Infectious Respiratory Disease

CONTENTS OF CURRICULUM UNIT 25.05.11

  1. Unit Guide
  1. Introduction / Rationale
  2. Student Background and School Demographics
  3. Content
  4. Teaching Strategies
  5. Classroom Activities
  6. Resources
  7. Bibliography
  8. Appendix on Implementing District Standards
  9. Notes

Influenza: Routes of Transmission and Control Measures

Stacy-Ann Morrison Thomas

Published September 2025

Tools for this Unit:

Teaching Strategies

Role Play and Simulations

Role Play and Simulations are effective pedagogical methods that can be used to teach students important learning concepts. It provides the opportunity for students to actively engage in the lesson while having fun. It improves communication, teamwork, and empathy among the learners and also boosts their motivation and confidence. Educators have a tremendous responsibility to prepare students for the future by encouraging them to be good citizens and to promote health and wellness among themselves and their fellow citizens. By employing the use of this teaching strategy, students can get a clearer understanding of the positive or negative effects of not adhering to influenza control measure protocols. It aims to bridge the gap between theory and practice as students immerse themselves in the concepts of the lesson being taught. They physically embody characters as they make sense of the objectives of the lesson. Role play and simulation, like many of the other teaching strategies, help students develop twenty-first-century skills like creativity, collaboration, communication, and leadership skills.

Inquiry-Based Learning

Inquiry-based learning (IBL) is an unconventional, student-centered teaching strategy or approach to learning that involves students actively participating by asking questions and exposing them to real-world situations. By using questions to guide students' mental processes, this approach focuses on teaching them "how to think" rather than "what to think.” Through investigation and sophisticated questioning, inquiry-based learning engages students by establishing links to the actual world. It is a method of instruction that encourages students to solve problems and learn by doing. A lot is going on in the world that our students should learn about and experience. Hence, the goal of inquiry-based learning is to advance students' critical thinking and comprehension skills beyond simple curiosity.

Our students desire to learn new things by doing. They aspire to think, analyze, assess, use, and produce. They want to communicate, work together, be independent, and create stories. They desire to use useful technical tools while exploring and participating. Society's needs have drastically evolved, and as educators, we must consider our students' needs and the difficulties they may face in the future. There is an obvious need for teaching strategies that encourage critical thinking, reflection, questioning, cooperation, communication, and research in order to ensure that our students have the skills they need to meet the challenges and expectations of the future. Inquiry-based learning (IBL) uses worthwhile assignments like projects, cases, and research to contextualize learning.

Cooperative Learning

In cooperative learning, students collaborate in small groups to achieve tasks or reach common objectives. It is well known as a teaching method that fosters learning and socialization among students from diverse academic levels, as well as across subjects and curriculum areas. Cooperative learning is a very successful teaching method, according to strong data. Academic gains are among the well-documented advantages that students experience when they collaborate with each other. This may be because students have the chance to share their knowledge and, as a result, frequently obtain a better understanding of the material they are studying. Cooperative learning promotes inclusivity and acceptance of each other; for example, students often use language such as ‘we’ or ‘us’ in their conversations.

Students learn to listen to others, take into account their viewpoints on a subject, question others' ideas, and communicate in a way that is acceptable to the group when they are given the chance to collaborate with others. These behaviors aid in the development of strong working relationships as students come to understand that, in order to continue working productively with their classmates, they must tolerate certain group behaviors. Students who work in this manner also have better levels of self-esteem. Cooperative learning has also been linked to a reduction in the need for discipline because the group would frequently advise a disruptive student to calm down and focus on finishing the assignment. These groups will consist of 3-4 students of mixed gender and ability.

Think Pair Share

Think-pair-share (TPS) is a collaborative learning technique that will be used to solve problems or discuss scenarios, such as “What happens if a student who is infected with the influenza virus sneezes or coughs directly at you? They will also use this teaching strategy to respond to inquiries regarding assigned readings on the topic. Students will be required to provide answers to questions on their own and then discuss their views with their peers. Talking with a companion increases involvement, concentrates attention, and helps students understand the reading. This technique is generally used to assist students in developing hypotheses or in discussing how they understand a class experiment.

Think-Pair-Share (TPS) can be used in classrooms of any size and is perfect for use in science. After asking a question, students are told to THINK about their answer before discussing it with a neighbor (PAIR). After that, the groups SHARE with the class what they talked about with their partners, and the conversation goes on. Students are given time to reflect critically, which fosters a learning atmosphere that produces excellent answers.

Project-based Learning

Project-based learning (PBL) is an instructional approach that encourages active participation from students as it promotes real-world engagement while developing important transferrable skills to include communication, critical thinking and analytical skills, and collaboration, as they delve into thoroughly understanding the academic content through the creation and use of meaningful projects. Students will apply their knowledge through the use of case study analysis (e.g., John Snow and the Broad Street pump, 1918 flu, H1N1), group presentations on modes of transmission and control strategies, and public service announcements (PSAs) simulating outbreak response messaging, and also, the use of lab simulations demonstrating droplet spread or testing the effectiveness of handwashing and various mask materials. PBL is the core of the learning since it is inquiry-driven, as students solve problems by exploration and investigation.

Comments:

Add a Comment

Characters Left: 500