Health Education 2016

AoD education programmes build knowledge and understanding and develop students’ skills to critically analyse messages about alcohol and other drugs.

AoD education programmes do not directly influence behaviour change.

One-off events such as expos and presentations that focus on delivering information are not effective.

They don’t take account of an individual student’s learning needs, or particular school contexts.

Effective AoD Programmes

• have comprehensive whole-school and community-based approaches
• are not divorced from other youth mental health and relationship education considerations
• are culturally responsive and developmentally appropriate

Effective AoD programmes contd

• are inquiry based
• have sufficient and relevant professional learning and development support available for teachers
• have input from key stakeholders, agencies, organisations and target groups in the planning, maintenance and future directions of the programme

HPE has appropriate learning outcomes from years 1 – 13 which focus on the relationship between AoD use and wellbeing. HPE is compulsory in years 1 – 10, and is a topic of student choice in years 11 – 13 with achievement standards.

There is an expectation that AoD education is part of the mental health key area of learning.

Building Teacher Inquiry Into Programmes

Student learning needs to drive the design and planning of curriculum-based AoD education programmes. This requires an inquiry approach to teaching and learning.


Students learn and construct meaning as they engage in shared activities with their classmates and teacher. Different strategies work with different students. Effective teaching requires teachers to continually inquire into the affect of their teaching on students.

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A harm minimisation approach is the recommended strategic response to preventing and reducing alcohol and other drug use and misuse. It should be strength-based and underpin all health promotion, early intervention, and curriculum teaching and learning programmes.

AoD education is based on the principle of harm minimisation. It does not condone harmful or illegal drug use. It does recognise it is important to minimise the personal, social and economic costs associated with those behaviours. For many people “just say no” is not effective. Often a range of influences in their lives such as peers, families and social media are more powerful.

It is best to approach alcohol education through health promoting messages, focusing on delaying use and reducing harm. For example: “If you choose to drink, then drink safely.”

The evidence reinforces positive behaviour as a key feature of an effective approach. This includes avoiding the normalising of heavy drinking among teenagers. While prevention of the use of alcohol seems to be an unobtainable goal for some young people, a number of students may choose not to drink.

Intervening early
Early intervention is recommended as an approach, before the onset of major problems. It is about detecting and screening for AoD use. Effective early intervention for low to moderate needs also contains educative and skill-building activities to change behaviours related to alcohol and other drugs.

Students who need early intervention for personal AoD issues must be supervised by a school counsellor (or other adult with designated responsibilities for student welfare) or attend a specialist programme either inside or outside of the school setting.

NZC & Health

• Underlying concepts (p21)
• Effective pedagogy - teaching as inquiry (p34)
• Principles (p9)
• Achievement Objectives
• Success Criteria
• Best Practice Approaches (eg SBA)