety and wellbeing (Meyer & Cahill, 2004).

To engage students, best practice alcohol and other drugs education should explore and develop students’ drug related knowledge, skills, attitudes and values through use of inclusive and interactive teaching strategies (Meyer & Cahill, 2004). This is not always easy as the knowledge and experiences students have about alcohol and other drugs and their resilience skills can differ greatly as does the level of engagement they will have for the program.

In the secondary years, alcohol and other drugs programs should focus on licit drugs such as alcohol, caffeine, tobacco, over-the-counter and prescription medicines. Illicit drugs such as methamphetamine, cannabis, synthetic cannabis and other drugs should also be discussed.

Schools should not engage in broad, classroom based prevention education about volatile substance use (VSU) nor make direct reference to volatile substances as potential drugs of intoxication for risk of promoting awareness of easily accessible substances and their psychoactive effects.

Education around VSU should only be provided in the context of intervention support (one-to-one or in small groups) with those identified as using or being at risk of using these substances.

ABOUT DRUG TALK: BODY.MIND.FUTURE.Drug Talk: Body. Mind. Future. (Drug Talk) is an holistic program that recognises the interconnectedness of the body, mind and the future through a series of interrelated components and activities. Activities within Drug Talk provide opportunities for students to:

• identify how potential harms from alcohol and other drug use can be avoided or reduced

• develop and extend the skills that best assist with a harm minimisation approach.

The program encourages students to consider the factors that can contribute to a drug use experience. Understanding this process encourages students to realise that the context in which drug use occurs (including the drug, the person using the drug and the environment in which the drug is taken) can either exacerbate or reduce the risks of harm.

Drug Talk aims to:

• increase students’ knowledge, social skills and refusal skills so they can make informed choices about alcohol and other drugs

• foster student resilience and increase these skills and capabilities

• question students’ values, attitudes and beliefs towards alcohol and other drugs

• apply critical thinking to why students take risks around alcohol and other drug use

• explore help-seeking strategies

• investigate the impact alcohol and other drug use can have now and into the future.

TEACHING ALCOHOL AND OTHER DRUGS EDUCATION – AN OVERVIEW

TEACHING AND LEARNING EXPERIENCESABOUT DRUG TALK


1. Body.Mind.Future.Adolescents often have a view that they are indestructible and that negative things will not happen to them. Unfortunately, this is not always true.

The Drug Talk program challenges students to think about the drug use choices that they may make and how these choices may impact their body, their mind and their future. It encourages them to develop a deeper understanding of the implications of drug use and the potential effects that it can have on their health, lifestyle, relationships, future study, work, and travel opportunities.

Unpacking real and relevant scenarios and exploring risk-taking and help-seeking in the context of respecting themselves is an approach utilised in the Drug Talk program.

2. Risk-taking“In Western countries like Australia, risk-taking is often seen as a rite of passage for some and influential in developing self-determination, autonomy and self-identity” (Shanahan, Wilkins & Hurt 2002, p. 35). However, we also know that adolescence is a time when risky behaviours become temporarily more normative than they are at other times in the life span. For some adolescents, engaging in risky behaviours may be limited, while for others these behaviours form part of long-term problems (Moffitt & Caspi, 2001). Adolescence is also a time when young people are increasingly involved in health risk-taking. This has the potential to adversely affect health in the short and long term (Di Clemente, Santelli & Crosby, 2009). This is especially so for use of alcohol and other drugs and associated behaviours.

Recognising that developing resilience supports the taking of calculated risks is important in school drug education as is providing students with particular skills and strategies to mitigate risk eg problem solving, conflict resolution. Resilience is not constant and can depend on the specific circumstances students find themselves in. So, reminding them that building and developing resilience is a continuous process, that resilience is changeable depending on circumstances and can be improved, are essential components of addressing the risk-taking behaviours which developmental psychology describes as normal adolescent exploration and part of the learning process of a young person (Davis and Kelly, 2012).

3. Help-seekingHelp-seeking is an important social skill that enables individuals to know when outside help is needed, the type of assistance required, how to access help by effectively engaging others, and how to apply what they have learnt to solve their problems.

Adolescence is a high-risk time for the development of alcohol and other substance use disorders (Kessler et al., 2005). Ensuring adolescents have access to information and support during this period is of critical importance to the prevention of longer-term harms associated with early substance use. Teaching help-seeking skills can mitigate risk by allowing for prevention and early intervention.

These three focus areas recognise that students have a large role to play in the decisions they make and how they engage in an alcohol and other drugs context.

For each focus area a number of simple lessons have been created which adopt a strengths-based approach. All lessons follow the same structure. Teachers are encouraged to choose the most suitable drug content, the area of focus, and lesson content to address students’ needs and areas of interest.

The Drug Talk program includes information on licit drugs such as alcohol, caffeine, tobacco, over-the-counter and prescription medicines as well as illicit drugs such as methamphetamine, cannabis, synthetic cannabis, performance and image enhancing drugs, and new psychoactive substances.

ANOTEABOUTVSUSchools should not engage in broad, classroom-based prevention education about volatile substance use (VSU) nor make direct reference to volatile substances as potential drugs of intoxication for risk of promoting awareness of easily accessible substances and their psychoactive effects.

Education around VSU should only be provided in the context of intervention support (one-to-one or in small groups) with those identified as using or being at risk of using these substances.


ReferencesDavis, C., & Kelly, J. (2012). Risk-taking, harm and help-seeking. Youth Studies Australia, 31(4), pp. 35-45.

Di Clémente, R. J., Santelli, J. S., & Crosby, R.A. (2009). Adolescent health: Understanding and preventing risk Behaviours. John Wiley & Sons, San Francisco, CA.

Kessler, R. C., Berglund, P., Demler, O., Jin, R., Merikangas, K. R., & Walters, E. E. (2005). ‘Lifetime prevalence and age-of-onset distributions of DSM-IV disorders in the National Comorbidity Survey replication’: Erratum. Archives of General Psychiatry, 62(7), 768. doi:10.1001/archpsyc.62.7.768

McBride, N. (2003). A systematic review of school drug education. Health Education Research Theory and Practice, 18, (6), 729-742.

Midford, R., Mitchell, J., Lester, L., Cahill, H., Foxcroft, D., Ramsden, R., Venning, L., & Pose, M. (2014). Preventing alcohol harm: early results from a cluster randomised, controlled trial in Victoria, Australia of comprehensive harm minimisation school drug education. International Journal of Drug Policy, 25(1), pp. 142-150.

Moffitt, T. E., & Caspi A. (2001). ‘Childhood predictors differentiate life-course persistent and adolescence-limited antisocial pathways among males and females’, Developmental Psychopathology, 13, pp.355-75.

Shanahan, P., Wilkins, M., & Hurt, N. (2002). ‘A study of attitudes and behaviours of drinkers at risk’, National Alcohol Strategy 2001 to 2003/04, occasional paper, Commonwealth Department of Health and Ageing, September 2002.

Teesson, M., Newton, N., & Barrett, E. (2012), Australian school-based prevention programs for alcohol and other drugs: A systematic review, Drug and Alcohol Review, DOI: 10.1111/j.1465–3362.2012.00420.x


LESSONSTRUCTURE

RESOURCES

‘TUNINGIN’TOPRIORKNOWLEDGE–PARTA • Quiz – What do you know or want to know more about? Available on the Drug Talk webpage at SDERA.wa.edu.au/programs/drugtalk

PURPOSE

• To determine pre-existing knowledge about alcohol and other drugs (AOD).

• To understand AOD areas of interest.

ACTIONS

• Conduct the quiz – What do you know or want to know more about? • Be guided by the combined results of the What do you know or

want to know more about? quiz to plan the learning experiences for students.

TALKINGPOINTS

• Highlight to students that the answers they provide will guide the AOD lessons.

• Encourage students to consider carefully the options for each question and if they are unsure of the answer to choose the ‘best fit’ response.

OPTION

Create the quiz on Kahoot or another online quiz creation website. https://kahoot.it/

‘TUNINGIN’TOPRIORKNOWLEDGE–PARTB • Selfie student journal – KWL chart page 3

• Drugs and what you need to know (10.11 mins) video clip – available from the Drug Talk webpage at SDERA.wa.edu.au/programs/drugtalk

ALTERNATIVEACTIVITY

• Resource sheet – KWL chart (printed at A3 size) page 9

PURPOSE

• To review existing AOD knowledge.• To develop baseline knowledge about the theories and models that

help to explain drug use.

It is recommended that this lesson be completed ONCE at the start of the Drug Talk program.

BUILDING KNOWLEDGE & COLLECTING INFORMATION INTRODUCTORY LESSON

http://SDERA.wa.edu.auhttps://kahoot.it/http://SDERA.wa.edu.au


LESSONSTRUCTURE

RESOURCES

ACTIONS

• Ask students to turn to page 3 KWL chart in their student journal – Selfie.

• Explain that a KWL chart is a graphic organiser that gives structure to thoughts about a topic. The KWL stand for: ¬ K – What I know ¬ W – What I want to know ¬ L – What I learnt.

• Explain that students will be using the KWL chart to record information as they watch a video.

• Introduce the video Drugs and what you need to know (10.11 mins). Explain that this video contains a broad overview of the more well-known theories and models that help to explain drug use.

• Watch the video.

Drugs and what you need to know (10.11 mins) can be found on the Drug Talk webpage at SDERA.wa.edu.au/programs/drugtalk.

• Unpack the content of the short video calling on students to share their notes from the three headings in the KWL chart. Discuss the points raised by the students and add any key points that have been overlooked using the Talking Points (below).

TALKINGPOINTS

• The experience of using AOD may not always be the same – even with the same drug.

• The AOD experience may not be the same as the experience someone else will have with the same drug.

• The effects and the possible harms of AOD will vary greatly depending on the individual, the drug and the environment in which the drug is taken. This is called the drug use experience.

• It is not just about the drug.• People take drugs for many different reasons.• What happens when a drug is taken can be hard to predict because

there are so many variables that can impact the experience.• Shafer’s model explores five patterns of drug use; experimental,

recreational/social, situational, intensive, compulsive.• Most people use drugs in an experimental or recreational manner.• Thorley’s model looks at three interrelated patterns of AOD use; harms

of intoxication, harms from regular use; harms for dependence.• Thorley’s model is important as it starts to build a picture of the types

of problems that could be experienced through drug use.• People do use drugs for many different reasons and that problems

with alcohol and other drug use can occur at any level of use, even experimental or one-off use.

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LESSONSTRUCTURE

RESOURCES

ALTERNATIVEACTIVITY(GROUPBASED)

1. After watching the video Drugs and what you need to know (10.11 mins) divide students into three groups.

2. Hand each group a KWL Chart on A3 paper (resource sheet page 9). 3. Ask each group to complete either the K, W or L section. 4. Allow 3-4 minutes with one group member acting as scribe recording

responses in the correct column. 5. At the end of the time, ask students to pass their paper on.6. The group now completes the section on the page that the previous

group completed putting a tick next to any similar comment and adding any extra information. Allow the same timeframe to complete the task.

7. Pass the paper to the next group.8. Complete the process for the final time using the last of the K, W or L

sections.9. Request one member from each group to read out the recorded

responses to the class for either the K, W, or L section.10. Teacher to add to the information as required.


RRESOURCE SHEET 1

DRUGs and what you need to know - kwl

K W L

Body. Mind. Future.Risk-takingHelp-seeking

Button 3: Button 1: Button 2:

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