learning processes. Archives - Your Health Matters https://health.sunnybrook.ca/tags/learning-processes/ Stories and expert health tips from Sunnybrook Mon, 12 Sep 2016 20:52:26 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://health.sunnybrook.ca/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/cropped-leaves-stacked-3-32x32.png learning processes. Archives - Your Health Matters https://health.sunnybrook.ca/tags/learning-processes/ 32 32 The evolution of a teacher and a learner… https://health.sunnybrook.ca/the-evolution-of-a-teacher-and-a-learner/ Thu, 16 Aug 2012 01:59:00 +0000 http://health.sunnybrook.ca/the-evolution-of-a-teacher-and-a-learner/ I started my journey as a teacher using acetates and an overhead projector. I had two hours to teach radiation therapy students about the fascinating topic of Cells and Tissue Types.  Try as I might to make squamous and transitional cells interesting, other than some interactive exercises, I did not have many tools to help […]

The post The evolution of a teacher and a learner… appeared first on Your Health Matters.

]]>

I started my journey as a teacher using acetates and an overhead projector. I had two hours to teach radiation therapy students about the fascinating topic of Cells and Tissue Types.  Try as I might to make squamous and transitional cells interesting, other than some interactive exercises, I did not have many tools to help me engage the learners. I was asked to teach because I was interested, not because I had any training as a teacher or educator. I muddled through, had fairly good evaluations, but had limited knowledge of how adults learn and how I could best facilitate that learning.

Over the years, I became more interested in education theory, had more opportunities to teach and ended up with a formal education role at a post-secondary institution. That was when things got really interesting.  I was introduced to a whole new world.  The institution expected all staff to take part in faculty development. Comprehension and analysis of the material became the focus of the students learning, rather than rote recall of facts. We had the opportunity to use simulated learning, online platforms, and small group tutorials and to develop valid and reliable assessments.  It was an exciting time to be teaching and led to an even greater interest in learning how adults learn and how to assess that learning.  In graduate studies in education, I realized that even with all the faculty development opportunities available to me, I had only begun to scratch the surface and still had so much to learn.

In my role at Sunnybrook as Director of Health Professions I know that we have many, many excellent teachers who facilitate learning everyday with little formal training. They are those natural teachers, who have had excellent role models and truly care about the learners.  But, as clinical teachers, we also need to constantly improve our teaching because we have a huge responsibility to the next generation of health professionals and their patients. In order to do this, we must make ourselves familiar with current educational research and best practice in education to ensure that our students become clinically skilled and competent professionals.

You have all seen the posters around campus that say, “ We are all Teachers, We are All Learners”. I challenge everyone at Sunnybrook to acquire one new skill or tool for your teaching toolbox in the next year. A good place to begin will be at our very first Educator Expo that will be held on October 4th, 2012. Mark your calendars as it will be a packed agenda and an opportunity to learn about learning, learn about teaching and learn about yourself as a teacher and a learner.

See you there.

Ruth Barker
Director, Health Professions, IPE/IPC

The post The evolution of a teacher and a learner… appeared first on Your Health Matters.

]]> Simulation in Medical Education: More than an Educational Tool https://health.sunnybrook.ca/simulation-in-medical-education-more-than-an-educational-tool/ Fri, 06 Jul 2012 18:38:00 +0000 http://health.sunnybrook.ca/simulation-in-medical-education-more-than-an-educational-tool/ Simulation as a Research Tool Over the last 20 years, simulation has become a tremendously popular educational tool. The increased use of simulation by medical teachers and educators has raised questions regarding its effectiveness in achieving important learning objectives and in assessing trainees’ knowledge and skills. Not surprisingly, most educational researchers have thus considered simulation […]

The post Simulation in Medical Education: More than an Educational Tool appeared first on Your Health Matters.

]]>

Simulation as a Research Tool

Over the last 20 years, simulation has become a tremendously popular educational tool. The increased use of simulation by medical teachers and educators has raised questions regarding its effectiveness in achieving important learning objectives and in assessing trainees’ knowledge and skills. Not surprisingly, most educational researchers have thus considered simulation as a object of research. More recently, simulation has also been used as a research tool to study other topics relevant in medical education. 

What Can Simulation Do for You!
Thus far, three types of objectives have been pursued by researchers who have used simulation as a research tool: identifying trainees’ deficiencies regarding specific clinical knowledge or skills (e.g. communication of bad news); determining the impact of a variable (e.g. sleep deprivation) on trainees’ clinical performance; and assessing the impact of a non simulation based educational intervention (e.g. change in clinical curriculum) on trainees’ performance. Simulation has thereby contributed to a greater understanding of the learning processes involved in clinical training and has created opportunities to design better educational interventions based on research findings.



Why Use Simulation as a Research Tool?

Conducting educational research in real clinical settings would be optimal, but often practically impossible. Exposing real patients to the risks posed by suboptimal clinical performance or gaps in trainees’ knowledge and skills for research purposes are not ethically acceptable. Simulation provides an environment where these studies can be safely conducted. Furthermore, the ability to control variables that may influence research outcomes and to record trainees’ behaviours and performance offers significant advantages for the researcher. However, simulation also presents some limitations as a research tool that must be considered early in the design of a study. 



A Few Caveats…

Three types of challenges must be expected when designing a simulation-based study. First, organizing simulation sessions involves significant financial and human resources. Many educational projects are completed with minimal funding, and careful planning is needed to limit unnecessary expenses. Second, the choice of outcomes and variables used to measure these outcomes is important for producing informative results (e.g. Which scale should be used to measure communication skills?). Finally, researchers have to keep in mind that simulation is not exactly like the real clinical environment. Research findings resulting from simulation-based studies may need to be confirmed (when possible) in real clinical settings. However, simulation has a lot to offer as a research tool. With a bit of work, lots of help, and sparks of creativity, simulation-based research can be a rewarding and exciting adventure!


Dr. Dominique Piquette
Staff Physician & Clinical Associate
Critical Care Medicine
Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre

The post Simulation in Medical Education: More than an Educational Tool appeared first on Your Health Matters.

]]>