Thank you for choosing to use the Partners in Behavioral Health Sciences (PIBHS) toolkit for teaching the scientific basis of depression. In order to help orient you to the toolkit, we provide the following overview.
Using the Toolkit
Each lesson is designed to be about 1½ hours long, although some of the enrichment activities may take two class periods. You will see from the Table of Contents that there are eight lessons covering various aspects of depression. We fully expect individual teachers to find some lessons or activities more useful than others, depending on curriculum requirements. Feel free to pick and choose the elements from various lessons that best meet the needs of your students. (A popular selection is the section on stress management in Lesson 6, Stress and Depression.) We hope that by providing a comprehensive presentation on depression and issues related to the science of mental health, we will in some way meet each individual’s needs.
The toolkit has undergone an extensive review by professional educators and high school students. Using feedback from this process, we determined that the toolkit content best meets the needs of high school students in the following courses: Advanced Placement (AP) Psychology, Introduction to Psychology, AP Biology, Human Anatomy and Physiology, Advanced Science and Theoretical Research, Health Education. Other courses for which the toolkit may be a supplement to the curriculum include Family and Consumer Sciences, Human or Child Development, and Physical Education.
Structure of the PIBHS Depression Toolkit
Lesson plan: Each lesson begins with an outline the teacher can use to structure a class presentation. A lesson plan includes:
■ Objectives – main topics and aims of the lesson.
■ Suggestions for presentation of material – strategies for teaching the lesson, including questions to students to introduce the topic and stimulate thought and discussion.
■ Vocabulary – list of important terms.
■ Key points of discussion – highlights of the lesson, which may serve as a lecture guide. (The student handout, which contains the same key points and additional detail, may also fill the same purpose.)
Teacher’s guide: This component is intended as background material for the teacher to prepare for the lecture and enrichment activities. The guide is footnoted, with all sources and related website resources listed at the end.
Enrichment activities: Each lesson includes step-by-step instructions for at least two in-class activities that offer an interactive, enjoyable way for students to review and apply the main teaching points, as well as engage in independent research. Sites for Internet research are suggested. Some activities require anatomical diagrams; these are provided at the end of the appropriate lesson.
Student handout: The handout is intended as a study guide and resource for further research. It is presented in magazine format with lively, full-color graphics to appeal to students and stimulate interest in the material. Besides the lesson’s key points, handouts contain sidebars (brief articles) on topics related to the lesson, to encourage student research. Internet sources are provided. The handout serves as a master for student copies and as a lecture guide.
Appendices:
Acknowledgements: Glossary: Glossary of all vocabulary terms Resources: Resources for teachers and students
Watch for two special characters, Nikki Neuron and Professor I.M. Wise, who appear throughout the pages
of the toolkit. They assist the PIBHS team in presenting material by directing the reader to important points,
key terms and concepts, and interesting facts.
The PIBHS website, http://pibhs.uams.edu, provides information and resources that supplement the toolkit. You are welcome to reproduce any of the images, graphics, or other materials there. Contact us if you would like further assistance as you teach your students about the scientific basis of depression.
To ensure that the toolkit is meeting your needs as an educator, we need your feedback.
Please feel free to email, write, or call us with your suggestions or comments.
Very truly yours,
J. Glen White, Ph.D., Chris Rule, LCSW, and Nancy Dockter, MPH
Contact information:
Partners in Behavioral Health Sciences
Attn: Chris Rule, LCSW, Project Coordinator
Centers for Mental Healthcare Research
5800 W. 10th St., Suite 605
Little Rock, AR 72204 http://pibhs.uams.edu pibhs@uams.edu
Phone: 501-660-7518
Fax: 501-660-7542 (Attn: Chris Rule)
Medical Information Disclaimer: It is not the intention of the UAMS College of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry’s Partners in Behavioral Health Sciences (PIBHS) to provide specific medical advice, but rather to provide users of this toolkit with information to better understand mental health. PIBHS urges you to consult with a qualified mental health or health care provider for diagnosis and for answers to your personal questions.
Sponsored by the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, College of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry's Partners in Behavioral Health Sciences program which is made possible by support from a Science Education Partnership Award (R25 RR15976) from the National Center for Research Resources at the National Institutes of Health.
Privacy Disclaimer: Information provided is used for the sole purpose of letting us know who uses the Toolkit, and for what purpose. Where you voluntarily provide personal information (e.g. registration), unless otherwise stated, we will only use that information to communicate with you. We will keep any such information secure and will not disclose it to any third parties without your consent.
