Glass Class – How Should You Tackle Alcohol Awareness In PSHE lessons?
Rebecca White, AST and head of PSHE at Princes Risbo School, presents some tips for teaching students about alcohol…
Whenever I teach about drug education, I am always asked “Which drug is the most dangerous, Miss?” My reply is always the same. Alcohol. The students often look at me as if I’m completely mad or lying. But once we have worked through the lessons and taken part in activities, they then see why alcohol can be seen as such a dangerous drug.
Alcohol is used widely in our culture. For many students, they have been introduced to alcohol from a young age. More and more people are drinking in their homes, and in some cases, students will even fetch their parent a beer or a glass of wine. So, how do we confront this and show that when used irresponsibly, alcohol can have devastating consequences?
Create a rapport so students listen to advice
Alcohol can be an emotive subject, but it’s paramount for both students and teacher that they are able to feel safe in a PSHE lesson. If you are a non-specialist and feel uneasy about discussing alcohol, this will be picked up by the students and they will in turn feel vulnerable themselves. If you have a member of staff who regularly talks to students about such issues, you could ask them to deliver the sessions instead.
Remember – you cannot make students speak or participate, but try not to allow any student to make a comment about another member of the group. If they do, challenge it straight away.
Prevent examples from becoming personal. I always use the phrase “I do not want to know what you get up to at the weekend, and I’m not going to tell you what I do.” Never allow them to name other students from the school, either. When they want to share, they can explain what they know and share their example without naming any names.
Have some fun!
We’ve had huge fun using ‘beer goggles’ – vision-impairing visors that simulate the effects of being drunk – in the staff room! They are a great way to introduce the subject and help students understand what ‘being drunk’ actually means – how it affects your ability to walk in a straight line, your awareness of what you are doing and who are you speaking to and so forth. Even quieter students tend to get involved and enjoy these activities. You can purchase a pair of Drunkbuster Impairment Goggles online from the Family Planning Association.
Teaching units of alcohol can be boring, so make it a bit more exciting by adding a practical experiment.
Present the class with a large jug of diluted Ribena and a wine glass. Ask one of the students to pour you a glass of wine, and then ask the class how many units have been poured. They always say ‘one’, because there’s just one glass of wine. Yet if you demonstrate how to calculate the size of the glass is and show how full it is, they are shocked at how many units it actually contains. This can then be used to prompt a debate – are people unaware of how much they drink?
Handling Peer Pressure
Alcohol tends to be one of the first drugs that young people try, albeit under different circumstances.
A great way for students to find ways of saying no is to explore how they would feel if they found themselves in certain situations.
The ‘Alcohol and Handling Peer Pressure’ lesson plan from Drinkaware is helpful for this, as it suggest different scenarios for the students to discuss. The students have to work out the dialogue, the consequences of drinking the alcohol and how to avoid the alcohol. Once they have acted out their scenario, the rest of the class gives advice as to what they should do.
The importance of alcohol education in schools
Alcohol is widely available, socially acceptable and for many, a rite of passage. School is the perfect place in which to educate young people on the dangers and perils of misusing alcohol. Many students do not understand that it is a depressant; a drug that works to make people teary, violent or sedated.
By educating young people in the effects of alcohol early on, we can change the way people use alcohol when they are older.
Rebecca White helped to develop Drinkaware’s latest resources for Education. For more information, visit www.drinkaware.co.uk/education or follow @Drinkaware; the resources can also be downloaded from Teachwire’s resource archive.
