With rising health concerns associated with processed foods, nutrition, and overall health, Honors students and faculty sought to improve the education of elementary school children, kindergarten through sixth grade, with the goal of fostering skills related to diabetes prevention and health standards, while maintaining themes of sustainability and creativity.
What are Praxis Labs?
Every year, the Honors College offers several Praxis Labs, which are two-semester, project-based courses that focus on rising issues, popular topics, or prominent cultural shifts. Within these seminar-based classes, students are able to take a deeper dive into pressing social issues, discuss their present and future implications, and collaborate in groups to find creative solutions.
Equity, Culture, and Preventive Health
The Equity, Culture, and Preventive Health Praxis Lab was led by Dr. Paul Estabrooks and Dr. Teresa Molina. Estabrooks has been a researcher since his graduate student days in Canada, where he focused on promoting physical activity, diabetes prevention, and weight management through various projects, collaborations, and programs. Molina has worked at the University of Utah for over 12 years, where she has been actively involved in her community, recognizing and assisting the mental health needs of individuals with immigrant and refugee backgrounds. With these professors’ vast experiences, they were able to effectively develop their class of 9 students’ understanding of health inequalities.
Community Project: Improving Elementary School’s Curricula
Throughout the first semester, the students were given the freedom to study a wide variety of topics and collectively choose a local issue to analyze. A few significant organizations that helped educate the group about the disparities in the community include the Utah Pacific Islander Health Coalition, the Utah State Board of Education, and University Neighborhood Partners, who each provided insight into gaps in the school curriculum and health education.
From their research and the rising need for health education, the cohort decided that their project should focus on education and prevention of diabetes, particularly among elementary school students. “We chose to focus on elementary schools because we felt as though these students are often overlooked,” said Alejandra Hernandez. In groups, they worked to develop three new curricula, one for each elementary school age group: kindergarten to second grade, third to fourth grade, and fifth to sixth grade. Within each of these new curricula, they tried to ensure that any teacher could execute their educational plan without issues, as well as include all the educational requirements into their lessons and activities.
The cohort worked closely with Team Thrive, a University of Utah-sponsored diabetes prevention program for high school students, to gather further feedback regarding the nutrition information and ways to improve their course materials and educational plans. One of Team Thrive’s advocates, Amy Loverin, gave the group feedback during a lively discussion about one of the kindergarten/first-grade educational plans: “Overall, these lessons are incredibly creative, and I loved the activities that students are able to engage in.”
Highlights & Lasting Impacts
At the end of the year, the cohort had the opportunity to present their findings at the Honors Student Showcase, an annual event to highlight Honors students’ accomplishments over the year, as well as a variety of other meetings and conferences to share their curriculum with district leaders. The goal of their presentation was to highlight the importance of childhood health education and the positive impacts of their curriculum.
Through their research, dedication, and teamwork, Honors students were able to create a curriculum of 5-6 lesson plans for each age group comprised of a diverse range of activities and comprehensive reading assignments.
After collaborating with Team Thrive and the Utah State Board of Education, the final product will be available statewide starting Fall 2025, allowing teachers to easily review and execute the curriculum while also complying with the academic standards and learning objectives required.
The full report is now available! Click on this link to view the full report. Learn more about Praxis Labs here.
Want to support Praxis Labs? Contact Janette Schimpf at j.schimpf@honors.utah.edu.
Aspen Delis | Journalism Intern, Honors College