The Health Education Teaching Practice How Educational Theory Can Transform and Bridging the Gap. Pedagogical theories are transforming healthcare teaching practices by offering evidence-based strategies to bridge the gap between theoretical knowledge and practical application.
Bridging the Gap How Educational Theory Can Transform Health Education Teaching Practice
Methods such as simulation, experiential learning, and collaborative projects improve knowledge acquisition and retention, as well as the ability to apply concepts in real-life healthcare situations.
Common pedagogical theories, such as behaviorism, cognitivism, and constructivism, shape teaching methods that promote active learning, critical thinking, and self-directed learning, ultimately leading to more competent and confident healthcare professionals.
Constructivism Approach Application in Health Education
Constructivism has important implications for teaching and learning.
Firstly, the teacher is viewed not as a transmitter of knowledge but as a guide who facilitates learning.
Secondly, as learning is based on prior knowledge, teachers should provide learning experiences that expose inconsistencies between students’ current understandings and their new experiences.
Thirdly, teachers should engage students in their learning in an active way, using relevant problems and group interaction. Fourthly, if new knowledge is to be actively acquired, sufficient time must be provided for in-depth examination of new experiences.
Reflective Practice in Health Education
The theory of reflective practice is attributed primarily to Donald Schön, whose work is based on the study of a range of professions. He argues that formal theory acquired through professional preparation is often not useful to the solution of the real life “messy, indeterminate” problems of practice.
Schön labels professionals’ automatic ways of practicing as professional “zones of mastery”—that is, areas of competence. Unexpected events or surprises trigger two kinds of reflection.
The first, “reflection in action,” occurs immediately. It is the ability to learn and develop continually by creatively applying current and past experiences and reasoning to unfamiliar events while they are occurring.
The second, “reflection on action,” occurs later. It is a process of thinking back on what happened in a past situation, what may have contributed to the unexpected event, whether the actions taken were appropriate, and how this situation may affect future practice.
Through the process of reflecting both “in practice” and “on practice,” practitioners continually reshape their approaches and develop “wisdom” or “artistry” in their practice. Activities such as debriefing with peers or learners, seeking feedback from learners on a regular basis, and keeping a journal can provide vehicles for reflective practice.
Seven principles to guide teaching practice
1: The learner should be an active contributor to the educational process
2: Learning should closely relate to understanding and solving real life problems
3: Learners’ current knowledge and experience are critical in new learning situations and need to be considered
4: Learners should be given the opportunity and support to use self-direction in their learning
5: Learners should be given opportunities and support for practice, accompanied by self-assessment and constructive feedback from teachers and peers
6: Learners should be given opportunities to reflect on their practice; this involves analyzing and assessing their own performance and developing new perspectives and options
7: Use of role models by medical educators has a major impact on learners. As people often teach the way they were taught, medical educators should model these educational principles with their students and junior doctors. This will help the next generation of teachers and learners to become more effective and should lead to better care for patients.
Converting Theory into Practice In Health Education
Each of the educational theories presented here can guide our teaching practices. Some theories will be more helpful than others in particular contexts. However, several principles also emerge from these theories, and these can provide helpful guidance for medical educators.
Three cases study The boxes (right) describe three “real world” case studies representing situations encountered in medical education settings. The educational theories described above, and the principles which emerge from them, can guide us in solving the problems posed in these three cases.
Scenario 1 solution You could present an interactive lecture on the autonomic nervous system. You could distribute a notetaking guide. This would contain key points, space for written notes, and two key multiple choice or “short answer” questions requiring higher level thinking.
You could stop twice during the lecture and ask the students to discuss their response to each question with their neighbors (principles 1, 3, and 5). A show of hands would determine the class responses to the question (checking for understanding) and you could then give the correct answer (principle 5). Finally, you could assign a learning issue for the students to research in their own time (principle 4).
Scenario 2 solution You could assign the students to small groups of four to six and ask each group to submit two case studies describing clinical ethics issues in their local hospitals (principles 1 and 2). The ethics theory and approach needed to analyses these cases could be prepared by experts and presented on a website in advance of the sessions (principles 4, 5). The first of the six blocks of two hours could be used to discuss the material on the website and clarify any misunderstandings (principle 5).
You could then show the students how to work through a case, with participation in the class (principle 7). The other five blocks could then be used for each small group to work through some of the cases prepared earlier, followed by a debriefing session with the whole class (principles 5 and 6).
Scenario 3 solution You could first invite the registrar to observe you with patients and do a quick debrief at the end of the day (principles 2, 6, and 7). With help from you, she could then develop her own learning goals, based on the certification requirements and perceived areas of weakness (principles 1, 3, and 4). These goals would provide the framework for assessing the registrar’s performance with patients (principles 5, 6).
You could observe and provide feedback (principle 5). Finally, the registrar could begin to see patients alone and keep a journal (written or electronic) in which she records the results of “reflection on practice” (principle 6). She could also record in her journal the personal learning issues arising from her patients, could conduct self-directed learning on these, and could document.
Her findings in the journal (principles 1, 4, and 6). You could provide feedback on the journal (principle 5). If practical, the cohort of registrars could communicate via the internet to discuss their insights and experiences (principle 6).
Summary
This article has attempted to show how the gap between educational theory and practice can be bridged. By using teaching and learning methods based on educational theories and derived principles, medical educators will become more effective teachers. This will enhance the development of knowledge, skills, and positive attitudes in their learners, and improve the next generation of teachers. Ultimately, this should result in better trained doctors who provide an even higher level of patient care and improved patient outcomes.
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