Page 105 - The Ontario Curriculum, Grades 9-12: Health and Physical Education, 2015 - revised

Teacher prompt: “Resilience is the ability to bounce back from challenges. It is an important aspect of an individual’s mental health and emotional and spiritual well-being. Factors that promote resilience are known as protective factors. Factors that compromise resilience are called risk factors. Building protective factors and limiting risk factors can make a person more resilient and more able to deal with situations that might draw them into substance use and addictive behaviours. Can you give me examples of both types of factors?”
Students: “Protective factors include having support from family and friends, a positive self-image, good communication skills, self-control, problem-solving abilities, positive outlets for stress, and good health.” “Risk factors include a family history of substance abuse or mental illness, other domestic problems, and not having people who give you shelter, food, and an emotional connection. Someone without support may be more likely to turn to substance use or take risks online as a way of forgetting their problems or seeking support.”
Teacher: “While some factors are the result of forces that you can’t control, some factors can be changed to increase your resilience. What are some ways of strengthening your resilience? How can you apply these strategies to different situations in your life, such as making choices relating to substance use or addictive behaviours?”
Students: “Finding positive ways of coping with stress can make you more resilient. Different things work for different people. Talking with friends, getting enough sleep, eating well, and participating in stress-relieving activities, such as physical activities or meditation, can make you less likely to deal with stress in negative ways, such as using alcohol or drugs or indulging in too much screen time.” “Participating in traditional healing and cultural activities can also help someone cope with stress in a positive way.” “Practising problem-solving and decision-making skills can build resilience. Getting information is part of these skills. It’s easy to make a harmful choice if you don’t understand the consequences. Some people, for example, think that it’s safe to experiment with prescription drugs, such as narcotic painkillers, because they aren’t street drugs.
But used the wrong way, they can be addictive, and overdoses can kill you.” “Discuss your feelings with parents, teachers, or other adults you trust.” “It’s good to seek out role models – people who are not afraid to stand up for themselves and are proud of making healthy choices.”
Human Development and Sexual Health
C1.4 describe the relative effectiveness of various methods of preventing unintended pregnancy or sexually transmitted infections (STIs), including HIV/AIDS (e.g., avoiding oral, vaginal, and anal intercourse; delaying first sexual intercourse; using protection, including barrier and hormonal methods, to prevent unintended pregnancy; using condoms and dental dams to protect against STIs), and identify sources of information and support (e.g., doctor, nurse practitioner, public health unit, parents, credible and accurate websites)
Teacher prompt: “If you are thinking about having sex, you need to know how to avoid unintended pregnancy or STIs. What factors may influence whether a person uses protection? How effective are condoms in preventing pregnancy or STIs?”
Student: “Sometimes people don’t use condoms because they don’t understand how common STIs like HPV, herpes, and chlamydia really are, and they don’t know that you can’t always tell when a person has an STI. Sometimes people feel shy about talking to their partner about why protection is important. Sometimes people get pressured into not using condoms because their partner says you don’t need to and it feels better without one. But because the consequences can be so serious, you need to talk to your partner about using condoms if you are thinking about having sex. Using a condom every time is one of the most effective methods of birth control and will reduce your chances of getting an STI, including HIV.”
Teacher: “What forms of support can sexual health clinics provide?”
HEALTHY LIVING
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Healthy Active Living Education
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