About THTM
Introduction
Why Is THTM Unique?
Framework of THTM
THTM Evaluation
Who Says THTM Is Effective?
Teacher Training
Introduction
Teenage Health Teaching Modules (THTM) is a successful, nationally used, and independently evaluated comprehensive school health curriculum for grades 6 to 12. It provides adolescents with the knowledge and skills to act in ways that enhance their immediate and long-term health. The evaluation of THTM concluded that the curriculum produced positive effects on students' health knowledge, attitudes, and self-reported behaviors.
The following essential health skills are highlighted in each of the modules: risk assessment, self-assessment, communication, decision making, goal setting, health advocacy, and healthy self-management.
THTM is comprised of a series of modules, each of which consists of a teacher's guide with a detailed framework for conducting classroom activities and handouts designed to be duplicated for student use.
Some of the features that have contributed to the success of THTM are its:
- positive, affirming approach to health and well-being
- sensitivity to critical health issues, both for students and teachers
- emphasis on affective, skill, and cognitive objectives
- focus on peer interaction and the development of social skills
- flexibility and affordability
- accuracy, as ensured by a technical review by many experts
- compatibility with national, state, and local school health education frameworks, guidelines, and standards
According to the THTM way of thinking, health is a condition that enables people to live fully, realizing their full potential. It involves the individual's total being: physical, mental, emotional, spiritual, and social. The adoption of a healthy lifestyle is promoted as a way for students to reach their full potential.
THTM has three primary components:
- Health tasks of adolescence
- Health content areas
- Essential health skills and themes
Examples of health tasks incorporated in THTM include having friends and building positive relationships, recognizing feelings and managing them in positive ways, and protecting oneself and others from use of tobacco, alcohol, and other drugs.
The health content areas of THTM are: personal health; disease prevention and control; nutrition; alcohol, tobacco, and other drug use; injury and violence prevention; mental and emotional health; consumer health; healthy relationships; community and environmental health; and family life. The following health skills are addressed in THTM: risk assessment, self-assessment, communication, decision making, goal setting, health advocacy, and healthy self-management. The themes of protection, responsibility, interdependence, and respect are reinforced throughout the curriculum.
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THTM Evaluation
THTM is the first comprehensive secondary school health curriculum to undergo a large-scale controlled evaluation. (The results are published in the January 1991 supplement to the Journal of School Health.) The study, conducted by Macro Systems, Inc. of Silver Spring, Maryland, involved almost 5,000 students, 150 teachers, and schools in seven states. The evaluation employed a quasi-experimental pretest/posttest control group design to assess selected THTM modules in experimental and "naturalistic" settings. Highlights of the findings:
- THTM produced positive effects on the health-related knowledge and attitudes of middle school/junior high and senior high students.
- Senior high school students exposed to THTM reported positive changes in several health behaviors, including a reduction in tobacco, alcohol, and other drug use. No significant effects on the self-reported behaviors of middle school/junior high students were observed.
- Teachers who received THTM training felt more prepared to teach the curriculum, were less apt to modify it, and achieved more positive effects on student knowledge than teachers who did not receive training.
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- The U.S. Department of Education's Safe, Disciplined, and Drug-Free Schools Expert Panel charged to identify programs that have proven their effectiveness when judged against rigorous criteria designated THTM a "promising program" in January 2001.
- CASEL (Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning) selected THTM as a "CASEL Select" program--their highest rating for programs that exceed expectations in 17 critical categories of review--and featured it in their March 2003 publication, Safe and Sound: An Educational Leader's Guide to Evidence-Based Social and Emotional (SEL) Learning Programs.
- The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) designated THTM a "promising program," which signifies that it has has demonstrated positive outcomes in preventing substance abuse and related behaviors.
- Making the Grade: A Guide to School Drug Prevention Programs, Drug Strategies, 1999, assigned THTM the top two ratings ("very good" and "good") in all twelve aspects of the curriculum they assessed.
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Teacher Training
From the evaluation of THTM, we learned that:
- Teacher training in THTM was by far the most important factor affecting a teacher's self-reported preparedness to teach the curriculum.
- Teachers trained in THTM implemented the program with a significantly higher degree of fidelity than untrained teachers.
- THTM-trained teachers achieved more positive effects on student knowledge (and at the senior high school level, on attitudes) than teachers who did not receive training.
Effective training enables teachers to become familiar with the philosophy and structure of THTM, models recommended teaching methods for the program, and provides ample opportunity for teachers to practice skills and receive feedback.
EDC has developed a network of certified trainers located in various regions of the country who are available to provide teacher training on THTM. Those interested in training should contact EDC at (800) 225-4276 or (617) 969-7100 to identify a trainer in their state or region. All financial and logistical arrangements for teacher trainings are handled by the trainer and the school district. For information on THTM training-of-trainer workshops, contact EDC. This site is hosted by Education Development Center, Inc.
THTM is part of a larger division of EDC called Health & Human Development Programs.
For further information about THTM, contact us.
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