Sexual Development

Summary of Sexual Development

In the context of sexual development in the health education I understood that it is a subject containing a variety of topics and discussions, including: “reproductive health, choice and sexual readiness, consent, abstinence, and protection, to interpersonal relationships, sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression, affection and pleasure, body image, and gender roles and expectations” (Ministry of Education, 2015, p. 38). These are important concepts when talking to teenagers, as they start to learn more about “emotional, social, and cognitive development”. However, as I read more on sexual development I noticed that it is an increasing concern to society.

Children are becoming more sexually developed at younger ages. As young as ten-year old children are becoming more developed so that they appear older than they are, as well as engaging in activities meant for teenagers and adolescents. This development is especially noticeable in young girls, who are starting appear more like they are in middle school or even college (Lemonick, 2000). There are multiple reasons to suggest why children, who should be “reading fairy tales”, are starting to develop physical and mental traits that are only seen in teenagers (Lemonick, 2000). These can include bodily reactions “chemicals in the environment” or “hormones in cow’s milk and beef” (Lemonick, 2000).

Another, and by far more dominant, reason for sexual development at a younger can be attributed to children being exposed to “sexually explicit movies, rock lyrics, MTV videos and racy fashions” (Lemonick, 2000). Regardless of the reasons behind the immediate sexual development in children, it is an issue that needs to be reviewed. This kind of issue is a real-life situation and these students need to be provided the knowledge and skills so that they can “make sound decisions about matters affecting their health and well-being” (Ministry of Education, 2015, p. 38).

My focus on this section is to provide sources and discussion dedicated towards a healthy approach to sexual development. This will utilizing websites, such as “sexualityandu.ca” which will serve as an introduction about sexual education. At the same time it will contain articles for participants to read and allow them to share their opinions on sexual development and health through discussion. This way the participants should be able to learn new strategies for teaching sex education to a younger audience.

Teaching Strategies

Lecture Strategies: This method of teaching will only be used to introduce participants to the topic in question. This strategy will provide a brief introduction to sex education. It will be used to convey information to the participants and explain what they can expect to do and learn.

Problem-Based Learning: Participants will be presented to activities in which they will only have the knowledge they have previously learned about sex education. It motivates the students to research and teach themselves about the different concepts within sex education. This will allow participants to show what they understand about sexual development, while working through the activities to build on their knowledge.

Co-Operative Learning: This form of learning focuses on the participants working together to achieve the same goal. The activities used for sexual development will require co-operation, as participants will need to work together on analyzing the different concepts of the topic.

Learning-Centered Teaching: The participants are responsible for teaching themselves, while the instructor is only responsible for guiding the former through the activities. The instructor will provide only the necessary instructions about how to learn sexual development, though they are willing to assist when needed. It is up to the participants to see out

Discussion Strategies: Through conversation participants can give each other ideas while listening to the opinions of others. This makes a positive environment because participants can express their opinions on the multiple concepts of sexual development. This allows participants to develop their ability to communicate with people who possess a different sex/gender identity.

Team-Based Learning: As mentioned in the previous learning methods, the participants will working together in groups for different activities. Through these different activities students will work together to learn more about sex education. At the same time participants provide each other assistance on specific areas of sex education that they would otherwise not be able to understand.

Digital Tool

References

Lemonick, Michael D. (2000). Teens Before Their Time. Time.

Ministry of Education (2015). The Ontario Curriculum Grades 1 – 8: Health and Physical Education. Ontario: Queen’s Printer for Ontario

Sexuality and U (2012). What is Sexuality and U? Retrieved November 7, 2015 from http://www.sexualityandu.ca/what-is-sexuality-and-u

Sexuality and U - www.sexualityandu.ca

“Sexuality and U” is a website developed by The Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Canada (SOGC) with the goal of providing teenagers with “accurate, credible and up-to-date information and education on sexual health” (Sexuality and U, 2012). This website is useful for helping teenagers lean more about sex education, as it contains a wide range of pages and resources that discuss about all factors of the subject material. The website also contains games that can be used to both teach teenagers and test their knowledge on sex education. Parents and teachers can also use the website to help enhance the learning experience of teenagers, so that they can have a healthy sexual development.