Beyond the lecture: Teaching for professional development

Abstract

Background. Clinical educators are being challenged to graduate students who can adapt to complex situations. Evidence suggests that one must go beyond teaching students what to know and what to do, and help them learn how to be. Objective. To identify teaching strategies that could be used to help develop students beyond technical proficiency. Methods. This study used a nominal group technique to gather input from clinical educators, requesting them to identify teaching strategies for developing lifelong learning, emphasising the development of students' knowledge and skills, and taking into account students' emotional responses to the clinical context. Participant responses were transcribed and analysed thematically. Results. Participants reported that clinical educators should be role-models to students in a process of lifelong learning, including demonstrating the vulnerability of 'not knowing' . They also suggested integrating a variety of different teaching methods that aim at achieving the same goal. Finally, participants emphasised the importance of intentionally incorporating personal values into reflective learning activities. By creating space for the shared learning experiences of teachers and students, participants high lighted the possibility of helping students to develop the mindset necessary to adapt to complex health systems. Conclusion. Clinical educators emphasised the developmental nature of the teaching and learning process, highlighting the importance of an authentic interaction between students and teachers.

To Lecture or Discuss? Teaching Non-Native English Speakers Studying International Relations at Webster University, Thailand

“…The didactic approach is teacher-centered and emphasizes lecture, whereas the student-centered or the learning-centered approach emphasizes teacher facilitation of a student-driven learning process. Only a few studies focus on what could be referred to as a mixed-methods approach (Rowe, 2016); that is, a strategy which employs a plan combining the methods and procedures from the two dominant teaching approaches. A lack of emphasis on the mixed method approach but a predominant focus on the didactic and learning-centered approaches in the literature means that, at least initially, only the normative assumptions, aims, methods and benefits and limitations of the two dominant approaches can be extrapolated.…”

“…Teachers who employ the didactic teaching approach posit that it provides a convenient, important and simplistic mode for the transfer of knowledge and does not require additional resources (Ijaz andUl-haq, 2014, Cudney andEzzel, 2017). Despite the preference for the approach and its predominant use, the referenced literature highlights that it promotes superficial learning as a result of the over-emphasis on rote memorization of facts, concepts and theories (Rowe, 2016), a student focus on passing rather than understanding course content (Poohongthong and Supparerkchaisakul, 2017), and limits constructive dialogue, thereby creating a dependent relationship between the student and teacher (Papworth, 2016). The studies focusing on student preferences varied, with some indicating a preference for the didactic approach over the student-centered approach and others preferring the latter over the former (Struyven, Dochy and Janssens, 2008).…”

“…The mixed-method approach, as was previously highlighted, is not a primary focus within the existing literature. Rowe (2016) posits that there is a need for an integration of teaching strategies to provide students with the knowledge they need at all levels. As was highlighted in the literature on the didactic approach, lecture provides students with the foundational knowledge they need to engage in a higher-level of learning.…”