Basic Structures of Medical Words
The best way to remember medical terminology is to make flash cards and learn prefixxes, suffixes and root words based o body parts. The student will learn by drill and remote training.
Lisa, enjoying the learning process reduces stress and increases retention.
Michele Deck
I agree, we also play terminology hangman and jeopardy. I find students are very competitive and enjoy these games immensely.
Tenille, it is indeed a great visual you have shared about Hepat. It's fun and surprising when asking students how they remember terms because some have quite memorable ones as well.
Michele Deck
I have found since almost 80% of us are visual learners, pictures as we know say a thousand words. Prefix/suffix of medical terminology even along with pictures can allow students to grasp information very quickly. E.g- something that stuck with me in my educational training in medical terminology the prefix Hepat- with something as silly as a man patting a liver "he pats" had stuck with ever since, and many more like that. To combine the pictures with flashcards is another way I found students grasp information rapidly
Earline, everyone loves fruit. It's a great reward and a healthy as well!
Michele Deck
I encourage the use of flashcards.Medical BINGO is always a good way to review and re-enforce. I sometimes use fruit and a occasional bonus point as incentives.
Dee, great instructors individualize teaching as you describe. Please continue on this road to success.
Michele Deck
I do see a lot more success than I did the first few quarters I taught. Other instructors have also noted that students seem to have better retention. I individualize each class according to the mix of students I have
Dee, I bet you see successful student behaviors because you have clear expectations and you show them how to meet them.
Michele Deck
I encourage my students to use flash cards. Many of them have quite a collection.
The other thing I've done the past year is have them write out both the question and answer for homework. In the past they'd fill in the responses with very little attention to what they were really responding to. One of the things that I do point out to them is that empathy is understanding what they're going through, sympathy wouldn't ask for their best but empathy does.
Homework is also the only kind of study guide they have for the test. The tests come from the homework. I've used study guides in the past and seen students do poorly. They're just words, the text uses multiple visual aids I encourage them to use.
I also utilize jeopardy, hangman, and 5-6 extra credit points on the test.
Bridgette, thanks so much for sharing your application of flash cards to your classes.
Michele Deck
I have a tutoring class and I always suggest to the students to use flash cards to help them memorize terminology . In class we also play games to help memorize we have stations set up in labs with laminated flash cards regarding specific subjects that have been very helpful to the students
Rhonda, thank you for sharing your successful teaching strategy. We can all be helped by it.
Michele Deck
I agree that flash cards and repitition are the best way to learn terminology. Whenever I start a new class I always write a long word on the board and first tell them I didn't make it up and then I explain to them how to break it down into word parts. It is also a fun idea to right the terms on flash cards and the meanings on separate flash cards and have them all get up and mingle to match the term with the meaning.
jessica, I love the twirl around idea! Can I use it and share it with others who have similar content to teach?
Michele Deck
Leigh Ann, it is wonderful that publishers are packaging these types of review a robotics with the texts.
Michele Deck
I too encourage students to use flashcards. However, as a learner myself, rogue memorization has never been a key to long term knowledge retention. In class, I try to offer word associations and ask my students to share how they associate words. For example, I asked my class the other day if they had any ideas for remembering the difference between a tendon and ligament. The class decided that "T' reminded them of a T bone steak and since this type of steak had bones and muscle, tendon was bone to muscle. The other day, I found myself twirling around (periette)like a ballerina to help them make the kinesthetic connection that "peri' means around.
I love the idea of words with friends to help with medical terms. I use a text that comes with a CD packed full of different "arcade games" The students really enjoy using this as a fun way to review.
richard, studying Latin is a definite advantage when going into a healthcare profession.
Michele Deck
