Explore SEPA Programs
Resources
Project Related:
Educational Resources
- Teacher Workshops
Grade: K-12
Resource: Teacher Professional Development Opportunities offered every summer
- Films, Videos, & Multimedia
Grade: 6-12
Resource: Flash animation on Anatomy of Breathing. PowerPoint presentations on various health and aging topics.
- Equipment Loans
Grade: 6-12
Resource: Loaner kits with supplies and equipment available to participating teachers.
- Curricula/Literature
Grade: 6-8
Resource: Family Relationships, Stereotypes, Brain, Population Demographics, Vision/Hearing, Nutrition, Oral Health, Diabetes, Statistics, Bone health
- Free Curricula Downloads
Grade level: contact project
Resource: FREE & direct downloads of curricula / scientific literature
Teachers help each other while wearing the vision impairment glasses
Teachers play the Os Costs: Banking on Healthy Bones Game
Positively Aging: Phase I and II Application
Grant Code: R25RR012369
Funding Years: 08/08/1997 - 07/31/2003
Institution: University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio
Department: Department of Medicine - Geriatrics
Address:
7703 Floyd Curl Drive, MC 7780
San Antonio, TX, 78229-3900
PI:
LICHTENSTEIN, MICHAEL,
Phone: (210) 567-2568
Fax: (210) 567-4414
Email: lichtenstei@uthscsa.edu
OTHER CONTACT:
PRUSKI, LINDA,
Phone: (210) 567-2747
Fax: (210) 567-4414
Email: pruski@uthscsa.edu
URL: http://teachhealthk-12.uthscsa.edu
Abstract
Phase II (2000-2003) - This Science Education Partnership Award (SEPA) application is a Phase II proposal to disseminate the Positively Aging TM project. Positively Aging TM is an educational partnership developed between the Aging Research and Education Center (AREC) at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio (UTHSCSA) and the Northside Independent School District (NISD) in San Antonio, TX. We evaluated the Positively Aging TM teaching materials during a Phase I SEPA grant (1997-2000-R25- RR12369). We now plan to disseminate Positively Aging TM by consolidating our partnership with NISD and establishing a new partnership with North East Independent School District (NEISD). For the past six years the working scientists of the AREC have worked with middle school educators from NISD to produce instructional materials that meet the SEPA goals of (a) improving the quality of math and science education in public schools and (b) promote an understanding of behaviors that increase the risk of disease. To date, the work has centered on middle schools that have large student populations of Mexican Americans in the past these students have performed less well on standardized achievement tests compared to their European American classmates. The three long term goals of Positively Aging TM are: (a) to provide effective teaching materials that center on math and science curricular elements and are based on examples from the Gerontologic Sciences; (b) to help students learn to make critical, life determining decisions for extending and enhancing their own lives; and (c) to help students develop a sensitivity to the needs and concerns of the aging population. In this dissemination proposal, we designed two specific aims to achieve these long term goals. First, to develop an interactive web site that facilitates and supports distance learning to (a) improve student knowledge and skills specific to math and science curricular elements, and (b) improve professional development for teachers in knowledge specific to gerontology and the aging process. Second, to directly test the effectiveness of two sustained 3-year dissemination strategies. A controlled study will compare a program of teacher training followed by web based electronic support alone compared to teacher training with web based support plus in-school personal support by Positively Aging TM staff. We will test the hypothesis that in-school personal support will facilitate dissemination beyond what can be achieved solely by computer based distance learning techniques. Phase I (1997-2000)This Science Education Partnership Award (SEPA) application is a Phase l proposal to further develop and evaluate the 'Positively Aging' project. 'Positively Aging' is an educational partnership that has developed between the Aging Research Education Center (AREC) at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio (UTHSC-SA) and the Northside Independent School District (NISD) in San Antonio, TX. For the past four years the working scientists of the AREC have worked with middle school educators from NISD to produce instructional materials that meet the SEPA goals of (a) improving the quality of math and science education in public schools and (b) promote an understanding of behaviors that increase the risk of disease. To date, the work has centered on middle schools that have large student populations of Mexican Americans - in the past these students have performed less well on standardized achievement tests compared to their European American classmates. The three long term goals of 'Positively Aging' are: (a) to provide effective teaching materials that center on math and science curricular elements and are based on examples from the Gerontologic Sciences; (b) to help students learn to make critical, life determining decisions for extending and enhancing their own lives; and (c) to help students develop a sensitivity to the needs and concerns of the aging population. These long term goals will be reached by achieving the following three specific aims. First, to develop a cohesive set of evaluation instruments to assess the effectiveness of 'Positively Aging' [Year l]. These instruments will directly measure-he ability to improve knowledge and skills specific to math and science curricular objectives, and knowledge specific to Gerontology and the aging process. Tools will also be developed to measure changes in attitudes and beliefs regarding aging in humans. Second, to directly test the overall effectiveness of 'Positively Aging' to improve math and science skills in a controlled trial of project implementation in middle schools from NISD [Year 2]. Third, to use the results of the evaluation studies and controlled trial to revise the teaching material and plan a dissemination proposal [Year 3].
Keywords
health education, teaching, training; aging, attitude, decision making, health behavior
