The key question:To what extent can and should schools educate students about eating disorders to help prevent or reduce the amount of eating disorders developed throughout secondary school and/or correct any misperceptions students have about eating disorders?
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The purpose of this inquiry project is to determine how and if schools can help to prevent eating disorders (EDs) among their students. Body image is an extremely common issue that people have, and it often starts at a young age. If we teach our students about eating disorders, the signs and symptoms, the consequences, how to help someone with an eating disorder, what to look for, etc., can we help prevent an eating disorder from developing? If a student already has one, can we help them recover before it becomes too serious? Can we help students identify unhealthy relationships with food in themselves or in others before it develops into a full-fledged disorder? Additionally, can we help correct any misperceptions students have about eating disorders? Can correcting misperceptions lead to more empathy, help, and support for those who do have an eating disorder? Do students find this information valuable and/or essential to their education?
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Personally, I'm fed up with EDs
I chose this topic for my inquiry topic for two reasons:
Firstly, it is a passion of mine and it is something I have been researching, studying, and trying to find strategies to prevent. I am always learning new things and listening to the stories of those who have developed and/or recovered from an eating disorder, and I am hoping that I can help; even if that means only helping just one person. |
Secondly, I see and hear too many young people with eating disorders. When I first started my PSIII, I supervised during lunch and I was saddened by how often students refused to eat, talked about their weight, made fun of their own appearance, joked about food, felt embarrassed to eat certain food, etc. I began to wonder, how much do these students know about EDs? Personally, I didn't learn much about them until university. If they are in a similar situation, they may not even be aware that they or those around them are suffering or at risk.
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The ProcessI will be conducting research on eating disorders and using that information to compile my findings and create a unit plan and presentation for students in grades 7 and 9. I will also be creating a survey for students to fill out at the start and end of the unit, to determine how the unit impacts both knowledge about and empathy towards eating disorders and those who experience disordered eating. Finally, I will analyze all of my findings and put it all on this website for other teachers to review.
Final ProductThe end product will be a website (via Weebly) that outlines the project, the unit and lesson plans, and the results.
Ultimately, it will be a resource for teachers to both learn and teach about eating disorders and consider whether or not teaching about eating disorders should be an important topic within schools. |
TimelineUp to Nov 5 - Research on eating disorders and development of website, survey, unit plans, lesson plans, and presentation
Nov 6 and 20 - Teaching grade seven students about eating disorders and having students complete the survey Nov 19 - Nov 25 - Teaching grade nine students about eating disorders and having students complete the survey Nov 25 - 30 - Compiling and analyzing results, completing the website, and preparing my PIP presentation. Dec 4 - Presenting at the PIP symposium |