Introduction
Skills for Disease Prevention and Screening
The guides for the Health Literacy Study Circles+ consist of two parts. The first is a spiral-bound book titled: Introduction: Overview, Planning, and Facilitation Tips. The second is the Facilitator’s Guide, prepared in notebook format, containing all the information needed for each of the three Health Literacy Study Circles+. The three Health Literacy Study Circle+ Guides in the series are Skills for Health Care Access and Navigation, Skills for Chronic Disease Management, and Skills for Disease Prevention and Screening.
Introduction: Overview, Planning, and Facilitation Tips has been structured for use with all three Health Literacy Study Circles+. This book accompanies all Study Circle+ Guides, provides background information about each of the three study circles, and offers important guidelines for planning, organizing, and facilitating the study circles. Please read this book first, in full.
The Facilitator’s Guide: Skills for Disease Prevention and Screening contains six booklets. The first of the six is titled Overview and Preparation for Session One. This booklet offers an overview of Skills for Disease Prevention and Screening, study circle variations, preparation for Session One, and materials to be sent out before Session One.
Each session booklet offers a step-by-step guide for conducting the session activities with suggested time frames. All of the materials needed for each session are provided as well. These materials, in loose leaf format, consist of mailings to participants, background readings, handouts for the sessions, and information and tools needed for work between sessions. The following bulleted list offers an overview of each session.
- Session One: Introduction to Health Literacy and Skills for Disease Prevention and Screening
Participants develop a shared definition of “health literacy,” discuss different types of activities related to disease prevention and screening, and identify barriers that make it difficult for people to engage in those activities. Participants also prepare to conduct a needs assessment activity with their students after Session One.
- Session Two: Identifying Skills for Disease Prevention and Screening Tasks and Underlying Skills
Participants share the results of the needs assessment activity and then compile a list of specific health tasks and underlying skills that can be addressed with their classes. Participants also review and prepare to teach one or more sample lessons between Sessions Two and Three. These lessons all focus on skills related to disease prevention and screening activities.
- Session Three: Integrating Health Literacy Skills into Instruction
Participants discuss the experience of teaching sample lessons and define key health literacy skills that they wish to focus on within their own classes. They also begin to create new health literacy lessons and consider what a health literacy unit would look like. Between Session Three and Session Four, participants complete and teach their own health literacy lesson(s) and develop outlines for health literacy units.
- Session Four: Planning Lessons, Units, and Evaluations
Participants share their teaching experiences and discuss options for health literacy units. They also consider how to define and measure their students' health literacy skills. After Session Four, participants use a planning template to outline a unit with an evaluation component.
- Session Five: Developing Strategies for Success
Participants share and analyze their plans and consider how they will incorporate health literacy skill development into their programs. They identify and examine barriers and supports for such work. Study circle participants also determine how they might stay in touch with each other and work together in the future. Note that there is an option for expanding Session Five to include a meeting with a public health professional to discuss disease prevention and screening activities or issues in their local areas.