The Blueprint Behind Powerful Public Health Education
Imagine setting off on a road trip with no map, no GPS, and no clue where you’re going. What are the chances you actually arrive at your destination? In many scientific disciplines, a framework is like a roadmap for a project or experiment. It gives you just enough direction to see where you’re going and how to get there. But the blueprint of the house, the neighborhood, and the wider community? That’s all up to us. It’s our job to build something meaningful for ourselves and others. We start by understanding life as it is (a), imagining how it could be better (b), and then finding a strategic path from (a) to (b). And in the process, we usually end up helping more than just ourselves.
The Power of a Framework
A framework isn’t a rigid set of rules. It’s an organized way to approach a complex process. Whether you’re building a house, planning a study, or designing a health lesson, a framework helps you avoid reinventing the wheel every time. It keeps things clear, efficient, and grounded in evidence-based methods.
In science, education, and health, frameworks offer a structured path that supports creativity while keeping the focus on the goals of a project, program, or initiative. This balance of structure and flexibility is exactly why we use them in our work.
Teaching Health With Purpose
When it comes to designing public health education, a framework does more than organize content. It guides us to:
Adapt to different types of learners.
Evaluate what’s working, and what isn’t.
Use resources wisely.
Encourage connections across disciplines.
Why These Frameworks?
We didn’t choose our frameworks at random. We rely on two models: the Ecological Model and Webb’s Depth of Knowledge (DOK). Together, they provide a wide lens to see the big picture and a sharp focus to strategize the details.
1. Ecological Model: Seeing the Bigger Picture
Health is about more than personal choices. It’s about where you live, who you interact with, and the systems around you. Using the Ecological Model, our lessons help students zoom out and understand health from multiple perspectives—not just their own. PHMLearning’s simplified version breaks these down into four levels:
Individual: Health starts with your habits, knowledge, and daily decisions. But it doesn’t exist in a vacuum - it’s shaped by your relationships, communities, and larger systems.
Relationships: Family, friends, mentors, and even healthcare providers influence the choices we make and how we understand the health and needs of others.
Community: Access to parks, affordable healthy food, and safe schools, among many other resources, plays a big role in our well-being. Communities can make healthy living easier or harder based on how accessible these resources are, especially for kids.
Systems: These are the big-picture forces, like policies, economies, and environments, that influence health outcomes on a population level.
2. Webb’s Depth of Knowledge (DOK): Going Beyond the Basics
While the Ecological Model helps us explore and explain life as it is (a), DOK is a tool to imagine and design life as it could be (b). With DOK, we challenge learners to do something with what they know. To think critically, ask meaningful questions, and connect the dots.
DOK helps us create real-life, relatable activities that move beyond memorization and encourage deeper thinking:
Level 1: Recall and simple procedures
Level 2: Apply skills and concepts
Level 3: Strategic thinking and analysis
Level 4: Extended thinking—original ideas, research, and real-world problem-solving
Frameworks in Action: Building Health Literacy
Why does all this matter? Because in public health, higher-order thinking leads to strategic, real-world impact.
When students learn to think critically about health (not just memorize facts) they’re better prepared to:
Make informed decisions
Understand complex health issues
Take action in their communities
Become lifelong advocates for their well-being
At the end of the day, our goal isn’t just to teach - it’s to empower. And frameworks help us do just that.
So the next time you hear “framework” think “blueprint for change”. Because the right structure can build an educational foundation that leads to healthier minds, stronger communities, and brighter futures.
