Massage Therapy Instruction
Is best taught through hands on demonstration and practical skills.
Hi Teasha,
Correct you are about students needing to see the reasons behind what they are doing. They have to have a solid foundation in their field if they are going to be able to grow and expand their skill sets within their career.
Gary
I definately see the growth that takes place after every clinic session in regards to feeling confident with working on the public. I am however a big proponent also in making sure the students comprehend WHY they are using certain techniques. They need to understand how the techniques will benefit the client. Reading, writing, and group discusions help.
For doing the massage work itself, I would agree that physically doing the work is key. But, some students will need to have reading material to review and others will definitely need your lecture to be able to comprehend what they need to do. Also, because teaching massage therapy by just having hands on with no other imput verbal or reading material would take a long time and the students would not grasp all of the concepts that they need to learn. Not to mention the documentation work that needs to be done so that each student will learn how to communicate to others what they have done to each client and what they plan to do.
Hi Megan,
Role playing is a very important teaching tool that lets students gain experience in different situations without the stress of it being real life. This lays a foundation for them when they do face the "real" situation after graduation.
Gary
Some of my students have commented that they really benefit from talking about(or role playing) different situations that may occur in a professional setting. That way they can go through it in class and see how they would handle it. (whatever the case may be)
I would have to agree that massage therapy does require a lot of hands on application. I have also found that students can gain a lot of information though case studies. I will often talk about clients I have had in the past and get students to discuss possible massage session goals and plans.
