"Avoiding the Slippery Slope": Teaching the U.S.D.A. Pyramid

In this study, an aggregate of 71 students in the ninth to eleventh grades in three individual health classes received classroom instruction in the Planet Health © curriculum. The standard curriculum (which highlights concepts of the U.S.D.A. pryamid) proved challenging to many of these urban, low-income students due to cultural, motivational, learning-style and/or language barriers. Principles of Positive Psychology were employed to deconstruct students' own self-limiting perceptions as barriers to academic performance. The use of analogy (simple metaphor)was chosen as a primary strategy to increase learners' recall and understanding of related schema. On the final exam, 25 out of 30 students (including 4 out of 5 students identified as learning-disabled) demonstrated correct recall of pyramid concepts taught by this method.

Persons attending this session will be able to:

* Describe the philosopy of Positive Psychology and its value as an interpersonal communication method in the classroom. * Explain the mechanism by which the use of analogy aids memory and recall of health concepts * List three simple metaphors for communicating concepts of the U.S.D.A. pyramid to students of a variety of academic skill levels, including those identified as learning disabled.