TEACHING IN HEALTH AND SOCIAL CARE

Teaching in Health and Social Care

Teaching in Health and Social Care

Introduction

The proliferation of personal technology at the turn of the 20th century contributed significantly to increases in sedentary lifestyles and resulted in the decline of the collective health of our nation's youth. Deficiencies in health fitness, childhood obesity, hypertension, diabetes, and even hyperlipidemia are being reported at levels heretofore unimagined by prior health and medical professionals. In response, key initiatives generated by the federal government, state and local agencies, and educational policymakers at all levels have sprung forth with energy, momentum, and focus not seen since the Kennedy administration's 1961 commitment to “make a substantial contribution to the health and vigor of our citizens.” Among the most significant of those initiatives has been the focus on student wellness from a holistic perspective guided by Standards Based Health Education.

Standards Based Health Education originally emanated from the efforts of the Joint Committee for National School Health Education Standards in 1995, which was composed of members of the Association for the Advancement of Health Education (now the Association for Health Education [AAHE]), American Public Health Association, the American School Health Association, and the Society of State Directors of Health, Health Education and Recreation, with sponsorship from the American Cancer Society. The standards address the major areas of concern regarding the nation's health identified by the Department of Health and Human Service and the Centers for Disease Control: (a) health activity, (b) overweight and obesity [including nutrition], (c) tobacco use, (d) substance abuse, (e) responsible sexual behavior, (f) mental health, (g) injury and violence, (h) environmental quality, (i) immunization, and (j) access to health care.

Many educationalists, both general (for example, Black and Wiliam, 1998a; Gipps, 1994, 1996; Shepard, 2000) and specific to health education (for example, Melograno, 1994; Smith, 1997; Veal, 1992a, 1995) acknowledge the significance of assessment in curriculum and pedagogy. Great diversity, however, is evident in the understanding of its definition and purpose in health education reflecting, to a large extent, the absence of consensus on the constitution and purpose of health education (Naul, 2003). Irrespective of such divergent perceptions and perspectives, assessment is increasingly becoming an important point of practice, research and philosophical focus within education discussion, the depth and extent of which is not as readily apparent within the health education academic community. Throughout this chapter a number of key themes are evident which are technically distinct but which must be understood conjointly in order to comprehend the complexities and implications of assessment practice and theory. These themes include perspectives on assessment within contemporary understandings of learning theory, the broad impact of accountability on curriculum and assessment reform and pedagogy, and technical assessment considerations of assessment for learning.

Assessment fundamentally involves the collection of information (Smith, 1997). This information varies in scope and depth, reflecting the process used to collect the information and the purpose for that collection. Veal (1988, 1992a) and Desrosiers et al. (1997) described assessment as the collection of information throughout the teaching and ...