For this blog post, I reviewed “Lesson Number 10: Halucinigens” from Stamford Medicine, Safety First. In this lesson, the instructor can cover known Hallucinogens and their effects, talk about why people use these drugs, and discuss certain harm reduction activities that can be done if the drug is in use. It is a Canva PowerPoint slide covering all these topics, as well as a pre-made Kahoot, talking points, and guided discussion. The lesson is strong in delivering information. It covers in-depth explanations of different drugs. It contains strong descriptions of risk factors which can be useful for students to know to deter them from trying the drug out. It is a well-put-together lesson with clear guidelines for teaching. I would say its weakness is that it would not be a good lesson for grades K through 8. It is geared more towards a secondary school level, but it would have been nice for the language to be simplified for a younger grade level, or a modified version for them could have been a possibility. There is alot of higher-level reading knowledge needed to understand this lesson. One way I would improve on this lesson may be in a culturally responsive way. There is only one short slide explaining why hallucinogens may be used in cultural or religious ways. I would go into a bit more detail. Students may be confused about the WHY of different groups assuming the risks for religious reasons, and I would not be afraid to go into this. Not only does it encourage education about different cultures, but it also may answer their unanswered questions.
References
Halpern-Felsher REACH Lab. (n.d.). Safety First – Lesson 10. Stanford Medicine. https://med.stanford.edu/halpern-felsher-reach-lab/preventions-interventions/Safety-First/safety-first-lesson-10.html
Hi Ann,
I enjoyed reading your blog post. I think it was very informative. I also liked your review of it. This review is very helpful for someone who is looking to learn more about Hallucinogens. I also liked that you mentioned that you would go a bit more into detail describing why these Hallucinogens are used religiously or culturally. Do you believe that these people who are using Hallucinogens religiously or culturally will continue to use them even after knowing that they have big impacts? I understand that because some people use it for religion it might be hard for them to stop using it. Could this be something that can change in the future? Overall, I liked your post. It was well-organized and thought. Maybe you could have explained more in detail what you would have done to help a younger audience understand this. You mentioned that you would want to simplify the language but maybe you could have gone further in detail. Once again, I liked your blog. The slide also made it pop out more.
Hi Ann! I enjoyed reading your blog post. I found it very informative and well-organized. I like the picture you chose as well! In particular, I like how you highlighted the comprehensive coverage of different hallucinogens and their effects. Educational materials need to provide thorough information, especially when discussing substances that can have significant impacts on individuals’ health and well-being. You mentioned that you wish the presentation had more information as to why hallucinogens may be used in various ways so in your future classroom, how do you envision incorporating more detailed explanations of cultural and religious practices related to hallucinogen use into the lesson? Overall, you did a really great job at reviewing this lesson! I believe it is important for anyone to learn about it and could definitely be used in our future classrooms! Nice work!
-Kaylee Schwenk
Hi Ann! Good job on your blog post for this week, I enjoyed reading it! I like how one of your suggestions for the lesson is to go more in-depth about how different cultures use hallucinogens for religious or spiritual practices that often time date back hundreds of years. It is important to be culturally aware in your classroom when it comes to a situation like this because you may have a student who is a part of this culture and has never been taught that these drugs are considered “bad” by the larger population. As a teacher, the last thing you want to do is ostracize one of your students and inadvertently call one of their practices “bad.” Stemming from this, how would you go about talking more about cultural practices while also still emphasizing that overusing hallucinogens can be a danger to your health? One thing you could have expanded upon is your thoughts on how you would teach this lesson to a k-8 class. Although they are young, they must understand the issues of drug abuse. Great job overall!