“My main strategy is to teach practical education.  I want my students to learn how they can be healthier.  That includes physical, social, mental, environmental, and spiritual health.”  As the instructor of Elements of Health Education, John Worden is concerned about more than just filling the minds of his students with information.  He wants to help them understand their overall health, and give them the tools that they’ll need to succeed in all areas of life.

“The challenge is to provide students with the knowledge to make better choices,” Worden explains.  To do this, he assigns projects that directly pertain to his students’ lives.  One such project is the Self-Improvement Project that lasts throughout the duration of the semester.  Each student is required to choose something in his/her life that he/she would like to change or improve upon.  The student develops a plan, and then implements that plan throughout the semester.  “I have had students that wanted to volunteer more, eat better, exercise more, become more organized, and quit smoking,” Worden recalls.  “The students seem to enjoy the project, and they learn how difficult behavior change can be.”

A second project of the course is a Favorite Food Project.  The students conduct investigations of their favorite food, whether it is a dish from a restaurant or an old family recipe.  The students determine the basic ingredients of the dish, and then report the dish’s nutritional value.  The second component of the project is to compare the dish with two other “healthier” choices.  Upon completing the project, students discover how much misinformation people receive about what is considered to be “healthy food”.

Outside of assigning practical and intriguing assignments, another way Worden reaches his students is by creating an open atmosphere in the classroom.  “I’m very open about my life,” he says.  “I want to share the knowledge I have that can help students.  If they can learn from some of the mistakes I have made, maybe they can use that knowledge to avoid making the same ones.” By creating an atmosphere for open-minded discussion and an environment where students can apply textbook material to real life, Worden implements a philosophy from Benjamin Franklin that he believes is critical to enhance learning: “Tell me and I forget.  Teach me and I remember.  Involve me and I learn.”  Worden advises his students to carry this philosophy with them to their future classrooms to ensure success for their students.

Worden is clearly one of the reasons that Mizzou’s College of Education prides itself on producing high quality teachers, and his dedication to helping students live their best lives is a task that he takes very seriously.  He is also committed to helping kids who are not students of his.  Outside of teaching, Worden conducts research on childhood obesity, and is a Health Education and Promotion PhD candidate.