Under The Microscope

PHYSICAL HEALTH 1, by Rosemary Hipkins; Longman Paul; 53pp; $19.95

Rosemary Hipkins of Wellington displays her considerable ability in writing textbooks. At the time I was asked to review her text, I was endeavouring to find a new angle to teaching sex education to my Form IV class. The ideas contained were excellent, both from the interest the pupils took in the material and the ease with which the lesson was generated. All the topics have a high interest factor because they are very topical with the younger adolescent. Not only do they give a scientific background to the topic but also take the reader further, looking at the current medical problems and, in some cases, reviewing the associated consumer and social pressures young New Zealanders face.

The book contains seven chapters, covering skin care, dental care, appearance, posture, puberty changes, eye and ear protection, and basic first aid. Each chapter begins with a scientific description of the organs involved and then moves on to deal with the aspects of health that young people should be aware of.

According to the "Fry Formula" the reading age is between 11 and 13 years. Activities, between six and eight per chapter, dominate the format. Each would take the average Form III pupil about 30 minutes to complete but I would not recommend running two in a standard one-hour period. Rather, I would supplement the material with other resources or extend the exercises that are contained in each "Activity".

There are two things that attracted me to the book. The first was the variety of activities -- "contexts for learning" in the modern terminology -- that are to be found within each topic. (This is my reason for limiting the activities to one per period.) The second was the style of language. One has the impression that Rosemary Hipkins is carrying on a one-to-one dialogue with the reader and that she feels responsible for his or her education. I recommend this as a most useful contribution to the resources of your Health Education Department. I look forward to seeing the remaining books of the series.

Geoff Groves is Head of Science at Ellesmere High School.