• SECS: Sexuality Education Certification Series
• Protection & Contraceptive Methods: Update & Teaching Strategies
• Working with Parents
• Abstinence
• Multiple Intelligences

SECS: Sexuality Education Certification Series

The Sexuality Education Certification Series is our most comprehensive training opportunity. Participants develop the knowledge, skills and comfort needed to provide successful sexuality education programs. Each session of this lively, interactive course combines lecture, discussion and hands-on practical experience around specific subject areas. Guest lecturers share their expertise and spark new ideas. PPLM certifies graduates of this course as sexuality educators.

Participants will:

• Identify key elements of effective sexuality education based on the latest research.
• Develop comfort with discussing sexuality in an educational setting.
• Develop an understanding of key sexual health topics (including anatomy and physiology, puberty, sexually transmitted infections, abstinence, contraception and protection methods, sexual identity, communication, and relationships) and effective teaching activities and strategies for these topics.
• Learn to define active learning theories, harm reduction, and stages of behavior change in relation to teaching sexuality education.
• Learn teaching strategies that address diverse learning styles, cultures, and experiences.
• Recognize the importance of values, attitudes, and beliefs in teaching and learning topics in sexuality education.
• Learn the different stages of emotional, social and cognitive development.
• Design and present an age-appropriate lesson in sexuality education.

Certificate is awarded upon successful completion of series. CEU's are available.

Protection & Contraceptive Methods: Update & Teaching Strategies

Join us for a review of sexually transmitted infections and contraceptive technologies. One of our clinicians will answer your questions about protection methods, from the condom to the NuvaRing. They will also provide the latest information on sexually transmitted infections, including symptoms, transmission, treatment and prevention. 

Following a medical update, we will lead you through a demonstration of interactive, classroom-tested activities to help you teach youth about these often-challenging topics. Participants will leave this training with a better understanding of current infection and transmission rates and a collection of great activities to help students recognize and minimize their risk for infection and unintended pregnancy.

Participants will:  

• Develop an understanding of sexually transmitted infections, including transmission, treatment and prevention, along with teaching strategies and activities for this topic.
• Identify available contraception and protection methods, including effectiveness, proper use, and the pros and cons of each method, and develop teaching strategies and activities for this topic.

Working with Parents

This workshop, designed for teachers, youth workers and other professionals, recognizes the importance and necessity of partnering with parents in order to assure successful comprehensive sexuality education.

At the conclusion of this training, participants will be able to:

• Develop strategies to engage parents in creating ongoing conversations with youth about healthier, safe and better-informed decisions relating to sexuality.
• Gain strategies to share with parents as well as information about how to help parents clarify their values around these topics.
• Explore adolescent development stages in relation to sex and sexuality.

All participants will receive a resource packet and complimentary book.

Abstinence

Let’s talk about… abstinence? This one-day training will explore the politics and realities of teaching abstinence, from federal funding to the Jonas Brothers. This training will examine the ins and outs of not “doing it,” including how to negotiate definitions of abstinence and make the idea of abstinence more accessible to youth. Experts in education and advocacy will delve into the differences between abstinence-only and comprehensive sex education and explore current policies at the local and federal levels. After exploring the background of the abstinence movement, participants will try out some hands-on activities for teaching abstinence to youth in an inclusive and sex-positive way.

At the conclusion of the training, participants will be able to:

• Identify the political and religious factors involved in abstinence-only education.
• Describe the role of abstinence in comprehensive sexuality education.
• Use accessible language around concepts of abstinence.
• Model teaching strategies and activities to promote abstinence with youth.

Multiple Intelligences

In this time of cut-backs and state mandates it is increasingly difficult to bring creativity to the classroom. Are you tired of lectures and hand-outs? Do you believe that every student should be empowered to learn in his/her own way? Then join us for a half-day training on teaching sexuality through the theory of Multiple Intelligences, created by Howard Gardner. Now, more than ever, it is increasingly important to reach every student in your sex education classes.

At the conclusion of this training, participants will be able to:

• Define the eight multiple intelligences and their relevance to individual learning.
• Better understand their own educational strengths and weaknesses.
• Incorporate the intelligences into their own health curricula and lesson plans in order to ensure that every one of their students is maximizing his/her educational potential.

Get more information about class dates, times and on-line registration.

For more information about our education programs, email us at educationontheweb@pplm.org or call the Education Department at 617-616-1672.