A number of psychological, developmental, and learning theories and models informed the development of HealthTeacher, especially those that follow Piaget’s stages of cognitive development Kohlberg’s stages of moral development, Erikson’s stages of the life cycle, Bandura’s self-efficacy theory and cognitive learning theory Wallston’s locus of control Rotter’s social learning theory Green’s PRECEDE – PROCEED Model Hochbaum’s Health Belief Model (based on Lewin’s aspiration theory) Dennison’s Activated Health Education Model HealthTeacher’s lessons also make use of a variety of instructional approaches including role plays, cooperative learning activities, independent work, and classroom demonstrations.

Objectives for the HealthTeacher Curriculum:

   1. To build health literacy among those who teach health education.

a. The curriculum can help teachers understand skills-based teaching and assessment and how to apply both in the classroom setting through on-line examples and tutorials.

   2. To address the significant health and behavioral issues facing today's youth.

a. The curriculum addresses knowledge, attitude, and skills development and provides opportunities for students to practice skills that promote lifelong health.

   3. To help teachers overcome many of the constraints that now limit the provision of comprehensive and sequential health education in the school setting.

a. Prepared lesson guides can reduce preparation-time constraints for teachers

b. Basic background that HEALTHteacher.com provides can overcome training constraints or educational deficits and build on a teacher's current knowledge of a subject.

c. The lower cost of Internet-based compared to print-based curriculum can lessen cost constraints and help teachers maintain an up-to-date resource for classroom education.

How Was HealthTeacher Developed? Originators of the idea to place a comprehensive K-12 health education curriculum for teachers based on national standards on the Internet presented the idea to leaders in the health education community who were receptive to the idea and suggested consultants experienced in developing exemplary health education curricula.

The developers established an Advisory Board to advise the project's development and implementation and hired a publishing firm experienced in developing health education materials to lead in writing the curriculum. Focus groups of teachers reviewed and commented on the developing lesson plans.

The Advisory Board. The Advisory Board guided the development of the project so it would meet the needs of health educators, students, and administrators. The board has provided the broad vision for using this web-site to build health literacy for teachers.

Members of the Initial National Advisory Board were:

• American Association for Health Education. Becky J. Smith, Executive Director
• American School Health Association. Susan Wooley, Executive Director
• American Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development. Janis Tomlinson, Health and Education Initiative Director
• American Cancer Society. Mary Waters, School Health Division
• Cable in the Classroom. Donelle Blubaugh, Director of Curriculum
• ToucanEd Publications. Kathleen Middleton, Assessment Consultant

Curriculum Development Team. ToucanEd Publications led the development of the curriculum, recruited the writing board, and provided editorial services. Not only is ToucanEd experienced in developing health education materials and is a recognized leader in the field, but one of the owners, Kathleen Middleton, was also a consultant to the SCASS Project's development of the Assessment Framework. Writing and Editorial Board

• Kathleen Middleton, MS, CHES-Project Director/Instructional Designer - Kathleen Middleton, publisher and director of ToucanEd Publications, had more than twenty-five years experience in health education at the time HealthTeacher was created. She is a nationally recognized expert in health education curricula. Her education experience includes teaching, educational administration and curriculum development from preschool through college. She has created hundreds of health education titles for the preschool through college levels. Most recently, Ms. Middleton was a content consultant and contributing author for the 1999 Harcourt Brace health education textbook review for grades K-6. Ms. Middleton has been involved with the CCSSO~SCASS Health Education Assessment Project for the last five years. She served as the National Scoring Director and content consultant. As director of ToucanEd Publications Ms. Middleton facilitated conceptualization and development of all lesson materials for the HealthTeacher.com curriculum.

• Anita Davis – Anita received a Bachelor of Science degree in Nursing from Vanderbilt University in 1973 and a Masters of Education degree, also from Vanderbilt, in 1986. She has worked in the area of program development and management in numerous public and private settings. Ms. Davis worked as an independent consultant to conceptualize and develop the HealthTeacher.com project for The Health Network in 1998-99. In 2000, Mrs. Davis followed HealthTeacher to the WebMD site, and then purchased HealthTeacher in December, 2001.

• Iris Dorfman – As a partner at ToucanEd Publications and as an elementary school educator, Iris Dorfman helped to create the elementary lessons for HealthTeacher. Ms. Dorfman has more than twelve years experience in education and curriculum development. She was the primary author of the kindergarten health curriculum for the Harcourt Brace health education textbook series and has worked on many of the curricula developed by ToucanEd. In addition, Ms. Dorfman has been involved in all of the CCSSO~SCASS activities coordinated by ToucanEd. She also worked with the Department of Defense Educational Activity section on assessment training and development of a skills-based health curricula. She also served as the lead on the Linking Project, a subcontract from the Society for State and Territorial Directors for Health and Physical Education.

• Netha Thacker, Project Editor – Netha Thacker, senior editor at ToucanEd Publications, edited all text materials for this project. At the time HealthTeacher was created, Netha had 15 years experience writing and editing health education materials and education curricula for levels from preschool through college. She is the editor of an acclaimed series of health fact books, and primary author of one of the best-selling books in the fifteen book series. She has worked on all the behavioral health materials completed by ToucanEd Publications. Ms. Thacker has a BA in Journalism, with Honors, from San Jose State University.

• Betty M. Hubbard, EdD, CHES – Dr. Hubbard is a Professor of Health Education in the Department of Health Sciences at the University of Central Arkansas. She holds a MS in Guidance and Counseling, an MSE and Doctorate in Health Education, and has taught science and health education in grades K through twelve. She is a national expert in school health education and the author of numerous school health curricula. Dr. Hubbard has been a member of the Joint Committee on National Health Education Standards and an Expert Review Panel Member for the CCSSO~SCASS Framework. In addition to university responsibilities, Dr. Hubbard coordinates teacher training, writes curricula, and contributes articles and reviews to professional publications.

• Dr. Michael Cleary, CHES, - Dr. Cleary is currently Professor and School Health Education Coordinator in the Department of Allied Health at Slippery Rock University. Dr. Cleary began his teaching career at Evanston Township High School in Evanston, Illinois and later became the Lead Teacher Specialist at the McMillen Center for Health Education in Fort Wayne, Indiana. Dr. Cleary has published and presented widely on curriculum development and portfolio assessment in K-12 health education. A past president of the Pennsylvania School Health Association, Dr Cleary is the co-author of Managing Your Health: Assessment for Action (1996) published by Jones & Bartlett. Dr. Cleary is a Certified Health Education Specialist through the National Commission for Health Education Credentialing, Inc.

• Sarah Brown, M.Ed. – At the time HealthTeacher was written, Sarah Brown was an instructor at Vanderbilt University, Peabody College where she taught Health and Well-being for the School-aged Child to undergraduate education majors. Ms. Brown attended Vanderbilt University on an athletic scholarship and graduated with a Bachelors Degree in Human and Organizational Development and earned her Masters Degree in Health Promotion and Education. Sarah is now in medical school.

• Cheryl Miller – Cheryl Miller is a middle school health educator in Salem, Oregon. She graduated from California Polytechnic State University in 1975 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Social Sciences, and completed a fifth year program in elementary education. She has been an active board member of the Oregon Alliance for the Advancement of Health Education and the Oregon Alliance of Health, PE, Recreation and Dance. Cheryl was honored in 1991 as Oregon Outstanding Elementary Health Educator, and in 1996 as Oregon Outstanding Secondary Health Educator. She was also honored in 1996 as Northwest District Health and Safety Educator and as AAHE/Tambrands Health Education Professional of the Year. In 1996 she was also honored by the Oregon Division of the American Cancer Society as Volunteer of the Year for Comprehensive School Health Education. Cheryl has been involved in the CCSSO~SCASS Health Education Assessment Project as an assessment writer and teacher trainer.

Ownership and Management

HealthTeacher is a ConnectivHealth Company. ConnectivHealth is a network of powerful health information brands that enables the delivery, distribution, and organization of important health information for physicians, health care professionals, hospitals, and schools through customized channels. Each brand serves a critical information need in the marketplace with the single goal of improving health. Privately held, the ConnectivHealth network includes: HealthTeacher, VerusMed and Discovery Hospital, a partnership with Discovery Communications.

Contact Information
HealthTeacher.com
5200 Maryland Way, Suite 200
Nashville, TN 37027
(800) 514-1362