Teaching Methods Overview

Traditional Strategies

• Lecture: A face-to-face presentation with limited opportunity for interaction between speaker and audience.
• Effective Lecture Characteristics:
  • Delivered at an appropriate time
  • Presented in a clear and logical sequence
  • Concise and clear
  • Speaker must be well-prepared and knowledgeable
  • Engaging and interesting
• Lecture Advantages: Familiar to many teachers, can present information to large groups quickly.
• Lecture Disadvantages: A passive method, students may lose interest, high-information density can lead to short attention spans. Requires skilled and knowledgeable teacher.

Group Discussion

• Discussion: A process where two or more people exchange information and ideas to achieve a goal.
• Group Discussion: A method of teaching within a group where students and the teacher have an exchange of ideas.
• Small Group Discussion (5-10 students) Advantages:
  • Promotes self-reflection
  • Facilitates exchange of ideas and awareness
  • Enhances critical thinking, teamwork, and communication skills
• Small Group Discussion Disadvantages:
  • Potentially degenerates into social conversation
  • Frustrating for participants with varying levels of knowledge and skills
  • Increased potential for interpersonal conflicts
• Large Group Discussion (30+ students) Advantages:
  • Places education burden on clients, increases client involvement
  • Provides immediate feedback to both clients and educators
  • Useful for guiding clients to higher levels of thinking
  • Helps clients build on existing knowledge
• Large Group Discussion Disadvantages:
  • Can be time-consuming
  • Potential for dominant few to overshadow others
  • May not ensure full participation
• Effective Group Discussion Characteristics:
  • Group size (6-12)
  • Designated note-taker
  • Clear rules: expressing ideas concisely, listening to others

Demonstration

• Demonstration: Presentation of a procedure or skill, demonstrating how to perform the procedure.
• Effective Demonstration Characteristics:
  • Suitable time and place
  • Proper lighting
  • Encourage student participation
  • Thorough planning
  • Suitable number of students
• Demonstration Method Steps:
  • Preparation and planning
  • Introducing the lesson
  • Subject matter presentation
  • Demonstration
  • Use teaching aids
  • Evaluation
• Demonstration Advantages: Deeper understanding of a topic, Active learning process, Increased topic interest
• Demonstration Disadvantages: Resource-intensive, time-consuming, Limited to small groups

Simulation

• Simulation: An imitation of real-world processes or systems over time.
• Simulation Advantages:
  • Develop decision-making and problem-solving skills in a safe environment
  • Enhance interpersonal communication
  • Allow for the application of theories and principles in practical settings
• Simulation Disadvantages:
  • Time-consuming
  • Potential lack of focus unless properly planned
  • Can create pressure and resistance from learners

Role Play

• Role Play: An acting process where individuals portray imaginary roles and conditions using their experiences and knowledge.
• Role Play Guidelines:
  • Establish objectives
  • Prepare the scenario
  • Assign roles
  • Conduct role-play
  • Follow-up discussion.
• Role Play Advantages:
  • Offer exposure to real-life situations, provide opportunity to express ideas, facilitate learning from others
  • Improves self-confidence, allows study of social skills
• Role Play Disadvantages:
  • Potentially problematic when done in artificial situations that aren't realistic
  • Can reduce learning seriousness
  • May focus solely on the social aspect of the task instead of learning itself

Non-Traditional/Modern Methods

• Innovative/Modern Teaching Methods: Technology-enhanced, interactive, blended methods e.g. computer use, videos to aid delivery.
• Effective Traditional Teaching Principles:
  • Active learning environment
  • Focus attention
  • Connect knowledge
  • Help students organize knowledge
  • Provide timely feedback
  • Balance expectations with support
  • Enhance motivation to learn
  • Communicate in various ways

Types of Non-traditional Methods

• Modified lecture: A modified format of a traditional lecture.
• Flipped classroom: Blended learning where students learn content at home and practice at school.
• Mind map: A visual tool for brainstorming, planning, and information gathering.
• Virtual and augmented reality: Immersive learning experiences for deeper understanding.

Evidence-Based Practice (EBP)

• EBP: Combining professional clinical knowledge with researched data to inform practice.
• EBP Elements:
  • Clinical Expertise: Using clinical experience and skills to understand patient's risks, benefits, and values
  • Research Evidence: Findings of scientific studies on treatments, diagnoses, and other methods' effectiveness
  • Patient Needs and Values: Addressing patient's expectations and preferences to improve experience
  • EBP Steps:
  • Ask clinical questions
  • Acquire best-evidence
  • Appraise the evidence
  • Apply the evidence
  • Assess the outcome.
• Importance of EBP: Improving patient safety, increasing efficiency, reducing errors, enhancing communication with patients and other healthcare professionals.
• Barriers to EBP Implementation: Individual (lack of value for research, insufficient time, communication gaps) or organizational (inability to change practice, insufficient staff support)