TeachAids materials shared with youth in Jamaica
“This TeachAids video was very helpful, as I was never given any other video to use in my classes on Guidance. I would often search YouTube for relevant ones. TeachAids was exactly what I needed; it is relevant, interesting, and factual.”
– Jennifer Dixon Malcolm, Waterford High School (St. Catherine, Jamaica)
High school teacher Jennifer Dixon Malcolm recently integrated the TeachAids software into her curriculum at the Waterford High School in St. Catherine Parish, Jamaica. Waterford is located in Portmore, a coastal municipality that is predominately a residential community with about 25 schools. Approximately 250 students, ages 12–13, learned from the TeachAIDS animated tutorials.
HIV prevalence in Jamaica is currently about 1.7%, with urban areas reporting the highest numbers of HIV cases. An estimated 32,000 people are living with HIV and up to 50% of them are unaware of their status. National strategies have been implemented to increase access to testing and improve awareness of HIV and AIDS among healthcare workers and the general population, resulting in a reduction of new infections in recent years. Integration of the TeachAIDS materials into school guidance programs supports national efforts to improve general knowledge around issues pertaining to HIV and AIDS.
Malcolm integrated multiple versions of the TeachAids animations into her classroom curriculum and used it as an opportunity to teach about cultural diversity. She said, “The kids loved the videos. In fact, I used more than one – Botswana, India, North America etc. Even though the information was basically the same, the kids liked the different accents and terms peculiar to each country. We even got into a discussion about the countries so I was also teaching Geography and Social Studies in my Guidance class.”
The TeachAids software has been used to teach middle school students about HIV prevention across a number of countries. In addition to the TeachAids animated tutorials, many teachers are also using the TeachAids Educator Handbook to supplement their lessons. TeachAids is proud to support the work of teachers globally in their efforts to educate young people about safe health practices.