MedEdPORTAL (Dec 2007)
Pediatric Senior Resident Teaching Elective
Abstract
Abstract This resource is an innovative curriculum for third-year residents who are thinking of pursuing careers in medical education or have an interest in advanced teaching skills and learning theory. It follows Kolb's experiential learning cycle as it progresses through four nodes: concrete experience, reflective observation, abstract conceptualization, and active experimentation. Over the course of 2 weeks, participants observe various teaching experiences, reflect/journal on their experiences, and review evidence-based literature on such teaching modalities. They then meet with faculty who are experts in the different modalities to gain a greater understanding of how the theories and evidence are practically applied, as well as the challenges inherent to the modality. The curriculum concludes with the participants leading learners in several of these formats of teaching, followed by feedback from the learners and self-assessment of video records of the experiences. The evaluations of the program have been highly positive, noting a high confidence in teaching abilities, increased understanding of learning theory, and excitement for teaching following the course. Participants have advocated that the curriculum should be “required for individuals doing a chief year” and expanded to allow all residents to take it. The process of being able to observe respected faculty engaging in teaching and then discuss their own techniques is a significant positive aspect of this rotation. Normally, when teaching occurs, residents are attempting to learn what is being taught, not how it is being done. The reflective component allows them to take what they have seen and interpret it for their future use.
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