Level Up Health Education

I recorded this in a different location than usual, so the audio quality might not be what it usually is. When the SHAPE America National Health Education Standards were revised in 2024, I mourned the loss of an oft-used performance indicator from Standard 1. In today's brief episode, I celebrate its replacement and share details about how my units have changed as a result of this new performance indicator.

NOTE: I initially shared some of this in an email newsletter back in August 2025

Submit your questions for me to answer here! Question Form

Don't forget to sign up for my free email newsletter: Newsletter Sign Up

Send Jeff a message!

I want to encourage you to think about a mindset shift. A mindset shift relating to your curriculum. A shift relating to your students. Ultimately, a shift in how you decide to teach health education. This shift is based on changes made to the SHAPE National Health Education Standards in 2024, specifically the addition of "...the health and well-being of self and others" at the end of every standard.

Old: "How do I stay healthy?"

New: "How do my actions, choices, and skills affect both me and others?"

Traditional health education focuses on improving individual outcomes. I would argue that even traditional skills-based health education is focused on improving individual health outcomes. That is shifting, though. 

In today's podcast episode, I talk through how to make that change: using information from the NHES to help you, what it could look like for each skill, and why we should make this mindset shift. This is very much a work in progress for me, but as I continue to work on it, things become clearer.

I'll be honest: I ramble a little in this one. It could be a little tightened up. Heck, I barely talked about the language shift in the NHES I mentioned in the opening paragraph of this email. But, I think you'll get the picture.

Submit your questions for Jeff to answer here! Question Form

Don't forget to sign up for my free email newsletter: Newsletter Sign Up

AI Disclaimer: I outline or script my podcasts; all words are my own.

Send Jeff a message!

In this "sprint" episode, Jeff tackles a topic in under five minutes. Today, Jeff reviews a concept known as FIRME Action, developed by Research for Better Teaching. This checklist can be used during instruction or between classes, whenever you're reviewing formative assessment data.

Send Jeff a message!

Want a simpler, stronger way to build real health literacy? In today's episode, I make the case for teaching one National Health Education Standard skill per unit, pairing it with relevant content and using the skill-development model to deliver focused practice and actionable feedback. The twist: while classrooms thrive on focus, life blends skills, so we can also map the natural connections students will encounter beyond school.

Episode Resources

• National Health Education Standards Skills Grid
• National Health Education Standards: Educator Kit

Submit your questions for Jeff to answer here! Question Form

Don't forget to sign up for my free email newsletter: Newsletter Sign Up

AI Disclaimer: I outline or script my podcasts; all words are my own. Buzzsprout's "Cohost AI" created the title and chapter markings, put together a transcript, and wrote the description for this episode.

Send Jeff a message!

What's the point of health content if students don't know what to do with it? Where does functional content knowledge fit into skills like decision making, analyzing influences, and advocacy? In today's episode, Jeff talks about where functional content knowledge fits into skill demonstration in a skills-based health education classroom.

Links

Episode 1: Choosing Functional Health Content

Upcoming Live Event on the HPE Collective!

How do you move a student from just "participating" to actually mastering a skill?

It starts with designing progressive skill-building sequences. In this workshop, you’ll learn how to build skills from the ground up using sequences that include observable success criteria. No more guessing—you’ll know exactly what success looks like for every student.

"Using these progressive sequences changed how my students see their own progress. They finally know what they are aiming for."

In this session, Danny Matos will help you move toward rigorous, standards-aligned, transfer-focused instruction where students leave your gym with skills they can apply to their very next lesson and beyond.

Preregister for the Live Event at www.tinyurl.com/MATOSLIVE to grab your seat and start building success from the ground up! 

Send Jeff a message!

My daughter's enthusiasm for Legos has me feeling nostalgic for the sets I built as a kid. It's also made me think a lot about scaffolding, both as a dad guiding her through Lego builds and as a teacher in the classroom. In this episode, I share some brief examples of what scaffolding can look like in the health education classroom.

Resources

• Scaffolding in Education (Explained in 4 Minutes)
• 5 Ways to Scaffold Learning Experiences
• 7 Scaffolding Strategies for the Classroom

Submit your questions for Jeff to answer here! Question Form

Don't forget to sign up for my free email newsletter: Newsletter Sign Up

Send Jeff a message!

Connecting with our students is an important part of our job as health teachers. This episode shares ideas for embedding how you connect with students into your instructional practice and a Mid-Year 5 Day Challenge to help you be intentional about how you connect with students.

Join the Free Mid-Year 5 Day Challenge here!

Submit your questions for Jeff to answer here! Question Form

Don't forget to sign up for my free email newsletter: Newsletter Sign Up

Send Jeff a message!

If you ask five different educators what makes a lesson or activity engaging, you'll probably get five different answers. In today's episode, I talk about what engagement is, and what it isn't, in a health education classroom.

Universal Design for Learning: Engagement

The Skillful Teacher: What Accounts for Student Engagement

Engagement Is Not A Gimic (Brooke Mckinney)

Submit your questions here! Question Form

Don't forget to sign up for my free email newsletter: Newsletter Sign Up

Send Jeff a message!

In this episode, I reflect on teaching with a lens of gratitude and joy. Happy Holidays, everyone!

Submit your questions here! Question Form

Don't forget to sign up for my free email newsletter: Newsletter Sign Up

Send Jeff a message!

Teaching students how to access valid and reliable information has never been more challenging...or more important. In this episode, I answer a health teacher's question about teaching the skill of accessing valid information. I review practical instructional strategies and ways students can access information, products, and services to improve their health and well-being.

Links Mentioned In This Episode:

• National Health Education Standards: Teacher Toolkit
• Common Sense Media: AI Literacy Lessons
• Media Literacy Now Resource Library
• Project Look Sharp
• SIFT Information
• Create a Custom Search Engine

Submit your questions here! Question Form

Don't forget to sign up for my free email newsletter: Newsletter Sign Up

Send Jeff a message!