I am primarily an administrator now as a program director, but I do get into the classroom from time to time to cover for instructors on PTO, and regularly for selected Board Review topics.
Our Academic Dean specifically wanted me to complete some of the educational methodology courses as a supervisor of didactic and clinical instructors. When I conduct classroom observations I will be better equiped to provide effective feedback with specific suggestions that could enrich our students learning activities.
My favorite teaching strategy is to use the Socratic technique to demonstrate to students how to use knowledge they already have to connect the dots and find the correct answer for something they may not have specifically learned yet, but have enough knowledge to arrive at the correct answer choice.
There were many suggestions in the three modules I have already completed that I will encourage our lead clinic instructors and our didactic instructors to incorporate into their educational methodology.
Kelly, it is so easy to video now. Students can use their own cell phones when possible.
Michele Deck
Kelly, I'm glad this is one you will try, it does help develop critical thinking skills.
Michele Deck
I really like your idea about "video-taping" of student skills so that they can evaluate themselves. This would be a great idea for my dental hygiene students in the clinical setting providing direct patient care. Thank you for sharing!
I like the strategy of "What is wrong with this picture?". I think that it would be particularly helpful when teaching students universal precautions in the dental clinic setting. This strategy does a couple of things; it applies real-life pictures/scenarios via photo or video for visual learners and helps to initiate critical thinking skills for all student learners. This is a strategy that I had not thought of, but I would like to try.
lori, I hope the weakest think becomes a valuable part of your classes.
Michele Deck
I too like the "weakest think" activity. There are so many clinical as well as ethical issues that could arise each day and having a student actually think about those possibilities before they even happen could be invaluable. It not only allows them to realize that these things could happen, and probably will, but allows them to use the critical thinking skills in making the best decisions.
Robert, I agree it is a challenge to get the learners to think in a real world context. I appreciate you sharing how you do this, thanks!
Michele Deck
I do not teach in a classroom setting. I am a supervising dentist for hygiene students on the clinic floor. So I ask the students questions which encourages them (I hope) to recall and integrate their classroom studies with the needs and desires of their particular patients. It's quite a challenge because the body of knowledge which each student has assimilated and the particular needs of each patient are unique.
Kyle, I like that you have YouTube videos easy for reinforcement and instruction for those students who need it.
Michele Deck
The best teaching strategy and or teaching style for me is hands on. I explain the equipment and use it to show them how exactly it works. I also bring up YouTube videos of the equipment if they are still having a hard time.
Jeanie, I hope you try some of these new approaches in your classes.
Michele Deck
After doing 1st part of ED311 I have learned there is several different approaches to teaching styles and contents for students and why it is important.
debbie, it is interesting whem students become aware of their perceptive filters. I agree this can be an eye opener.
Michele Deck
I like the eyes or ears strategy. I think this would be a real eye opener for my students to understand their own perceived abilities and allow them to refocus on other sensesw they may not be paying attention to when talking with patients.
The teaching strategy I find most fitting is clinically based with lecture highlights or "rounds" style teaching. I spend a majority of my initial class sessions essentially training my students on SOPs in the lab and basic skills so that they are in effect working in the lab during their clinical sessions. I believe this style matches my own experiences learing "on the job" and I want my students to feel very comfortable learning in a clinical setting.
Nikolas, I'm so glad you have gained an idea in this course that you can apply to your music classes. Thank you also for teaching me about the terminology used in your profession.
Michele Deck
I am a music instructor primarily, and part of my responsibility involves making vocabulary distinctions with which the students are not yet conversant. As audio engineers, they will find exercises such as the flashcards on the back more profitable, since they are not musicians in the purest sense. They must have the attitude of putting the artist in the studio, and not try forcing the studio into the artist. This activity enables nodal associations to be made conversationally using those terms which are "right and wrong" in the professional environment, and those less familiar terms which are more along the lines of "tasteful and not tasteful." Thus the exercise helps assure that they will provide their services with an empathy to the clients' point of view, and know the appropriate procedures to effect their desired outcome.
The kinesiological approaches described in this module are obviously helpful, as has been witnessed in Orff and Dalcroze methodologies, within my field.
Thanks so much for an interesting course.
Best,
---Nikolas.
Vanessa, I know you will have success with this.
Michele Deck
I teach a lot of the clinical classes for medical assisting. I like the dot on watch, staff surprises and event cards. I will begin utilizing these into my curriculum this week.
