Demonstrations

• If your pregnancy prevention class covers the function and proper use of various contraceptive devices, demonstrations are a powerful tool for informing students about how to use these contraceptives effectively. For example, you can demonstrate the safe application of a condom using a banana. For contraceptive pills and other contraceptive devices such as diaphragms, or surgically-inserted devices, you can simply show students what the devices or their packages look like, diminishing some of the mystery surrounding these items and familiarizing students with the range of options available.
  
  

Guest Speakers

• Guest speakers make an invaluable teaching tool when informing students about pregnancy prevention. Inviting additional speakers into the classroom will remove some of the stigma or sense of taboo, as it opens the conversations to a larger community. Look for speakers from a range of backgrounds; you might engage local representatives of organizations such as the National Organization on Adolescent Pregnancy, Parenting, and Prevention or the Planned Parenthood Federation of America. Nurses and health professionals can also lend an authoritative voice to the discussion. If handled sensitively and appropriately for your school system, local religious or philosophical speakers also might contribute to the conversation.
  
  

Charts and Visual Aids

• Charts and visual aids can help students make sense of a great deal of detailed information. For example, if your pregnancy prevention course discusses various methods of contraception, you can help students organize the corresponding pros and cons, related risks, costs and methods associated with each method. Once students have taken in all of the information in a large chart or spreadsheet, let them apply their high school or middle school math skills to transform the data into more compelling charts or diagrams.
  
  

Class Ground Rules

• Given the sensitive and potentially controversial nature of pregnancy prevention education, one helpful tool for sex educators is a list of ground rules instituted at the beginning of the course. Institute guidelines and rules that create a "safe space" in which students feel free to ask questions or share experiences and opinions. For example, have all the students sign off on a pledge not to repeat any of the other students' comments outside of class. To create a safe space for LGBT students, have students refrain from referring to sexual partners using gender-specific pronouns.