Melissa, this will provide you and your students with a new tool to be utilized in the setting you have them in.
Michele Deck
We create case studies for thought provoking...often the more bizarre the scenario..the more the student remembers.
I use a family feud type game. I divide the class in half and have them come up to the podium. We use a bell to "buzz" in. The questions are displayed via powerpoint. This engages all learners and gives them a chance to work together to critically think to solve problems.
Lynn, I agree that the more bizarre or unusual, the more memorable it is.
Michele Deck
Marla, thank you for sharing your success with a family feud type activity. I have found this to be a great one to implement as well.
Michele Deck
I believe anything you use to stimulate creative thinking is beneficial.
Although I have not used any of the specific strategies covered in this module, on occasion I have used role playing activities. This tends to work well for helping to change the learners' perspectives and gives them a completely different lens through which to view the hospital experience.
I have used gestures before. I feel they are an effective way to communicate with the student without alarming the patient.
Event cards. One of my clinical sites actually requires the students to take notes while learning from the employee and then they will ask questions to the students based on what is taught that day.
Who Wants to be a Millionaire is another variation
Black out Bingo can also be used as an icebreaker. Have the new students initial the other new students who meet the criteria you have made.
I have had patients interpret the gestures just as well as the students. Now I teach them basic words in sign language. It gets the point accross and gives them a new language for hearing impaired patients.
When I was doing my clinical internships, my preceptors would often look at a note I had written, give me random labs and ask me to evaluate how I would have handled the same patient given different lab values. In the same way, she would ask me how I would have handled the same patient with the same labs but complaining of a particular symptom. It was interesting and "event-card-ish" to consider how one small factor would make a huge difference in care, with all other things being equal.
Helen, this is a terrific idea! Thank you so much for sharing it with us here.
Michele Deck
Charlotte, this is such a wonderful strategy! How lucky you were to have this modeled. I hope you use it with your learners.
Michele Deck
Could be challenging at times when teaching clinical courses. When creating my lesson plan, I integrate both simulation and actual activities that students will get the chance to apply what they have learned in the classroom. I created a competency skills checklist relevant to their scope of practice so learning can be more productive. In planning activities, I connect with site managers for a service learning event or contact medical organizations doing charity work offering free medical services and partner with our students. This will address those learners who are kinesthetic and not only the visual and auditory learners. For auditory learners, I integrate available simulation and interactive learnign softwares as part of the method in teaching concepts which I find it productive and engaging to students.
Venusa, I like the diversity of your teaching methods. It is the variety that reaches all the different learners.
Michele Deck
Critical thinking skills are harder to find in younger students coming to Medical Assisting. It is difficult to teach to students with few life experiences. Using real life scenarios or event cards has a huge impact on students and makes it "real".
John, it is challenging to teach critical content to those with limited life experience. We do all we can for them.
Michele Deck
Any creative stimulation I can bring to my classes is always a plus. Since I teach most of the theory classes, they can tend to become boring. I use case studies and bingo, but I'm hoping to find a way to initiate the use of event cards. Sounds like fun.
Mabel, event cards present opportunties to learn to problem solve with real world examples.
Michele Deck
