School-based smoking prevention: the teacher training process

Effective in-service teacher training must be regarded as a critical aspect of the implementation of any innovative school-based smoking prevention curriculum. Inadequate training or lack of training often leads to implementation failure, which, in turn, may be interpreted as program failure. To be effective, teacher training must include a presentation of the theory underlying the program, a demonstration of the skills to be learned, an opportunity to practice the new skills being taught, feedback, and coaching for application. Training activities must include a training workshop and ongoing consultation during the teacher's first experience with classroom implementation. Adequate preparation before the beginning of training will help to ensure that the necessary components are combined in a meaningful training sequence.