Teaching about HIV/AIDS in the Elementary School: Lessons for Preservice Teachers

Abstract:
This videotape aims to help pre-service teachers increase their knowledge about HIV/AIDS and become aware of both their role in HIV/AIDS prevention education and the special needs of students who live with HIV/AIDS. The video emphasizes that elementary school teachers are at the forefront of the prevention education effort in our schools and are an important resource to supplement parents' efforts. It suggests that K-3 education focus on the fact that HIV/AIDS is hard to get and does not commonly affect children, while education in grades 4 and 5 can focus on viruses in general and how HIV is and is not transmitted. Teachers should consider local district curriculum requirements, the age and maturity of their students, and the need for students to acquire knowledge and skills. Some of the medically based information (e.g., treatments for HIV/AIDS and the likelihood that a child born infected with HIV will survive to attend elementary school) has become out of date since the video was produced. Moreover, most of the people interviewed appear to be reading their lines from a teleprompter, which makes the 56-minute video less interesting to watch. However, the most valuable part of the program is likely to be the discussion that takes place in college classes at the designated "stop points" and after viewing the tape. Thus, the video may serve as a catalyst for pre-service elementary school teachers to begin understanding the relevance of HIV/AIDS to their classrooms.

Author(s): SPERA, Frank, Ed.D.


Date Published: 1/1/1993

Comments:
Video Tape - Additional information can be obtained from the New Jersey Collegiate Consortium for Health in Education, Willets Health Center, Suydam Street, New Brunswick, NJ 08930; 908-932-1219.

Location Code: 73