Health Literacy Month Instructional Resources

Hello colleagues, October is Health Literacy Month. I think we've learned even more in the last couple of years about how important health literacy is for all of us. I wanted to share some useful resources for those who want to focus on health topics during October.

This recent thread in our community highlights some excellent instructional resources from the LINCS collection. The Teaching Skills That Matter (TSTM) Toolkit features a section on Health Literacy. Here you'll find an issue brief and a case study as well as 5 lesson plans as well as a TSTM classroom video on one of the TSTM lessons on the many costs of smoking.

If you haven't yet checked out the TSTM toolkit, I hope you will do so! These lesson plans, which also feature Digital Literacy, Workforce Preparation, Civics Education and Financial Literacy, are great!

Let us know what lessons you've found valuable on the topic of Health Literacy.

Cheers, Susan Finn Miller

Moderator, English Language Acquisition Group

Comments

Thank you for sharing! I am drawn to the problem-based learning lesson plans in the TSTM toolkit for health literacy. How often do we find ourselves at the doctor's office unexpectedly? Perhaps often. And when we are there, it can be overwhelming to communicate what is happening, especially when we are scared and don't feel well. Before my children, my health was primarily preventative care and check-ups. Now I have to take my children to the doctor (or call the on-call physician) for several issues. Problem-based learning for health literacy seems like the perfect combination. 

What were you drawn to in the TSTM toolkit, Susan?

Hi Erin, Thanks for your comments. There is no doubt that every mom is deeply concerned about the health of her children. Communicating with the health care system is clearly important in all of our lives, and it's not always easy for the learners we serve to do so. I agree that engaging in a problem-based approach can prepare learners for success when navigating the health care system. 

You asked what I've been drawn to in the TSTM Toolkit. That's a hard question because all the lessons are truly excellent. In the health section, I greatly appreciate the Health Information and the Internet lesson plan because this lesson gives learners the opportunity to evaluate various health websites to determine how useful the sites are.  I love how the lesson integrates health information along with essential digital literacy skills as well as critical thinking, communication and self-awareness. 

If you get a chance to review this lesson, let us know what you think!

Cheers, Susan

I love the lesson on the true costs of smoking.  It's an excellent example of how we can integrate math and visual literacy with reading/language.  I also appreciated the provided videos in this section.  When I'm a student, it drives me nuts to read all of the content material for every lesson.  Adding in multiple modalities for sharing information is a huge plus in my book.

I often use the workforce preparation materials from TSTM, but I completely missed these resources.  Thanks for the excellent share!