Teachers might consider accessing additional Ophea resources to build their confidence and competence to engage students in conversations about vaping. Resources include additional information about vaping, making connections to the Health and Physical Education curriculum expectations, strategies for creating safer and more inclusive spaces and resources for use in classrooms. Resources include:
Ophea's Related Educator Hour Webinar Series
The Education Hour Webinars consist of a two part series. These hour-long webinars help educators increase their knowledge of vaping, and where vaping is addressed within the Substance Use, Addictions, and Related Behaviours topic in the elementary Health and Physical Education curriculum, 2019. Effective strategies and resources are shared for educators to use to build their students knowledge and skills to respond to situations involving vaping.
In part one Ophea and the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) partnered to answer questions about vaping, build educator understanding of a harm reduction approach, and the importance of using this approach when engaging students in conversations about vaping. Available resources are shared to support educators in building their knowledge and understanding about vaping, and to facilitate discussions about vaping with their colleagues and their students.
In part two, the scope and sequence of learning about vaping within the Health and Physical Education curriculum for grades 4-8 is explored, including the integration of Social-Emotional Learning skills. Educators share how they use a harm reduction approach when engaging their students in conversations about vaping, and model learning strategies based on Ophea’s lesson plans and available resources to support vaping education.
Ask Us: Vaping and Making Connections to the Elementary H&PE Curriculum Webinar
This webinar is the first of a two part series in which Ophea partners with the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) for an hour-long Q&A session on vaping and its connections to the Health and Physical Education curriculum for grades 1-8.
By viewing this webinar educators will increase their understanding about vaping products, the effects of vaping on short and long term health, and available data sources about the prevalence of student use. Educators learn about the importance of adopting a harm reduction approach when addressing the topic of vaping to support students in developing the skills to make and support healthy, informed choices about vaping. Available resources are also shared to support knowledge building about vaping with other educators, and to facilitate discussions and classroom activities with students.
Exploring and Applying Vaping Education within the Elementary H&PE Curriculum Webinar
This webinar is the second in a two part series in which educators continue to explore the connections to vaping in the elementary Health & Physical Education curriculum, and learn more about strategies and approaches that may be used with students to support vaping education.
By viewing this webinar educators will have a greater awareness of the scope and sequence of learning about vaping within the Health and Physical Education curriculum for grades 4-8, including the integration of Social-Emotional Learning skills at different stages of student development. Educators will learn more about, and consider how to apply, a harm reduction approach when engaging students in conversations about vaping through student scenarios, and learn about strategies, Ophea lesson plans and resources available to support vaping education.
Ophea’s Related Blogs
- Ask Us: Vaping and Making Connections to the Elementary H&PE Curriculum Webinar Blog: Access this blog for a summary of the webinar and for links to additional resources and supports.
- Exploring and Applying Vaping Education within the Elementary H&PE Curriculum Webinar Blog: Access this blog for a summary of the webinar and for links to additional resources and supports.
- Clearing the Air about Cannabis: What is Vaping: Access this blog to learn about vaping and how to approach conversations with students as well as resources for further reading.
- Clearing the Air About Cannabis: To use or not to use? Youth share their perspectives: Access this blog to learn about the reasons that young people have provided about why they use or don’t use cannabis.
- Clearing the Air about Cannabis: Key Learnings from our Live Chat with CSSDP: Access this interactive chat about harm reduction in the context of cannabis education with Canadian Students for Sensible Drug Policy.
Ophea’s Related Resources
- Conversation Starter Videos: Use these videos with students to generate conversations about vaping and for students to practice the social-emotional learning skills they need to make healthier, more informed choices about vaping.
- Cannabis Education: Activate the Discussion Guide: Access this guide for tips on how to lead cannabis-related conversations that may be readily adapted to vaping.
- Cannabis Education Resource Database: Access this database to explore a compilation of evidence-based tools to help students develop the knowledge and skills they need to make informed decisions and reduce harms associated with cannabis use.
Ophea’s Classroom Resources
Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) Resources
Access these resources for additional information for students and educators, and for activities to help students develop their social emotional learning skills.
- Fact sheets for youth and educators
- Vaping: What elementary teachers need to know
- Vaping: What you and your friends need to know
- Drug Use Among Ontario Students, 1977–2019: Detailed Findings From the Ontario Student Drug Use and Health Survey (OSDUHS)
School Mental Health Ontario (SMHO) Resource
Health Canada Resources
Access these resources for more background information about vaping, tips for teachers, and resources to use with students.