The Resident as Teacher: Tips for Creating an Effective Learning Environment

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The Resident as TeacherTips for Creating an
Effective Learning Environment

• NYPH GME Core Education Committee

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• We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence is not
  an act, but a habit.
  Aristotle

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Plans for the day

• Identify principles of adult learning theory
• Describe strategies for setting up an effective
  learning environment
• Apply adult learning theory principles to orient
  the learner
• Analyze learning environments

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• What are the characteristics of a good teacher?

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Video Clip Dead Poets Society

• Observe the teaching and learning environments
• How do they differ?
• What strategies do the teachers use?
• Take notes
• Pair-share

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Pedagogy Andragogy
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Learning Climate

• Tone/atmosphere of the teaching session
• Respect and Comfort
• Stimulation
• Learner involvement
• Admission of Limitations

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Applying Andragogy

• Learners are self-directed
• Assign learner clear responsibilities
• Learners experiences are a rich resource
• Ask about and use previous knowledge
• Eager to learn when solving a real problem
• Put the learner to work assign a real job
• Eager to apply learning
• Involve learner in patient care immediately
• Eager to become competent
• Give learners a chance to practice

Malcolm Knowles
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Promoting Understanding and Retention

• Understanding
• Ability to correctly analyze, synthesize and
  apply facts and concepts
• Retention
• Process of remembering facts or concepts
• Explaining
• Process by which teachers present material to
  promote understanding and retention

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Promoting Understanding and Retention

• Organize material
• Logical sequencing
• Transitions
• Enumerate
• Use examples
• Use advanced organizers
• Cognitive bridge between new material and what
  learner knows already
• May be visual or verbal

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Promoting Self-Directed Learning

• Learner is an active participant
• Learner demonstrates initiative to define and act
  on needs
• Teacher needs to understand learners motivation
• Goal
• Exam
• Need
• Care of patient
• Learning oriented
• Knowledge for knowledges sake

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To Promote Self-Directed Learning

• Ask learner what there goals are and are they met
• Encourage further learning
• Brainstorm
• Invoke controversy
• Blackboard list of further topics one could
  explore
• Opportunities for learners to pursue their chosen
  topic
• Modeling

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Carters First Day

• Consider what the teacher did in developing a
  learning climate
• What was effective?
• What was ineffective?

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Day One Orienting the learner

• Introductions welcome learners
• Self, team, staff, site, patients
• Invite learners to introduce themselves
• Diagnosis of learners and previous experiences

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Establish Roles and Goals

• Discuss your role
• Director, facilitator, consultant
• Teaching, supervising, feedback, evaluation
• Describe learners role
• Learning, patient care
• Discuss learning goals
• In general and for this session

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Ground rules may vary...but need to be defined

• Punctuality
• Contact info
• Duration of contact with learner
• Does the learner have any conflicts?
• Will you be away?
• Illness or emergencies

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Establish expectations

• You expect learners to fulfill assigned
  responsibilities
• You have high standards for their work
• You expect them to be learners
• It is OK to feel uncertain wrong answers are OK
• Learning involves taking risks
• You will support them as they learn
• They can feel free to share issues of personal
  and professional development

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Create a supportive and stimulating learning
environment

• Demonstrate your enthusiasm and passion for
  medicine
• Manage your teaching time effectively
• Vary your teaching methods
• Encourage students to draw on their prior
  experiences
• Make them feel good about what they know, rather
  than bad about what they dont!
• Build on prior knowledge

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Create a supportive andstimulating learning
environment

• Vary your questions
• Consider your learners goals
• Ask questions that encourage application and
  synthesis
• Encourage students to ask questions
• You dont have to answer all of them
• Model self-directed learning skills
• Think out loud
• Allow them to observe you problem solve
• In gap areas, learn together

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Teaching reflectively

• Consider yourself
• What went well?
• What could have been done more effectively?
• Did I address the learners goals? My goals?
• Did I enjoy it?
• Shall I do something differently next time?
• Consider the learner
• How did the learner do?
• What did they learn relative to the established
  goals?
• How will I let them know how they did?

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Day one at the nursing station

• You are aresident, intern or student
• Focus on assigned role and consider your
  perspective in terms of your goals and the
  establishment of the learning environment on day
  one
• In your assigned role, would you make or wish for
  any changes?

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Your action plan

• Create a supportive, stimulating learning
  environment
• Assign learner clear responsibilities
• Treat learners with respect
• Ask about and use previous knowledge
• Put the learner to work assign a real job
• Involve learner in patient care actively
• Give learners a chance to practice
• What do you do already?
• What will you try?