This microcredential represents educators' effective instruction on contraception, including abstinence. This is the third microcredential in the Human Sexuality stack. This stack of microcredentials fulfills one of the requirements of a pathway for endorsement. Click the More Info button to learn more.
To earn this microcredential you will collect and submit two sets of evidence demonstrating your effective instruction on contraception and abstinence. You will also complete a written or video reflective analysis.
All evidence submitted to earn this microcredential must align with the Utah Core Standards for Health I and Health II. See the Resources section for links to these standards and suggested instructional resources. The evidence you submit should demonstrate your knowledge and instructional practices related to contraception and abstinence that can be shown through your students’ work and higher level learning. A PowerPoint, for example, is not an acceptable artifact because it does not demonstrate higher-level student-centered learning. Please note that the work you submit must be your own.
Cognitive rigor encompasses the complexity of content, the cognitive engagement with that content, and the scope of the planned learning activities. Ensuring that curriculum is aligned to “rigorous” grade-level content standards is, in itself, insufficient for preparing students for the challenges of the twenty-first century (Hess, 2013).
Higher-Order Thinking:Higher-order thinking skills go beyond basic observation of facts and memorization. They are what we are talking about when we want our students to be evaluative, creative and innovative. Critical thinking is a higher order thinking skill (University of Connecticut, n.d.). Bloom’s Taxonomy and Webb’s Depth of Knowledge provide excellent examples of higher order thinking skills and how to utilize them in the classroom.
Student-Centered Learning:The term student-centered learning refers to a wide variety of educational programs, learning experiences, instructional approaches, and academic-support strategies that are intended to address the distinct learning needs, interests, aspirations, or cultural backgrounds of individual students and groups of students (Edglossary, 2014).
Educators will use the Utah Health Core Curriculum standards for Strand 6: Human Development (see Resources section) to guide their professional learning to create an artifact that is implemented with students, and analyze its impact on student learning.
Submit the evidence below to demonstrate your effective and consistent preparation and planning for instruction on contraception, including abstinence.
Submit a well-developed lesson plan focused on contraception, including abstinence. Use the Lesson Plan Template found in the Resources section of this microcredential. This must be a lesson you developed and have used as a part of your heath instruction with students. Your lesson plan should demonstrate your ability to plan instruction that does the following:
● Utilizes student-centered instructional techniques
● Engages students in higher-order thinking
● Incorporates cognitive rigor
As a part of the lesson, students must create an artifact of learning. This artifact of learning should require students to engage in higher-order thinking. This artifact may include any of the following:
● Student project
● Student presentation
● Student work [relevant assignment(s)]
● Resources created for instruction
● Instructional activity
● Any other type of higher level thinking task
Cite all resources students will use in the creation of the artifact(s). Sources must be current, reliable, and factual. Examples include:
● Interview Field Expert
● LEA (district/charter) Adopted Curriculum
● Utah Education Network (UEN)
● Reputable Video/Documentary
○ The High Cost of Free Love (Pam Stenzel)
● Helpful Websites:
○ CDC
○ Planned Parenthood
○ Web MD
See the Resources section of this microcredential for links to these resources.
Additionally, your lesson plan must include detailed assessment plans. These assessment plans should describe the following:
● How you will gather and use pre-assessment data to guide instruction.
● How post-assessment data will be used to gauge the effectiveness of instruction and identify the needs for re-teaching.
● How you will assess the effectiveness of student learning artifacts and their contribution to student learning.
Submit BOTH of the evidence requirements listed below to demonstrate your effective and consistent implementation of appropriate practices for instruction on contraception, including abstinence.
Submit pre- and post-instructional student data for the lesson you submitted for evidence of preparation and planning. Additionally, include the assessment instrument (e.g., test, performance task, etc.). The data should demonstrate your effective instruction on contraception, including abstinence.
Be sure to follow your district/charter guidelines for student privacy.
Submit one artifact of student learning from your instruction on contraception, including abstinence. This artifact should demonstrate your effective support of students' higher-level thinking during your instruction. Examples of these artifacts include the following:
● Student project
● Student presentation
● Student performance task
● Student work [relevant assignment(s)]
● Any other type of higher level thinking task
Be sure to follow your district/charter guidelines for student privacy.
Criterion 1: Evidence demonstrates effective planning for instruction on contraception, including abstinence.
Criterion 2: Evidence demonstrates consistent use of data to inform planning and instruction.
Criterion 3: Evidence demonstrates effective and consistent use of student-centered instructional techniques.
Describe your instruction on contraception and abstinence. What instructional techniques do you use to support students' higher level thinking?
How do you add depth and complexity to your instruction on contraception and abstinence? Give at least one example.
Describe how you collect data on student learning. How do you use this data to inform your instruction on contraception and abstinence?
Criterion 1: Reflection demonstrates effective and consistent instruction that supports students' higher order thinking.
Criterion 2: Reflection demonstrates effective and consistent instruction that addresses issues of depth and complexity.
Criterion 3: Reflection demonstrates the educators' use of data to inform planning and instruction on contraception, including abstinence.
Describes importance of cognitive rigor and the Cognitive Rigor Matrix.
This website offers in-depth knowledge about higher order thinking skills, provides examples, including charts and other helpful visual aids.
This resources defines and describes the type of student-centered learning that must take place to support student learning about mental health.
The Utah Core Standards are organized into strands, which represent significant areas of learning within content areas. Depending on the core area, these strands may be designated by time periods, thematic principles, modes of practice, or other organizing principles. Within each strand are standards. A standard is an articulation of the demonstrated proficiency to be obtained. A standard represents an essential element of the learning that is expected. While some standards within a strand may be more comprehensive than others, all standards are essential for mastery.
Download and use this lesson template to fulfill the requirements for evidence of preparation and planning.
This site includes resources and instructional activities for the Health I Strand 6 standards.
This site includes resources and instructional activities for the Health II Strand 6 standards.
This may be a helpful resource to support students in developing artifacts of learning about contraception and abstinence.
This may be a helpful resource to support students in developing artifacts of learning about contraception and abstinence.
This may be a helpful resource to support students in developing artifacts of learning about contraception and abstinence.
250 East 500 South
Salt Lake City, UT 84111-3204
Phone: 801.538.7807