Secondary schools

Tools for secondary schools

These tools have been collated to assist practitioners supporting and partnering with secondary schools to develop, implement and evaluate an evidence based whole school approach to respectful relationships education (RRE).

Some tools are designed to build your skills and knowledge whilst other tools have been included so that you can provide them to the services’ staff to use with children, families or partner organisations.

Reality & Risk provides training to teachers and community organisations to develop their understanding of how easily accessible pornography is influencing young people’s sexual expectations and behaviour.

VicHealth’s preventing violence against women training is a two-day course, providing practical knowledge and skills on how to prevent violence against women. This training would benefit community organisations supporting schools.

Curriculum

Core Victorian Government Department of Education and Training curriculum resources

F-12 Resilience, Rights and Respectful Relationships Learning Resources (2016).
This curriculum resource was designed to be delivered by trained classroom teachers, with support where required from community based experts in RRE. The Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority has specialist curriculum consultants to assist teachers with curriculum and lesson planning, and professional development.

Complimentary curriculum resources

Deakin University Sexuality Education Matters (2013) provides pre-service educators with the tools to build the skills, knowledge and confidence of future teachers to integrate gender, gender-based violence and sexuality education into their teaching.

Videos

PiP has compiled a list of videos for RRE practitioners to incorporate into the training they provide to school staff, sessions they run with families or community organisations, or to be provided to teachers as a curriculum resource to use with their students. Please note that whilst some of these videos will be appropriate for use with younger children, others are more applicable for use by students in secondary school or by RRE professionals in a school.

Classroom activities

Every classroom can be used as an opportunity to respond to the drivers of violence and focus on gender equity. These activities are vital in ensuring a successful whole-of-school approach. For example:

A Media class can engage students in critical media analysis or an analysis of pop culture, such as exploring current and historic representations of women and men, the difference between gender and sex or how children’s toys are marketed.

English teachers can use a literature text to examine gender constructions (DEECD, 2009).

Maths teachers can use the wage gap to teach percentages (DEECD, 2009).

Articles and images to prompt discussion

PiP has created a list of articles and images for RRE practitioners to incorporate into the training they provide to school staff, sessions they run with families or community organisations, or to be provided to teachers as a curriculum resource to use with their students.

YWCA Relationship Things: Relationship Things is an online resource, developed by YWCA Canberra, designed to help people aged 14 through 18 decide what kinds of relationships are good for them. It deals with gender, choice, communication, relationships, consent and safe sex, and includes information and further resources for students and educators.

That’s Not Cool: Includes posters and videos with a focus on texting, sexting and online stalking.