Let’s familiarize ourselves with Ophea’s FREE online offering, the Vaccination Talks Toolkit!
The Vaccination Talks Toolkit is an online resource that integrates health literacy, media literacy and inquiry into discussions about vaccines as part of healthy living. This resource is intended to support children and youth in developing their health literacy related to vaccinations.
The Vaccination Talks Toolkit features:
- Background information about the importance of helping students develop their health literacy and media literacy skills to support their capacity to integrate this learning into discussions related to vaccinations as part of healthy living; and,
- Information to support an integrated approach to learning by making connections to The Ontario Curriculum, Grades 1–8: Health and Physical Education (2019), The Ontario Curriculum, Grade 9-12: Health and Physical Education (2015), and The Ontario Curriculum, Grade 1–8: Language (2006).
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This video illustrates how The Vaccination Talks Toolkit supports educators’ confidence in helping their students with developing their health literacy related to vaccinations in a safe, inclusive and accepting learning environment.
The Vaccination Talks Toolkit was developed with funding support from the Public Health Agency of Canada.
How can I use the Toolkit in my classroom?
The Vaccination Talks Toolkit contains evidence-informed, practical teaching and learning strategies for consideration when talking about vaccines with students to equip them to make informed decisions about their health. Within the toolkit, you will also the following resources for classroom implementation:
The activities within the Vaccination Talks Toolkit are divided by division (primary, junior, intermediate, and secondary) and have cross-curricular connections for Healthy Living and Social-Emotional Learning skills in The Ontario Curriculum, Grades 1–8: Health and Physical Education (2019), Media Literacy skills in The Ontario Curriculum: Language (2006), and the overall expectations for Healthy Living and Living skills in The Ontario Curriculum, Grade 9-12: Health and Physical Education (2015).
Sample activities include: Germs and Vaccinations (Primary), Vaccinations, Media, and Personal Health (Junior), Making Informed Decisions about Vaccinations (Intermediate), and Learning Conflict Resolution Strategies to Engage in Difficult Conversations (Secondary),
The Vaccination Talks Toolkit Discussion Guides (available for Elementary and Secondary levels) are meant to be used as a companion to the Activities that support educators in facilitating curriculum-connected, inquiry-based, and evidence-informed learning opportunities for their students in the classroom. The guides may be used to support educators to have informed conversations with students, colleagues, and parents/guardians/caregivers about vaccines and vaccination.
The guides include practical tips to consider before leading a vaccination-related conversation with a group, as well as questions and prompts for discussions taking place between a variety of audiences (for example, discussions between teachers and caregivers or teachers and students).
The overall aim of these guides is the promotion of an open dialogue within the school community to foster a whole-school approach and shared responsibility when addressing questions and concerns about vaccinations.
In addition to the above classroom-friendly resources, the Toolkit contains a Resource Database: a compilation of evidence-based resources that provides educators and administrators with additional tools to assist students in developing their knowledge and skills relating to health literacy and vaccination. The resources within the Database can be used in the classroom and/or broader school community, and are separated into the following categories: Student-Facing Resources, COVID-19 Information and Resources, and General Vaccination Information and Resources.
Are the resources within the Vaccination Talks Toolkit only relating to COVID-19?
While many of the resources within the Toolkit are directly relating to COVID-19, there are a number that speak more broadly to wellness, illness and injury prevention, and vaccination in general. Additionally, the Toolkit supports the development of skills such as health and media literacy, which have implications far beyond the COVID-19 pandemic.
Do I have to promote vaccinations to use this resource?
Ophea’s Vaccination Talks Toolkit is not intended to promote specific choices or outcomes, but to provide students with the necessary skills to determine the optimal healthcare decisions for themselves.
What kind of resources can I find within the Resource Database?
Ophea’s Vaccination Talks Toolkit Resource Database contains a diverse list of evidence-based supporting resources and tools related to the topics of vaccination, healthy decision-making, and COVID-19. There are tip sheets, infographics, online resources, and interactive options suited for a variety of grade levels.
The database is designed to complement other toolkit resources in supporting educators and students alike to have meaningful conversations about health literacy, factors that may influence healthcare decisions, and vaccination. Some of the resources you can find within the database include:
- AboutKidsHealth, a Sick Kids Hospital initiative that provides health education for children, youth and their caregivers on a variety of topics, including vaccination and COVID-19.
- Know It or Not? from MediaSmarts, designed to increase resiliency to health and science misinformation for Intermediate and Secondary grade levels.
- Kids Boost Immunity, a health literacy initiative that provides curriculum-linked lessons and provides vaccinations to someone in need.