It’s not the first time I’m doing a teaching video but this experience is always special. Last year, I had the chance to make a video on patient safety at Laval University. This video was for medical students and residents. I learned a lot from this first experience and after watching the video. Here are my observations:
- I often repeat the same information
- I make a lot of gestures with my hands
- My face is sometimes too expressive
I believe these behaviors are related to the stress of being filmed because in everyday life, this is not a problem. In any case, this experience was very rewarding for me. Again for this activity, being filmed increased my stress. However, I really enjoyed the audiovisual tape exercise. I chose to realize a 1:1 teaching session, following a request from my friend. His grandmother fell during the holidays and he had several questions for me. Thus I suggested him to prepare a 30-minute presentation about causes, consequences and prevention of falls. What he accepted! I used a Power Point presentation and a summary sheet as a visual medium.
To do my self-assessment of this activity, I used my own modified version of the Pendelton model:(Batty, 2019)
“What do you think went well?”
Normally, mobility disorders and falls are subjects I know well and require very little preparation. This is the type of teaching I do regularly with patients and families. However, presenting a topic in another language is a challenge! Nevertheless, I think I offered a good teaching by presenting the most important concepts to my friend. One of my strengths is to synthesize information using accessible language.
For me it’s important to build a good relationship with learners and I believe this is my greatest strength. I just completed my geriatric training so I can easily remember my role as a learner. Dynamism, motivation, open-mindedness and respect are important characteristics of teachers (Miller, 2012). These are aspects to which I am sensitive and which I try to adopt each time I teach. Moreover, I like to ask questions in order to stimulate discussion, get learners’ opinion and identify their needs (Clough, 2007). However, I try to do it without creating anxiety among learners. It’s important for me to make teaching periods enjoyable, relaxed and fun at times. Watching my video, I noticed that my friend seemed comfortable; the atmosphere was relaxed even though the subject was difficult for him.
For this presentation, I used several techniques I learned during INTAPT weeks; Bloom’s taxonomy (Krathwohl, 2002) , interactive activities, clean slides (6 x 6 rule), notions of andragogy (Knowles, 2005), repetition of important points and using various teaching tools. This knowledge helped me to prepare this presentation and apply techniques to involve adult learners.
“What do you think could be done differently?”
Adult learning is helped by problem-centered approach (Knowles, 2005). During my 1: 1 teaching sessions with patient/family member, I would like to make more connections between the specific problem / concern / experience of the learner and the theoretical aspects.
“How can this be achieved?”
In my next 1: 1 teaching sessions with patient/family member, I will:
– Clearly identify the problem
– Make at least 2 links between the patient’s specific problem and the theory I explain
– Reflect about the relevance of these links and on 2 other links that I could have made to involve the learner even more.
To conclude, I really appreciated the feedback from my friend (the learner) and partner. They gave me constructive feedback that will be helpful for my next presentations (not just for 1:1 teaching). I like to receive these objective point of view, in order to improve myself and develop my teaching skills! In addition, I found video very useful fo evaluating my colleague. We can watch the video several times in order to focus on one thing at a time; content or performance. Although this method of evaluation requires time and organization, it could be very useful for developing teaching skills (Coffey, 2014)!
References
Batty, H., Ghavam-Rassoul, A., Peranson, J. (2019). Reflection, Feedback and Self-Assessment [PDF.]
Coffey, A. (2014). Using Video to Develop Skills in Reflection in Teacher Education Students. Australian Journal of Teacher Education, 39(9).
Knowles, M., Swanson, R., & Holton, E. (2005). The Adult Learner. the Definitive Classic in Adult Education and HumanResource Development. Gulf Publishing Company.
Krathwohl, D. (2002). A Revision of Bloom’s Taxonomy: An Overview. Theory Into Practice, 41(4), pp.212-218.
Michael, P. (2007). What is so Important about Asking Questions?. Iowa Science Teachers Journal 03 Volume 34 (1), [online] 34(1), pp.2-4-. Available at: https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5352be83e4b086059ff8d7a7/t/5411ccdae4b0a1cae1c272d6/1410452698758/ISTS+Journal+34-1+Winter+2007-Editorial.pdf [Accessed 25 Feb. 2020].
Miller, P. (2012). Ten Characteristics of a Good Teacher. English Teaching Forum, [online] 1(1), pp.36-38. Available at: https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ971241.pdf [Accessed 25 Feb. 2020].
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