How do we learn?

Abstract

Almost all veterinary surgeons teach, whether they are involved in undergraduate extra-mural studies, veterinary nurse training, mentoring inexperienced colleagues, or educating clients. However, very little training is provided to veterinary surgeons in how to teach effectively. This article forms the first in a series of articles published in In Practice aimed at providing veterinary staff and students with tips and tools to enhance the teaching moments which occur on a daily basis in practice with students, colleagues and clients. Future articles in the series will give tips on fitting teaching into a busy working day, giving effective feedback, small group teaching, teaching practical skills and giving a presentation or lecture.

Training veterinarians and agricultural advisers on a novel tool for tail biting prevention

“…The crucial items of knowledge transfer as subjectively judged by participants and tool application on farm did not differ significantly between workshop group types. This agrees with the concept of questioning and discussing being part of adult learning ( Bell and others 2014a ) as well as the tendency towards learning in an actively questioning way in agricultural and veterinary students ( Cano and others 1992 , Neel and Grindem 2010 ). Correspondingly, on-farm usability was evaluated best by INT groups, where this item had been discussed slightly antagonistically yet more balanced than in HIGH groups.…”

“…Modern teaching has moved from teacher-centred lecturing towards student-centred techniques, which accommodate the different ways of how individual people receive and process new knowledge, so-called learning styles ( Felder 1996 , Mills and others 2005 ). Good teaching caters to as many learning styles as possible, which means presenting knowledge visually and verbally, with theories and facts, and with and without interactive sessions (‘teaching around the cycle’, Felder 1996 ; see Bell and others 2014a for a practical summary).…”

“…During some of the workshops, there was very intense, antagonistic discussion about the SchwIP concept in general or specific details of it. Even though questioning and discussion is part of adult learning ( Bell and others 2014a ), it can also decrease the quality of communication in the learning group, which has been associated with its learning success ( Webb and Farivar 1999 , King 2002 ). Therefore, this raised the question of how antagonistic discussions affect the perception of a workshop by the group and whether it may reduce the motivation to apply the new knowledge after the workshop.…”

Effective student feedback in clinical practice

“…Previous articles have discussed different ways in which people learn, and given tips on how to fit teaching into a busy working day (Bell and others 2014, Warman and others 2014a). This article draws from the literature and the authors' experience; it focuses on the importance of feedback and offers suggestions on how to do it well.…”

Tips for teaching hands‐on practical skills

“…Previous articles have covered topics such as providing feedback, teaching in small groups, and fitting teaching into a working day (Bell and others 2014a, 2014b, Warman and others 2014a, 2014b). This article focuses on teaching practical skills.…”