Sometimes, especially if people are distant from one another, different needs, agendas, concerns, or problems can create multiple expectations. To avoid this obstacle, everyone needs to be clear about why the discussion is taking place and why it is important.

2. Listen!

Some distance communication tools present obstacles to open, interactive communication. In a face-to-face meeting you may notice someone’s confusion or desire to make a comment by his or her wrinkled brow—a cue not observable on a teleconference. Be aware of the absence of visual cues in virtual meetings and “reach out” verbally by asking for input, suggestions, or questions. Listen to what is said...and what ISN’T said!

3. Avoid Monologues

The tendency to “tell” can be exaggerated by the technology being used and the reluctance of dispersed participants to speak up as readily as they would in a face-to-face discussion. Therefore, you’ll need to carefully avoid the “monologue trap” by clearly and frequently inviting interaction and input by others.

4. Summarize Often and Confirm Understanding

This gives you the opportunity to review what’s been discussed and decided. You can also clear up any misunderstandings in the moment. Do this periodically throughout a virtual interaction, and also at the end.

5. Agree on Actions / Follow-Up

A specific effort to confirm agreements and follow-up activities helps you avoid confusion about who’s doing what by when. Depending upon the nature of the interaction, the time urgency, and the complexity of the situation, it may be helpful to also follow up with a summary of actions by memo or e-mail. We all know how easy it is to forget what we discussed with someone; so having a written record can save time and frustration in the future.

Source: Walk The Talk: Our mission at www.WalkTheTalk.com is both simple and straightforward: to provide you and your organization with high-impact resources for your personal and professional success. They offer hundreds of tactical and practical tools… each designed to inspire, inform, and most important, take you to higher levels of skills and confidence.

NOTE FROM STEVE: Clear communication is often difficult even in person…via technology there’s another layer of challenge. This is a good reminder on the basics of communication and especially #5…that is the one that seems to be missed by me more often than I’d like to admit.

All society is being challenged by a new order in instant and ubiquitous communication tools…and we’re all learning to adapt. They are just tools. We should identify the assets and liabilities and try to maximize the assets and minimize the liabilities – easier said than done.

Discuss this with a friend, family member and colleague so we can keep communication at its best!

August 2010: How to Handle Criticism: Accepting feedback with good grace

There are important differences in how you should respond to fair and unfair criticism, so you need to be able to tell them apart.

Fair criticism is given in a respectful, non-threatening way. It includes factual statements, and focuses on actions to be taken, rather than on the person responsible for them. For example, your boss might say to you after a presentation, "Your slides weren't as effective as they could have been. If you'd had less text on them, people would have listened more to you, instead of just trying to read your slides. Some extra pictures would make it more interesting next time, too."

Unfair criticism may be delivered in a harsh way, using broad unspecific terms or generalizations, and possibly in a public place where there are plenty of other listening ears. However, what really marks out criticism as being unfair is when the criticisms "melt away" when you challenge them rationally. see our article, "Dealing with Unfair Criticism", for more on how to handle this.

Some constructive responses to reasonable criticism.

Adjust your Attitude: Start by looking at criticism as an opportunity to learn and do better. The person offering the feedback is usually keen for you to improve your performance. You can make sure that the conversation starts on the right note by approaching the situation with an open mind, and by having a sense of gratitude that someone's taking the time to help you. Resist the temptation to be defensive!

Disconnect: It's important to realize that fair criticism is about something you've done or said, not about you personally. Try to disconnect your personal feelings from the criticism, so that you can see the truth in what the other person's saying.

Really Listen: Make sure that you actually listen to what is being said. It can be easy to just nod in apparent agreement, while, in reality, you're busy thinking about what you're going to say as soon as the other person has stopped talking. That isn't really listening: you need to listen actively in order to understand just what it is that they're saying.

Don't Respond Immediately: Always take time to formulate your thoughts, and make sure you're calm before you say anything. When we fire back immediately we often say things we regret, and which make us look unprofessional. If you find that you need more than a few seconds to calm down, then say so. Ask for some time to formulate your response, and come back with it later. And if the criticism was received by e-mail, don't press the Reply button straight away!

Paraphrase the Criticism: Repeating what the person just said in your own words is a great way to make sure you've understood them fully. Use a non-aggressive approach here. Remain calm, and rephrase what you think they've said in a unthreatening way. You might say, "So if I'm understanding you correctly, you think that…"

Find the Facts: If the person offering criticism isn't being specific enough, then ask questions. It's important to find out what the real issue is. If your boss says, "I didn't like your last report", then get details. What didn't she like about it?

Admit Mistakes: People who own up to their mistakes are respected and admired. When you freely take responsibility for something that hasn't worked out as you would have wished, you're demonstrating professionalism and maturity. If you're in the wrong, admit it and apologize. Agreeing with your critic puts you both on common ground, and can often foster an atmosphere of mutual respect and open communication.

Learn from the Experience: Fair criticism can help us improve our performance, if we take the time to learn from it. So, spend some time thinking about what happened, and what your critic said. Come up with a plan for how you're going to fix the situation and avoid the same mistake next time.

Be Thankful: After you've gained perspective on the experience, thank the person for taking the time to give you feedback. Many people feel uncomfortable giving criticism, just as many people are uncomfortable receiving it. Explain how it has helped you, and what you've learned from the experience.

Source: http://www.mindtools.com/community/pages/article/newCS_89.php

September 2010: Five Reminders for Boosting Your Effectiveness as a Teacher

NOTE FROM STEVE: We are all teachers…in fact doctor means teacher. However, we are often uncritical of ourselves as teachers. This month’s reminder is about taking a moment to reflect, review and revive good teaching practice as we model and mold the next generation of healers.

Thank you for your interest and work in medical education!

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I have observed, sometimes in myself and sometimes in colleagues, a certain tendency to be ironically unaware of (or inattentive to) a crucial disconnect between what we say and what we do.

We’re good at talking the talk, but we are not so good at walking the walk, particularly in terms of our audience awareness.

We teach students to assess the communication context and adapt their messages to respond to the audience’s needs and desires. But how often do we fail to do that same thing with our teaching? If we are honest with ourselves, I believe the answer is “far too often.”

Here are five principles I try to reclaim when I feel myself slipping into that dark night where even my best efforts are revealed as ineffective and the only remedy is a candid self-assessment.

1. Practice what you preach. Students can smell a rat from the next building, so if I am insisting upon audience awareness as a basic tenet of effective communication, I’d better be showing as well as telling them how to do it. Think about it this way: how am I demonstrating audience awareness if I never deviate from the lesson plan I prepared five, 10, or even 15 years ago? How am I modeling flexibility of thought and expression if I insist upon using the same lecture notes, overhead transparencies, or PowerPoint slides even when it’s clear I have lost my audience? Are you finding it hard to connect with your students? Practice what you preach: sharpen your audience awareness and adapt accordingly.

2. Remember that “adaptive” is not a synonym for “easier.” While teachers can discuss their assignments and exercises with a level of conviction that borders on the religious, suggest experimenting with something new, something that shifts the paradigm from teaching to learning, and you’re likely to experience the academic equivalent of a smack-down, cloaked in the polarizing rhetoric of “rigor” versus “dumbing down” the curriculum. Change is inherently neutral. Adaptive change is good. Just ask the dodo. Wait, the dodo is extinct. Precisely.

3. Reflect upon the meaning of the verb “to educate,” which comes from the Latin educere, “to draw forth.” We cannot “draw forth” a student’s interest, awareness, and ability if we never leave our egocentric elevation on center stage. Drawing forth suggests a reaching in and a pulling out, a teacher-initiated effort to meet the student where he or she is and move forward together. It implies another-orientation, a willingness to set our own comfort aside and risk entering the student’s cerebral territory—however unsettling that prospect may be.

4. Put yourself back in their shoes. Do we recall how frustrating it can be to know what you want to say but find it hard to say it effectively? Were we born knowing how to develop a solid thesis statement and at least x-number of strong supporting points? Humility is an underutilized virtue. Plenty of bright people in this world could not identify the “best” thesis statement from a list of possibilities. It’s helpful to reflect upon that from time to time.

5. Try and try again. We have all heard colleagues wax eloquent about students’ inability to translate knowledge from one context to another—for example, to think about something they learned in an economics class while reading an assignment for an English class. Are we guilty of the same silo mentality? I wonder. If we only view “revision” as a topic related to writing, then we are missing the point in a serious way. Revision is a life skill. The point is that experimenting with new instructional strategies is going to be at best a series of educated guesses. Know when to cut your losses and move on to the next method. The more you try, the more likely you are to succeed now and then. And when we succeed, our students succeed.

Excerpted from Talking the Talk, but Not Walking the Walk: A Meditation on Irony, May 2008, The Teaching Professor. Author: Kim Taylor, PhD and instructor at Trident Technical College, SC. Permalink: http://www.facultyfocus.com?p=12701

October 2010: 10 Ways to Use Online Videos

NOTE FROM STEVE: Taking advantage of the plethora of online videos has become quite easy and it’s almost guaranteed you can find a video (or easily make one) that illustrates your lesson points.

Try inserting one in your next lecture …it’s as easy as copying and pasting a URL into an object – just highlight any item on a slide (picture, word, table, etc.), right click your mouse, select “Hyperlink,” type or paste the video URL into the “Address” block on the hyperlink pop up and save.

When you show that slide and move the mouse pointer over the object it will transform the arrow pointer to a hand with pointing index…then if you click on it the movie opens and begins (assuming your classroom computer is connected to the internet).

The normal human capacity for attention is 9 minutes (John Medina, Brain Rules) so plan on something (a short video perhaps) to get them engaged and recapture their attention every 10 minutes or so.

All the best and thank you for choosing to be a medical educator…you shape our future medical care individuals, teams and systems!

10 Ways to Use Online Videos
1. Online Video Anchoring: Use online videos to anchor your instruction and make it come to life.
2. Online Video Ender: Employ online videos to wrap up a class, activity, lecture, or other course event.
3. On Demand Key Concept Reflections: Play a shared online video when appropriate to illustrate points, concepts, principles, or theories from the current unit, chapter, or lecture.
4. Pause and Reflect: In a live class, you can play a portion of a video in YouTube or some other source and reflect on the content and then play another section and so on; continuous video, chat, and reflection.
5. Online Class Previews and Discussion: Post useful online videos to the course management system for students to watch prior to or after class.
6. Cool Resource Provider Handouts: Ask students to sign up to be the person who finds and presents relevant online videos (i.e., the “cool resource provider”) after which the class can discuss or debate them.
7. Anchor Creators: Require students to create their own YouTube videos to illustrate course concepts or ideas.
8. Video Anchor Competitions: Assign students to find relevant videos for the week and send the list to the instructor(s) for viewing and selecting (with class recognition or bonus points if used).
9. Video Anchor Debates: Create a task where students are required to find YouTube or other online video content representing the pros and cons of a key class issue or topic which they discuss or debate.
10. Anchor Creator Interviews: Require that students find YouTube videos relevant to course concepts and then interview the video creator or invite that person in for a class chat.
(List by Curtis J. Bonk, Professor and author of The World is Open: How Web Technology is Revolutionizing Education (http://worldisopen.com) Instructional Systems Technology Department, Indiana University Personal Homepage: http://php.indiana.edu/~cjbonk Email: cjbonk@indiana.edu or Curt@worldisopen.com)

November 2010: Writing Effective Goals and Objectives for Learning

Greetings from the Office of Faculty Development,

Effecting teaching begins with the end in mind, therefore, understand the science and art of developing educational objectives is KEY!

Objectives should be brief statements of observable and measurable outcomes that specifically and clearly address a single skill or content area.

A common guideline for writing learning objectives is known by the acronym SMART. This reminds us that learning objectives should be:

• Specific

• Measurable

• Attainable

• Results-Focused

• Time-Focused

The Three Components of a Good Objective:

- Timeframe for learning the skill or content, an action verb, and a single content area. The statements are learner-centered and usually begin with a phrase that describes the timeline for learning the skill or content, such as “At the conclusion of this course the learner will…”

- Action verb - clearly illustrate what the learner will be able to do after learning the content or skill. For example, “At the conclusion of this course, the learner will be able to differentiate between…” Avoid vague verbs such as “know” or “comprehend.” Objectives developed around these verbs will be difficult to assess. See http://www.nwlink.com/~donclark/hrd/bloom.html for a list of verbs based upon Bloom’s Taxonomy of Educational Objectives.

- Content area or skill - linked to the design, purpose, and content of the course.

Establishing educational objectives is KEY to successful learning! It sets clear expectations and provides an venue for feedback, assessment and verified growth. If you’re teaching without them it’s like driving blind. Try establishing one or more for your next teaching encounter…have your protégé develop one or more so they know what to expect and also develop that skill!!!

Source: http://medschool.creighton.edu/medicine/admin/ome/educationalobjectives/index.php

For more information and examples see: Developing Learning Objectives

· Locally developed Power Point guides process and has examples

· Locally developed two page primer synopsizing writing learning objectives

· I.O.W.A. Instructional Objective Writing Assistant from School of Civil and Environmental Engineering Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA.

· How to Construct Learning Objectives from American Physiological Society

Objective Writing Verbs

December 2010: Millennials (1977-1998 – Boomers kids)

Millennials (1977-1998 – Boomers kids) and their life-balancing, tech-oriented, team-playing doctors are taking over. But what kind of healthcare will they give us?

Part of their advantage comes from training. Instead of the lecture halls and fact-based programs that Baby Boomers came up in, younger doctors increasingly learn in smaller groups with emphasis on teamwork, information processing, and problem solving, says Kirch.

"Previously, we acted as if physicians could accumulate all the knowledge they needed and carry it around with them. But the amount of relevant information for making clinical decisions now far exceeds the ability of one brain to hold it," he says. "So the current student understands that even more importantly than accumulating facts, they need to be adept at accessing and judging information in real time while doing clinical work."

And the healthcare system is slowly beginning to reflect the priorities of the new training environment. Medical homes and other pilot programs are teaming physicians together and demanding more collaboration and coordination than ever before; processes and outcomes are being tracked and used to improve quality, and even determine payment; and hospitals and physicians are being pushed and pulled away from paper records.

Elyas Bakhtiari, for HealthLeaders Magazine, July 9, 2009

NOTE FROM STEVE: The only constant is change. We are admitting amazing students who’ve grown up communicating differently than (and many of our patients) we did. In some ways better and in some ways perhaps not. Regardless, that is our emerging reality. Do all you can to understand them (quick overview: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Generation_Y). Always remember and remind them, no matter what, how or why medicine is practiced, IATP (It’s About The Patient).

February 2011: Building Rapport with Your Students (or anyone)

Rapport, defined as “the ability to maintain harmonious relationships based on affinity”, is more colloquially thought of as what happens when two people “click”—they connect, interact well, and respond to each other favorably.

Often it happens when two people are very much alike or have lots in common. That’s one of the reasons it isn’t always easy for professors to establish rapport with students—sometimes there’s a big age difference; others times it’s having few (if any) shared interests. However, there are good reasons for faculty to work on establishing rapport with students. The article referenced below lists outcomes, all established by research, that result when rapport is established.

Here’s a selection from the larger list that does seem particularly relevant and that is supported by some research involving teachers and students.

Higher motivation—When students feel rapport with their teachers and feel that their teacher’s personalities are something like their own, motivation is higher.
Increased comfort—When there is rapport, students tend to answer more freely and with a greater degree of frankness.
Increased quality—In a degree program, when students feel rapport with faculty, their perceptions of the quality of that program increase.
Satisfaction—Rapport leads to satisfaction—supported by much research, including research done in classrooms. When students report having rapport with the instructor, their satisfaction with the course increases.
Enhanced communication—As rapport grows, so does understanding and comprehension. Teachers and students understand each other better when there is rapport between them.
Trust—Sometimes trust is necessary for rapport to develop. But trust can also be an outcome. Once rapport has been established, trust between parties grows.

Rapport does not result in learning, but it certainly helps to create conditions conducive to learning—things like higher motivation, increased comfort, and enhanced communication. Teaching doesn’t always result in learning either, but, like rapport, it is one of those factors that can contribute positively to learning.

Five factors for building rapport
…Research revealed what a teacher can/should do to establish rapport? Five factors appeared almost twice as often as others.

Respect. Teachers and students must show respect for each other, for the learning process, and for the institution where it is occurring.
Approachability. Students have to feel comfortable coming to faculty and faculty must be willing to speak with students, after class, during office hours, via email, on campus.
Open communication. Faculty must be honest. There needs to be consistency between what faculty say and what they do.
Caring. Faculty must care about students; they must see and respond to them as individuals. They also need to care about learning and show that they want students to learn the material.
Positive attitude. Faculty should have a sense of humor and be open to points of view other than their own.

Rapport is not something developed by announcement. Rapport is developed by actions—it results from things teachers do. The good news, as demonstrated by the content of this article, is that we know empirically what teachers can do to establish rapport. The even better news is that the actions required aren’t all that difficult to execute.

Source: The Teaching Professor, volume 23, number 6, page 2. “Rapport: Why Having It Makes a Difference”

NOTE FROM STEVE: Grade yourself from 1 to 10 on each of the five factors, pick your lowest score, make a plan to move that score up a notch, share the plan with a colleague who’s doing this too and hold each other accountable. Intentional improvement is what faculty development is all about.

March 2011: Tips for Effective Use of Visual Aids

“To PowerPoint or not to PowerPoint,” this is a question that all presenters must ask. Visual aids (PowerPoint, overheads, flip charts, DVDs, etc.) can add power and depth to a presentation, often boosting attention, clarity, and interest. But beware, used ineffectively visual aids can weaken a presentation or, in the worst case scenario, alienate the participants.

Below are some common sense tips to help you incorporate visual aids effectively:

· Be sure your visual aids can be seen and understood by everyone.

· If you are using technology, be certain that you can use it proficiently. Fumbling with the equipment will break the flow of any presentation.

· Don’t overuse visual aids; use them only when they support your content directly

· Don’t overload any visual aid with too many words or graphics

· Remember that your visual aids support your presentation, they are not the presentation itself

· Ask yourself if any particular visual aid will increase learning. If it doesn’t do this directly, don’t use it.

· Always ask yourself the question: “Why am I using this visual aid and does it work to increase the impact of my presentation?”

· Always have a backup plan if a visual aid fails (like a bulb burning out)

· Be sure to avoid using copyrighted material without permission

· Make certain that the room’s lighting supports your visual aid. Watch for things like glare, a washed out screen, dark spots, etc.

· Don’t allow visual aids to take your attention away from the participants.

· Be very aware of your timing. Don’t. for example, rush through your slides so people can’t keep up or, on the flip side, don’t break your delivery rhythm by lingering too long on one visual.

· Remember that your audience is literate so you don’t have to read everything on your visuals to them, assuming of course that they can see your visuals clearly.

· Overuse of one kind of visual is usually the kiss of death for presenters. For example, taking the time to write every little thing on a flip chart sheet will try the patience of even the most forgiving participant.

· If you are writing on a transparency or flipchart, be sure your handwriting is legible and large enough to be seen by everyone.

· Be color cognizant – contrasting background and font so it’s easy to read

Source: http://www.workshopexercises.com/Visual_Aids.htm

SEE ALSO: “How to avoid Death by PowerPoint” and “Powerpoint on Creating Better PowerPoints” at http://www.oucom.ohiou.edu/fd/links.htm.

NOTE FROM STEVE: at a minimum use the above information as a checklist for your next presentation and/or presentation feedback…also remember Rule #4 of John Medina’s “Brain Rules,” We don’t pay attention to boring things.” Try to re-engage your audience every 10-15 minutes with some sort of activity…question, drawing, think/pair/share, story, picture, game, quiz, challenge, movement, etc. – build it right into the presentation!

April 2011: Learning through Teaching

“Education is an admirable thing, but it is well to remember from time to time that nothing that is worth learning can be taught.” – Oscar Wilde

Russell L. Ackoff tells a wonderful story in the podcast for the book he wrote with Daniel Greenberg “Turning Learning Right Side Up:” After lecturing to undergraduates at a major university, I was accosted by a student who had attended the lecture. After some complimentary remarks, he asked, “How long ago did you teach your first class?” I responded, “In September of 1941.” “Wow!” The student said. “You mean to say you have been teaching for more than 60 years?” “Yes.” “When did you last teach a course in a subject that existed when you were a student?” This difficult question required some thought. After a pause, I said, “September of 1951.” “Wow! You mean to say that everything you have taught in more than 50 years was not taught to you; you had to learn on your own?” “Right.” “You must be a pretty good learner.” I modestly agreed. The student then said, “What a shame you’re not that good a teacher.”

The story shows that the skill required to become a college professor is the ability to learn, not the ability to teach. But Ackoff is making the deeper point that most of our learning comes outside of formal education. Even teachers learned most of what they teach outside of formal education. But we also learn by teaching, and so one of the best ways to teach is to turn students into teachers. Teaching produces learning by not only forcing the teacher to learn the material himself or herself, but also by forcing the teacher to, as Ackoff says, “figure out how to link their frame of reference to the worldview of the person receiving the explanation, so that the explanation can make sense to that person, too.” The explainer must circle around the topic to understand it, and its value, from different perspectives, and thus get underneath it in a way that produces a deeper understanding for themselves.

I require all of my students to produce a digital teaching module on a class topic. The students use wikis, videos, VoiceThread, narrated PowerPoint, and other tools to deliver the content. They also must incorporate an assessment such as an online quiz or game. The result is a much deeper understanding of the material themselves, as well as pride in producing a result that is public and could help others to learn as well. Consider the ways that you can turn your students into teachers, and thus learners.

Resources
Podcast on Russell L. Ackoff and Daniel Greenberg’s book “Turning Learning Right Side Up.” Access it here »
“Project Based Learning Explained” Excellent Common Craft video. Watch the video here »

Source: By: John Orlando, PhD in Teaching and Learning - http://www.facultyfocus.com/articles/teaching-and-learning/learning-through-teaching/?utm_source=cheetah&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=2011.02.25%20Update

NOTE FROM STEVE: Think about your next teaching assignment and think of one tactic you can use to get your students engaged in developing some teaching activity…one excellent suggestion is to have THEM develop some test questions either individually or in small groups. That way you get help writing questions. You can promise them you’ll use some of their questions (with editing rights) so they’re invested and doing exact what you want…thinking and learning the material.

May 2011: Brain scientists offer medical educators tips on the neurobiology of learning

The research

“One of the most exciting advances, as a result of optical imaging of the living brain, is the demonstration that there is growth, retraction, and modifying connectivity between neurons," said Friedlander. "We have also seen that the mature brain can generate new neurons, although, this research is so new that the functional implications of these new neurons and their potential contribution to learning and memory formation remain to be determined," he said.

RECOMMENDATIONS:

Repetition: Medical curricula often employ compressed coverage over limited time frames of a great amount of material. Learning theory and the neurobiology of learning and memory suggest that going deeper is more likely to result in better retention and depth of understanding. With repetition, many components of the neural processes become more efficient, requiring less energy and leaving higher-order pathways available for additional cognitive processing. However, repetitions must be appropriately spaced. Addressing the same information using different sensory processes, such as seeing and hearing, enhances the learning process, potentially bringing more neural hardware to bear to process and store information.

Reward and reinforcement: Reward is a key component of learning at all stages of life. "The brain's intrinsic reward system – self-congratulations with the realization of success -- plays a major role in reinforcement of learned behaviors," Friedlander said. "An important factor is the realization that accomplishing an immediate goal and a successful step toward a future goal can be equally rewarding." In the case of medical students, there are considerable rewards ahead of them in addition to the more immediate rewards of the satisfaction of understanding medicine. The students who derive joy from learning as they proceed through their medical education may have a greater chance of using the brain's capacity to provide reward signals on an ongoing basis, facilitating their learning process.

Visualization: Visualization and mental rehearsal are real biological processes with associated patterned activation of neural circuitry in sensory, motor, executive, and decision-making pathways in the brain. Internally generated activity in the brain from thoughts, visualization, memories, and emotions should be able to contribute to the learning process.

Active engagement: There is considerable neurobiological evidence that functional changes in neural circuitry that are associated with learning occur best when the learner is actively engaged.. Learners' having multiple opportunities to assume the role of teacher also invoke neural motivation and reward pathways -- and another major biological component of the learning process: stress. Doing is learning. And success at doing and learning builds confidence.

Stress: Although the consequences of stress are generally considered undesirable, there is evidence that the molecular signals associated with stress can enhance synaptic activity involved in the formation of memory. However, particularly high levels of stress can have opposite effects. The small, interactive teaching format may be judiciously employed to moderately engage the stress system.

Fatigue: Patterns of neuronal activity during sleep reinforce the day's events. Research suggests that it is important to have appropriate downtime between intense problem-solving sessions. Downtime permits consolidation away from the formal teaching process.

Multitasking: Multitasking is a distraction from learning, unless all of the tasks are relevant to the material being taught. The challenge is to integrate information from multiple sources, such as a lecture and a hand-held device.

Individual learning styles: Neural responses of different individuals vary, which is the rationale for embracing multiple learning styles to provide opportunities for all learners to be most effectively reached. See http://www.oucom.ohiou.edu/fd/learning_style_inventories.htm.

"By appealing not only to students' capacity to derive pleasure from learning about medicine but also to their intellectual capacity for understanding the rationale for the educational process selected … real motivation can be engendered. … They become more effective communicators and enhance their patients' success at learning the information they need for managing their own health and treatments as well."

###

Source: Excerpted from - "What Can Medical Education Learn From the Neurobiology of Learning?" by Michael J. Friedlander, PhD; Linda Andrews, MD; Elizabeth G. Armstrong, PhD; Carol Aschenbrenner, MD; Joseph S. Kass, MD; Paul Ogden, MD; Richard Schwartzstein, MD; and Thomas R. Viggiano, MD, MEd. Academic Medicine, Vol. 86, No. 4 / April 2011 http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2011-03/vt-bso032911.php

NOTE FROM STEVE: Education should results in positive knowledge, skill and attitude changes. To make this practical, check yourself against the recommendations, discuss them with your colleagues & charges, identify at least one thing you’ll try to do differently as a result – write it down, share it for accountability and grow! Repeat for your students…if you’re doing it, they will follow. They’re watching you!!!

For a bit more on the brain and learning see “Brain Based Pedagogy” and “Brain Rules” on our FD website @ http://www.oucom.ohiou.edu/fd/programs.htm (third column, “BOTH”) about half way down.

June 2011: 10 Common Time Management Mistakes

NOTE FROM STEVE: I’ve often heard it said, time is most precious resource. All of us can probably use it more wisely. For this month’s note I’ve pulled from one of my favorite resources, “Mind Tools” (www.mintools.com). There is an entire section devoted to “Time Management” along with 11 other essential work skills sections J. I frequent this site when I’m looking for quick helpful tips for my constituents – like you!

Thank for your work in medical education! There is no way to truly measure your impact except to remember the impact your educators had on you…it’s profound, enduring, empowering and the gift that keeps on giving.

10 Common Time Management Mistakes

Mistake #1. Failing to Keep a To-Do List

Do you ever have that nagging feeling that you've forgotten to do an important piece of work? If so, you probably don't use a To-Do List to keep on top of things. (Or, if you do, you might not be using it effectively!)

Mistake #2. Not Setting Personal Goals

Do you know where you'd like to be in six months? What about this time next year, or even 10 years from now? If not, it's time to set some personal goals!

Mistake #3. Not Prioritizing

Your assistant has just walked in with a crisis that she needs you to deal with right now, but you're in the middle of brainstorming ideas for a new client. You're sure that you've almost come up with a brilliant idea for their marketing campaign, but now you risk losing the thread of your thinking because of this "emergency."

Mistake #4. Failing to Manage Distractions

Do you know that some of us can lose as much as two hours a day to distractions? Think how much you could get done if you had that time back!

Mistake #5. Procrastination

Procrastination occurs when you put off tasks that you should be focusing on right now. When you procrastinate, you feel guilty that you haven't started; you come to dread doing the task; and, eventually, everything catches up with you when you fail to complete the work on time.

Mistake #6. Taking on too Much

Are you a person who has a hard time saying "no" to people? If so, you probably have far too many projects and commitments on your plate. This can lead to poor performance, stress, and low morale.

Mistake #7. Thriving on "Busy"

Some people get a rush from being busy. The narrowly-met deadlines, the endless emails, the piles of files needing attention on the desk, the frantic race to the meeting... What an adrenaline buzz!

The problem is that an "addiction to busyness" rarely means that you're effective, and it can lead to stress.

Instead, try to slow down, and learn to manage your time better.

Mistake #8. Multitasking

To get on top of her workload, Linda regularly writes emails while she chats on the phone to her clients. However, while Linda thinks that this is a good use of her time, the truth is that it can take 20-40 percent more time to finish a list of jobs when you multitask, compared with completing the same list of tasks in sequence.

Mistake #9. Not Taking Breaks

It's nice to think that you can work for 8-10 hours straight, especially when you're working to a deadline. But it's impossible for anyone to focus and produce really high-quality work without giving their brains some time to rest and recharge.

Mistake #10. Ineffectively Scheduling Tasks

Are you a morning person? Or do you find your energy picking up once the sun begins to set in the evening? All of us have different rhythms, that is, different times of day when we feel most productive and energetic.

Source, and to learn more about each tip: http://www.mindtools.com/community/pages/article/time-management-mistakes.php

July 2011: Checklists for Precepting

Greetings Commendable Colleagues,

NOTE FROM STEVE: Summer is a special time for medical educators…out with the newly minted and in with the uninitiated. Speaking of the uninitiated – how prepared are you to take them on? If you don’t already have a good plan here are few checklists to help. These checklists have been from the precepting literature and compiled against the three main preceptor expectations: orientation, teaching and feedback. I recommend you compare your practices to the items in the checklist and see if there is something you’d like to change for this coming crop.

Thank you for your work in medical education! Your efforts are magnified to infinity as you pour into the next generation of DOs!

Orientation Recommendations

Prior to Arrival: student profile (student background, training and interests)?
Initial Meeting:
o Practice Overview & Tour (spaces, materials, procedures –flow, breaks, food…, written documentation, available activities)
o Introductions (assume staff is aware student doctor is scheduled)
o Patient population
o Allied health services (systems-based practice)
o Community items of interest
o Student level & Hx
o Scheduling & Routine
o Contact Information (scheduling, questions…)
o Communication Expectations (cell, texts, timing…)
o Professionalism & Decorum (dress, arrival times, sundries, cell phone)
o Work Space (phone, breaks, locker, security of stuff, desk…)
o Setting Clear Expectations (from you of student and from student of you)
o Rotation Objectives (students & yours)
o Mode of Operation (leadership style -situational, permission levels)
o Feedback System (meetings, timing, process, product)
o Evaluation/s
o Reflections & Challenges
o Patient Processing (what can student do?)
o Legal restrictions
o Patient education
o Best practices from others? All covered.

Teaching Recommendations

o Setting Goals & Expectations
o Role Modeling (Think/Talk Out Loud)
o Teaching Skills
§ See one, do one, teach one
§ Overview, illustrate, emphasize, check for understanding
§ Student talk through, perform supervised, self-assess, feedback
o Treat as Adult Learner
§ Active Learning (engaged, hand/mind on)
o Question Strategy (5 teaching micro skills)
§ Get a Commitment
§ Probe for Evidence
§ Teach General Rules
§ Say What’s Right
§ Correct What’s Wrong
o Attitude (support and encourage)
o Best practices from others
§ Use case studies…small to large
§ Book of guidelines
§ Mini-conference before each patient
§ Give “situational” reading material
§ See what the student can do on their own

Feedback (the gift that keeps on giving) Recommendations

o Timing and Setting
§ Most useful immediately following the experience
§ Process established during orientations
§ Formative & Summative: Brief in-route encounters; Day end; Rotation end
o Effective Feedback Characteristics: Specific and performance based.
§ Descriptive, not labeling.
§ Focuses on observations, repeated if possible
§ Begins with “I” statements
§ Balanced praise (1st) & correction
§ Based upon objectives & observable behaviors
§ Provides two-way communications
§ Brief
§ Based upon trust, honesty, concern (relational)
§ Private, particularly if correction
§ Best practices from others
§ Don’t be afraid to think/give incorrect answer
§ Teach & stress importance of DOCUMENTATION
§ Have student practice on you before pt
§ Discuss in advance difficulties of practice and how to navigate
§ Provide feedback on information flow

Source, and to learn more about each tip: http://www.oucom.ohiou.edu/fd/Resources%20for%20Faculty.htm

August 2011: Fighting for Feedback

Greetings Practitioners,

My son flies a USAF C17 (http://www.af.mil/information/factsheets/factsheet.asp?id=86). We recently talked about his navigation system that gives feedback on direction and conditions which results in “spot on” landings at a designated location. Where do you think he would land if the feedback wasn’t there? Now, think of your teaching/precepting. How much feedback do you get? How do you know if your teaching/precepting is “spot on?”

If you’re like most, we’re taught how to GIVE feedback but rarely, if ever, taught (or encouraged) on how to GET feedback? Students evaluate you through electronic forms at the end of each quarter or rotation but you may never see those, or only see them once at the end of the year.

Bottom line, we must all take personal responsibility to “fight for feedback” with our charges so we can improve and they can benefit from it.

FIGHTING FOR FEEDBACK PLAN:

1. Plan the work:

a. See what’s on the Student Evaluation of Faculty (http://www.oucom.ohiou.edu/fd/Faculty%20Evaluation-%209%20Statments.pdf) & Preceptor (http://www.oucom.ohiou.edu/fd/preceptor%20evaluation%20Draft%20of%20new%20yellow%20form%20NI%20090106.htm)

b. Make your own form to ask what students appreciate and what’s missing

c. Use another tool such as “Stop, Start, Continue,” or “One Minute Summary” to solicit feedback (http://www.ntlf.com/html/lib/bib/assess.htm)

d. Make it implicit through orientation that you will be “fighting for feedback” in an exit interview

2. Work the plan:

a. Schedule an “exit interview” where you will include feedback from the student to you/your practice

b. Review the feedback (with staff?) for the “golden nuggets” within

c. Make changes/adjustments based upon what you learned…complete the feedback loop

Students (people in general) don’t care what you know till they know that you care. “Fighting for feedback” is a great way to show you care. Plan this work and work this plan to be the best teacher/preceptor ever!

Let’s enter the new teaching season with some new tools for landing “spot on!”

September 2011: Effective Clicker Questions

Greetings Most Favored Constituents,

Designing Effective Clicker Questions by Going Beyond Factual Recall

At one point, a General Chemistry course at Penn State Berks had a success rate of about 50 percent, giving the multi-section course the dubious distinction of having one of the lowest GPAs on campus. After a thorough redesign, the course now consistently achieves a success rate of well over 70 percent, while the student ratings of the course and the instructors have never been higher. The key element in this chemistry course’s redesign? Clickers.

As evidence of the importance of student engagement and active learning continues to grow, clickers have become a powerful tool for helping instructors adopt a more learner-centered teaching style.

During the recent online seminar Using Clickers to Engage Students and Maximize Learning, Ike Shibley, an associate professor of chemistry at Penn State Berks, shared strategies for using clickers in the classroom and offered tips on how to write effective clicker questions.

According to Shibley, while clickers can be used for simple tasks such as taking attendance and testing factual knowledge, by thinking about the types of interactions you want for your students – interactions with the content and each other – it’s easy to begin envisioning how clickers can help create a richer learning experience.

· Here are two different types of clicker questions Shibley uses to tap into higher levels of thinking:
Problem-solving questions: Scaffold your questions to allow students to progress through the questions from simple to complex. However, Shibley cautions, don’t make the questions overly complex.

· Opinion questions: Assign a reading as homework and then ask students for their opinion on what they read. Getting anonymous feedback, particularly around a controversial topic, is a great way to kick start or guide discussions.

“Some faculty use clickers for a few minutes of predominantly recall questions, and that’s a great start,” said Shibley. “But to really utilize clickers you’re going to want to spend 10-15 minutes of a 50-minute class where students have to do more than plug in an answer. You want to make it so they have to think awhile, figure something out, stimulate new thoughts.

Source: http://www.facultyfocus.com/articles/instructional-design/designing-effective-clicker-questions-by-going-beyond-factual-recall/

October 2011: Using Polling and Smartphones to Keep Students Engaged

Using Polling and Smartphones to Keep Students Engaged

It’s an age-old problem. You want to make the most of every minute you have with your students, but it’s been proven that most people can only retain about 20 minutes of content in our short-term memory before we have to reflect on it in order to move it to our long-term memory or it will be lost. Add to this the violently condensed attention span of the general population and anyone hoping to provide a content-rich education in the time slots of traditional classes faces an uphill battle.

Polling provides an ideal way to both keep a class’ attention and provide a reflective activity to move information into long-term memory. Plus, it’s remarkably easy. Free websites allow you to set up polls that students take by submitting their answers via text message or on the Web. These polls are a wonderful way to engage students in the material and keep their interest. Best of all, the results appear in real time so students can see changes as they come in.

One good use of polls is to gather information about a subject before it is covered. This is especially helpful when the subject concerns information that students might not want to make public with a show of hands. For instance, a teacher could introduce a discussion of cheating on exams by asking students in a large lecture to indicate if they have every cheated on an exam. This could be used to demonstrate that cheating is more common than people think. A science instructor can ask students to guess the results of an experiment before it is conducted to generate thought and interest in the outcome. Forcing students to take a position not only creates reflection, but also commitment to results. Everyone wants their position affirmed.

Another option is to ask students for their opinions and use the results as a way of initiating a discussion on the issue. Or you could ask a simple factual question that you know most people will get wrong in order to demonstrate a widespread misconception.

Polls also can be used after content is presented as a means of generating reflection on the issue. These can be simple factual questions that demonstrate whether the students understood the material, or higher level questions that will help them to retain the material.

Using smartphones to conduct polls
While many instructors consider smartphones the bane of teaching—causing distraction and even cheating during a test—polling turns the technology into a teacher’s advantage by engaging students with the content.

In this screencast, I demonstrate how easy it is to use polling software. Watch it here »

Source: By: John Orlando, PhD in Effective Teaching Strategies: http://www.facultyfocus.com/articles/effective-teaching-strategies/using-polling-and-smartphones-to-keep-students-engaged/

November 2011: 6 Ways to Use Class Discussion to Promote Transformation

6 Ways to Use Class Discussion to Promote Transformation

During a lecture, stop and ask students to pair up for 30 seconds to generate one question based on the notes they're taking.
Have students do "free writing" for two minutes and then break into groups where they share what they've written.
Use groups and assign each a different problem, question, or section of the reading to summarize and report back to the class.
Increase your wait time when asking questions.
Rephrase and wonder about the questions as if you're trying to figure out possible solutions like the students are.
Break up cliques by having students count off and then assign them to groups based on their number.

Another important consideration for encouraging class discussion is how to handle the students who participate too much and the reflective or introverted students who are hesitant to add their voice to the conversation. In the case of the introverts, Torosyan will often send an email to them encouraging them to participate by reinforcing the value of what they've done in written assignments. For the overparticipators, besides saying "What are others thinking?" or "Who we haven't heard from?" Torosyan will ask the class a question like, "What are you wondering or trying to understand better?" He says that often stumps the students who are used to performing by talking.

Source: http://www.magnapubs.com/catalog/class-discussion-to-promote-transformation/?track=email&utm_source=cheetah&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=04%2F7%2F11%20-%20E5%20-%20TP

NOTE from Steve: Literature indicates average question wait time is around 0.3 seconds. Students learn instantly if you answer your own questions and then….they let you. Also, always, always, always repeat the question – it clarifies and allows everyone to know what your answering.

Find more tips at your OU-COM & CORE faculty development web resources: www.oucom.ohiou.edu/fd/programs.htm or www.ohiocore.org/cf/index.htm.

December 2011: Use "Appropriate" Humor

Here are a few guidelines for inclusive and respectful humor:

Choose Positive Humor: Laugh at yourself and your own personal foibles. Share funny stories about what happened to you or others – based on the comedy of the situation. Just make sure your jokes, stories, or e-mails don’t stereotype or demean individuals or groups based on who they are (e.g., their race, accent, or appearance).

Cull Your Humor “File”: Keep the funny, non-disparaging jokes, plays on words, cartoons, stories, and images. Pass these on. Delete the ones that demean or debase people.

Apply the “Humor Test”: Ask yourself: “Is it professional?” “Is it respectful?” “Does it avoid perpetuating stereotypes?” If all three answers are “yes,” then it’s probably a safe bet for the workplace.

Source: http://www.walkthetalk.com/blog/2011/07/11/todays-leadership-solution-how-to-communicate-in-a-diverse-world/

NOTE FROM STEVE: 1. This assumes you have a “Humor File.” If you don’t you may want to consider starting one. 2. December issue of “FACULTY FOCUS” article on “Humor in the Classroom” concludes “…humor isn’t an essential feature of good teaching.” “But there is a ‘substantial amount’ of evidence that shows the effectiveness of humor at attracting and maintaining students’ attention.”

(http://www.facultyfocus.com/articles/teaching-professor-blog/humor-in-the-classroom-reviewing-the-research)

Find more tips at your OU-COM & CORE faculty development web resources: www.oucom.ohiou.edu/fd/programs.htm or www.ohiocore.org/cf/index.htm.

January 2012: Social media in classroom

‘Here We Are Now, Entertain Us’ — Student Motivation and Technology

George Stanton, a professor emeritus of biology, recently expressed his disappointment with student response to social media elements in classes. He pointed out that students were less than active in using the tools, meanwhile a recent survey of first-year students at his institution found that the number one expectation for class was “to be entertained.”

I’ve found that social media projects do not always generate the kind of enthusiasm that I had hoped for in my classes. This might be partly due to the passive mentality ingrained into the educational experience. Students have been conditioned by years of schooling to be quiet and attentive in a classroom, and are scolded if they talk to one another. We would like to think that social media will immediately overcome this conditioning, but that’s not always the case. It can take time and effort to turn around this expectation.

Social media needs to be introduced within a context that will invite participation. While I don’t have a magic formula for generating participation, I do have some observations on what can help:

Motivate the participation: In our zeal to maximize the amount of content delivered, we tend not to spend enough time explaining the purpose of a class activity. Spending more time explaining the why of an activity will more than pay off in engagement and learning outcomes.
Remember, students have boundaries, even online: Activities that use Facebook tend to fail because students see it as their own thing outside of the classroom. In fact, students tend to view faculty who even look at their Facebook page as invading their privacy. It’s thus best to avoid Facebook and set up a social network on a system like Ning that students are not already using for their own purposes.
Find a student leader: Many students are hesitant to be the first to put themselves out there in an activity, but are happy to follow others. Try to get one or two students to participate first in order to set an example.

Social media can be a wonderful way to generate student engagement in learning, but still must be introduced in a way that will excite students to participate.

Resources:
Michael Wesch’s great discussion of today’s students and how they collaborate in social media settings: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=09gR6VPVrpw

Source: John Orlando, PhD, program director for the online Master of Science in Business Continuity Management and Master of Science in Information Assurance programs at Norwich University. Faculty Focus, 26 Jan 2011; http://www.facultyfocus.com/articles/teaching-with-technology-articles/here-we-are-now-entertain-us-student-motivation-and-technology/?c=FF&t=F110126-FF

February 2012: Student Self-Assessment: A Sample Assignment

Student Self-Assessment: A Sample Assignment

For me examples are like pictures; worth a 1,000 words. In last week's post I wrote about the need to intervene in the development of student self-assessment skills, leaving the process less to chance and making it more the result of purposeful intervention. At a recent Teaching Professor Workshop, I saw an assignment that illustrates that kind of intervention. It was from a 100-level, Introduction to U.S. Government course, but is adaptable to any course. The assignment has two parts and they are the first and last pieces of work students complete in the course.

First Assignment: Personal Goals Statement
Prepare a paper (at least 750 words) that identifies your personal goals for this course. This statement should be specific and detailed. The paper should also contain a description of how you plan to meet your goals. If it helps, you are welcome to set weekly goals and a time schedule. You should do whatever will help you think through why you are taking this particular course and how it fits in with your overall learning goals.

Last Assignment: What Have You Learned from the Class?
Write a self-evaluation paper (at least 750 words) in which you analyze how well you met your personal goals for the course. If your goals changed, discuss how and if unforeseen goals emerged, describe what they were. Conclude the paper by assigning yourself an overall-grade based on your performance in the course. That grade will constitute 10 of the 30 points available for this assignment.

Source: By Maryellen Weimer, PhD http://www.facultyfocus.com/articles/teaching-professor-blog/student-self-assessment-a-sample-assignment/?utm_source=cheetah&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=2012.02.01%20-%20Faculty%20Focus%20Update

NOTE FROM STEVE: As medical educators we’re interested in building new neural connections and reinforcing them for long term recall. Reflection, goal setting, and writing are all powerful tools to achieve that. It’s also helpful to us as we plan activities…identify the goals (objectives), think through your action plan (teaching/facilitating), and then evaluate how it went and if you achieved what you’d planned – good habit for life!

Find more tips at your OU-COM & CORE faculty development web resources: http://www.oucom.ohiou.edu/fd/programs.htm or http://www.ohiocore.org/cf/index.htm.

March 2012: How to Give Feedback

How to Give Feedback

Feedback is an ongoing process that occurs throughout the student's time with you. The "IMPROVE" strategy (see Table 1) can help you set expectations with your student, assess the student's performance, and provide information to the student in a manner that encourages improvement.

Table 1 : IMPROVE Model
I	· Identify rotation objectives with the student
M	· Make a feedback friendly environment
P	· assess Performance · Prioritize the feedback you provide
R	· Respond to the student's self-assessment
O	· be Objective: report specific behaviors observed; · describe potental outcomes of behavior
V	· Validate what the student has done well or suggest alternative strategies
E	· Establish a plan to implement changes (if needed) · Have the student summarize feedback and the plan

Here are a few additional things to do to present feedback to your students in a positive manner:

Prepare your student so (s)he knows you will be providing feedback. If possible, this should have been done during the student orientation.
Provide feedback in private.
Focus on behaviors that the student can change; do not address personal attributes.
Provide specific information to the student. Vague comments, e.g. "You did a good job," "You did a poor job," are not useful to the student.
Base your comments on observed or objective information, not hearsay. If possible, provide objective evidence for your comments.
If you decide to provide subjective feedback to your student, label your subjective feedback so the student knows this is what it is.
Consider using the "feedback sandwich," e.g. place positive feedback on either side of negative feedback so you begin and end on a positive note. If you use this approach, be wary of using the same technique all of the time. Students often figure out the pattern and they begin to discount the positive feedback as "sugarcoating" of the criticism.

http://med-dev.hscs.virginia.edu/courses/fm/precept/module4/m4p4.htm

NOTE FROM STEVE: Feedback is the gift that keeps on giving…IF it is given and received in a manner that says “I’m giving you this because I want you to be the best!” There are many ways to communicate this but one obvious way is to have and show them a PLAN or MODEL of how it will happen. Data from evaluations clearly indicate the highest ranked preceptors do this. If you don’t have a system/model I highly recommend you give this or some other model a try. Also: see the checklist of feedback recommendations posted on our faculty development website at (The Effective Preceptor: Checklists for 1) Orientation; 2) Teaching; 3) Feedback).

April 2012: Should Professors Use Facebook to Communicate with Students? One Opinion.

Nearly 85% of faculty have a Facebook account, two-thirds are on LinkedIn, and 50% are on Twitter according to research from Faculty Focus. But, professors' use of social media shows we are behind the relationship curve when it comes to connecting with students. Only 32% have friended undergrad students and about half (55%) connect with some students after graduation.

Some faculty may be hesitant to friend students on Facebook. To do so on an isolated basis can send the wrong signals, and I know some faculty prefer to keep a clear line between the role of teacher and student. So, why might instructors want to connect with current students on Facebook?

First, it's where students are. With the help of the students in our upper level marketing courses, we recently surveyed over 500 students regarding their social media use. Over two-thirds (69.8%) are on Facebook every day. In case you're wondering, 63% also have Twitter accounts and half (49.8%) check them daily. As teachers, our job is to communicate with students. Sure, we can communicate with them in other ways. But, if you want to speak to your audience in the way they prefer and in the way they communicate with each other, you'll connect through social media. That's what I do and I learn a lot from my students that way as they often post industry-related articles on Twitter or Facebook to my attention.

Second, anyone who studies marketing knows that social influence is a primary factor in consumer decision making. If you want to influence others in any meaningful way, you must provide value within their social circles. Granted, the kind of value faculty may offer students via social media is questionable. Even if we think we are cool, odds are pretty high we are not. But, students don't expect us to be cool. They know we are their instructors, not their peers. That means their expectations are pretty low. That said, what makes a good friend is often just being there. If you're not there and not aware of what's going on in their lives, you will have a harder time relating to them.

Third, you can overcome sending the wrong signals to students by inviting all students in your classes to friend you on Facebook. They are smart enough to know they can do so and still screen who sees what on their posts. So, no need to worry that they will be afraid you'll get too close to them. By the same token, you can designate students into specific friends lists that you can choose when you want to post to them or not. If you don't know how, just ask a student.

I can see how instructors in large, survey courses with perhaps hundreds of students wouldn't want to follow this advice. I wouldn't either. But, most of us teaching in upper-level courses have students in a dedicated major with relatively high overlap with our interests. Faculty already on Facebook tend to post comments, articles, and highlights related to the discipline and that provides an instant connection with our students. This leads to the next reason to connect with students through social media.

Fourth, the number one best way I've found to keep track of our graduates is through our Facebook group page for our major. We can post job openings, graduate news (like congrats on new positions), and activities within the major all in one place. A huge plus is that current students can connect with grads from prior years in the Facebook group for networking purposes.

I'm sure you can still be an effective teacher without connecting with students on Facebook. I can also understand why some of my colleagues may not want to engage with students on social platforms. But, if you're looking for a way to communicate with them the way they communicate, learn something about what's going on in their lives, and to stay connected after they graduate, then inviting the class to join you on Facebook is a good start.

Kirk Wakefield, Edwin W. Streetman professor of retail marketing, Hankamer School of Business, Baylor University.

SOURCE: Feb 27, 2012 http://www.facultyfocus.com/articles/trends-in-higher-education/should-professors-use-facebook-to-communicate-with-students/?utm_source=cheetah&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=2012.02.27%20-%20Faculty%20Focus%20Update

NOTE FROM STEVE: As medical educators the onus is upon us to identify the assets and liabilities of any type of communication for learning and then try our best to establish practices that maximize the assets and minimize the liabilities. These technologies are just tools, and if used wisely can become a valuable part of the learning process for many. Ultimately, though, each of us must evaluate and decide what is good, better, best – and then go for “best.”

Find more tips at your OU-HCOM & CORE faculty development web resources: http://www.oucom.ohiou.edu/fd/programs.htm or http://www.ohiocore.org/cf/index.htm.

May 2012: Get a coach!

California researchers in the early nineteen-eighties conducted a five-year study of teacher-skill development in eighty schools, and noticed something interesting. Workshops led teachers to use new skills in the classroom only ten per cent of the time. Even when a practice session with demonstrations and personal feedback was added, fewer than twenty per cent made the change. But when coaching was introduced—when a colleague watched them try the new skills in their own classroom and provided suggestions—adoption rates passed ninety per cent. A spate of small randomized trials confirmed the effect. Coached teachers were more effective, and their students did better on tests

Expertise, as the formula goes, requires going from unconscious incompetence to conscious incompetence to conscious competence and finally to unconscious competence. The coach provides the outside eyes and ears, and makes you aware of where you’re falling short. This is tricky. Human beings resist exposure and critique; our brains are well defended. So coaches use a variety of approaches—showing what other, respected colleagues do, for instance, or reviewing videos of the subject’s performance. The most common, however, is just conversation.

The greatest difficulty, though, may simply be a profession’s willingness to accept the idea. The prospect of coaching forces EXPOSURE…the price of effective feedback!

I knew that he could drive me to make smarter decisions, but that afternoon I recognized the price: exposure.

http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2011/10/03/111003fa_fact_gawande?currentPage=1

NOTE FROM STEVE: This applies to teaching, precepting, sports… almost everything we do, either at work, as a hobby, or at home can be improved with a coach. I’ve seen some very dramatic, life changing improvements in friends of mine who’ve overtly employed a coach for the purpose of working toward mastery of some skill. Most of you probably have “great coach” stories. Think about how this might help you in various areas of your life and do yourself a favor – get a coach!

June 2012: Teaching with Technology

Take a moment to view the latest “Faculty Focus” on Teaching with Technology.

Statement of the Challenge: Our school and students are rapidly moving away from paper-based products and using computers and other electronic devices to accomplish their work. This growing electronic technology pervasiveness in the small group setting requires us to think critically about its impact on small group work. Therefore, by explicitly stating the primary purposes of the small group-learning format, and outlining the major assets and liabilities/challenges of this emerging development, we have developed some “rules of engagement” for consideration by your group.

(http://www.facultyfocus.com/articles/teaching-with-technology-articles/technology-in-the-classroom-assets-and-liabilities/ )

NOTE FROM STEVE: This method can be used equally as well for small or large classrooms. Set aside some time at the beginning of a term and do the same exercise with the students so the issue is “on the table” and expectations are agreed upon and set. Don’t forget to include a feedback mechanism and consequences in the ground rules. Remember, these are tools, albeit with many possibilities, that need to be exploited for their potential to help students learn and controlled because of their potential to hinder learning. It’s up to us!

Find more tips at your OU-HCOM & CORE faculty development web resources: http://www.oucom.ohiou.edu/fd/programs.htm or http://www.ohiocore.org/cf/index.htm.

July 2012: Students Share Their Thoughts on Active Learning

By Mary Bart

"Learning is not a spectator sport. Students do not learn much just by sitting in class listening to teachers, memorizing prepackaged assignments, and spitting out answers. They must talk about what they are learning, write about it, relate it to past experiences, apply it to their daily lives. They must make what they learn part of themselves."
—A. Chickering and Z.F. Gamson, "Seven principles for good practice," AAHE Bulletin 39 (March 1987), 3-7.

Active learning, a learner-centered approach to teaching in which the responsibility for learning is placed upon the students (often working in collaboration with each other), is not new. Yet there are still many faculty who lecture almost exclusively and are convinced that active learning activities won't work in their courses.

Some of the most frequently cited concerns about learning activities include that they take up too much class time, make it more difficult to control the class, work only in small classes, take too much time to design, and are difficult to grade.

Supporters of learner-centered teaching may counter those objections by citing a growing volume of research that supports active learning techniques. Or they may just have their students share their perspectives on active learning and what makes a learning activity effective for them.

In the online seminar Active Learning That Works: What Students Think presenter Ken Alford, Ph.D. took the latter approach. Using video clips from about a dozen students from across a variety of disciplines, the associate professor at Brigham Young University allowed students to share their thoughts on active learning—what they like and why they like it. Their comments, summarized here, cover a wide spectrum, including the benefits of learning activities to:

Help students build connections with what they're learning
Bring a change of pace to class sessions so students don't get bored
Force students to participate rather than allowing them to just sit back and be spectators
Allow students to get to know one another
Open the class to different perspectives
Make it easier to understand and remember the material

Of course being a learner-centered teacher doesn't mean you never lecture. Active learning and lecture are not mutually exclusive. They can, and often are, used together in the same class session.

"It's very easy to overpopulate your class with learning activities," said Alford. "Learning activities should be the seasoning and not the main course. Look for opportunities in the class; normally they will stand out—"key concepts, important transitional lessons, or a summation. View things from a student perspective. When do they really need to internalize a concept? Those kinds of places set themselves up for learning activities."

View a brief clip from the seminar: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=Saj-z_jhbQM

http://www.facultyfocus.com/articles/teaching-and-learning/students-share-their-thoughts-on-active-learning/?utm_source=cheetah&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=2012.06.18%20-%20Faculty%20Focus%20Update

NOTE FROM STEVE: John Medina, in his book “Brain Rules,” states, “Audiences check out after 10 minutes, but you can keep grabbing them back by telling narratives or creating events rich in emotion.” Try inserting something “engaging” every 10 minutes…I recommend reviewing Angelo and Cross’s “Classroom Assessment Techniques (CATs)” and/or Elizabeth Barkley’s “Student Engagement Techniques (SETs).” I also recommend Wilbert McKeachie’s “McKeachie’s Teaching Tips.” The former two contain 50 easy to use and well explained techniques each with examples, each technique is only three or four pages to digest. The latter is filled with hundreds of short and to the point tips on everything from lecturing to grading.

August 2012: 25 Apps for Osteopathic Medical Educators

Greetings Medical Educator

Better late than never…passing along a resource obtained at the last AOA-OME conference (compliments of Dr. Wayne Carlsen, our Assistant Dean for Clinical Education).

Most of the apps are free or $1-$3. I’ve put them up on the faculty development website at: http://www.oucom.ohiou.edu/fd/25%20Apps%20for%20Osteopathic%20Medical%20Education.pdf.

September 2012: WINNING Instructional Strategies

Greetings Med Ed’ers!

Studies of learning have demonstrated that only about 7% of information recall is dependent upon the actual content, and 93% of recall relates to how the content was presented. Accordingly, instructional strategies are most effective when they involve the learner. Since so much of what is effectively acquired and retained by the learner depends upon how it was presented, principles of oral communication should be followed closely, especially when using the lecture and small group discussion formats.

The mood for learning can be set by:

1) approaching the class with real excitement and enthusiasm,
2) adding vocal variety for interest and clarity,
3) including purposeful pauses (that’d be silence…not ums, ahs, you knows, like, etc.)
4) maintaining effective eye contact with each learner throughout the presentation,
5) showing a desire to communicate without over-dependence on notes,
6) actively involving the learner and,
7) ending using a strong conclusion with vitality.

Learner-centered teachers humble themselves before their students and unpretentiously perform the highest form of teaching. They use instructional strategies to serve and uplift, not to control or manipulate. They engage the learner in a mutual obligation to learn and they worry less about being seen as “experts” or “authorities.” Learner-centered teachers place learners in control of their own learning, serving as facilitators of the instructional session. As academic pride is stripped away, such teachers humbly influence students’ lives for good and become master teachers.

(http://ben1976.wordpress.com/2011/05/20/medical-instructional-strategies/)

NOTE FROM STEVE: Rate yourself on this checklist. Identify an area of personal improvement from your ratings. Periodically check with your students by allowing them to rate you. Quest for best is never ending!!

October 2012: Five Characteristics of Learner-Centered Teaching

Five Characteristics of Learner-Centered Teaching

Proposed five characteristics of teaching that make it learner-centered.

1. Learner-centered teaching engages students in the hard, messy work of learning. I believe teachers are doing too many learning tasks for students. We ask the questions, we call on students, we add detail to their answers. We offer the examples. We organize the content. We do the preview and the review. On any given day, in most classes teachers are working much harder than students. I'm not suggesting we never do these tasks, but I don't think students develop sophisticated learning skills without the chance to practice and in most classrooms the teacher gets far more practice than the students.

2. Learner-centered teaching includes explicit skill instruction. Learner-centered teachers teach students how to think, solve problems, evaluate evidence, analyze arguments, generate hypotheses—all those learning skills essential to mastering material in the discipline. They do not assume that students pick up these skills on their own, automatically. A few students do, but they tend to be the students most like us and most students aren't that way. Research consistently confirms that learning skills develop faster if they are taught explicitly along with the content.

3. Learner-centered teaching encourages students to reflect on what they are learning and how they are learning it. Learner-centered teachers talk about learning. In casual conversations, they ask students what and how they are learning. In class they may talk about their own learning. They challenge student assumptions about learning and encourage them to accept responsibility for decisions they make about learning; like how they study for exams, when they do assigned reading, whether they revise their writing or check their answers. Learner-centered teachers include assignment components in which students reflect, analyze and critique what they are learning and how they are learning it. The goal is to make students aware of themselves as learners and to make learning skills something students want to develop.

4. Learner-centered teaching motivates students by giving them some control over learning processes. I believe teachers make too many of the decisions about learning for students. Teachers decide what students should learn, how they learn it, the pace at which they learn, the conditions under which they learn and then teachers determine whether students have learned. Students aren't in a position to decide what content should be included in the course or which textbook is best, but when teachers make all the decisions, the motivation to learn decreases and learners become dependent. Learner-centered teachers search out ethically responsible ways to share power with students. They might give students some choice about which assignments they complete. They might make classroom policies something students can discuss. They might let students set assignment deadlines within a given time window. They might ask students to help create assessment criteria.

5. Learner-centered teaching encourages collaboration. It sees classrooms (online or face-to-face) as communities of learners. Learner-centered teachers recognize, and research consistently confirms, that students can learn from and with each other. Certainly the teacher has the expertise and an obligation to share it, but teachers can learn from students as well. Learner-centered teachers work to develop structures that promote shared commitments to learning. They see learning individually and collectively as the most important goal of any educational experience.

http://www.facultyfocus.com/articles/effective-teaching-strategies/five-characteristics-of-learner-centered-teaching/

By Maryellen Weimer, PhD

NOTE FROM STEVE: Education happens in the brain. Science is making great progress helping us understand how the brain works. Learner-centered teaching is a way to help the brain learn use its incredible capacity to build lasting neural networks. In place of a future lecture, provide a resource and have students answer some basic questions before class. Then use class time for discussion of the questions allowing other students to fill in some of the blanks (with your expert oversight, of course). Experiment with learner-centered approaches.

Two fabulous resources are: “Classroom Assessment Techniques,” by Angelo & Cross and “Student Engagement Techniques,” by Elizabeth Barkley – over 100 techniques with step-by-step instructions and examples.

November 2012: Choosing Instructional Strategies in Medicine

Greetings MedEder,

Two common instructional strategies have been described as the “bucket technique” and the “SOCO” method.

Bucket Model: The “bucket technique” is still commonly used in medical education and comes with the assumption that medical school faculty are “all knowing” and that medical student or resident minds are like empty buckets. The goal of the instructional session is to fill the empty learner “buckets” with knowledge or “pearls of wisdom” from the faculty.

· Major Set-back of Bucket Model: The problem with this method is that it is teacher-focused, not learner-focused and most often it is associated with the lecture format without clearly defined, learner-centered instructional objectives. The learner then is expected to regurgitate all the knowledge in some useful order. Since the knowledge is rarely learned around patient presentations, recall is difficult when needed in the clinical setting as it has been memorized as a list of facts.

SOCO Model: The Single Overriding Communicating Objective method more effectively promotes learning, retention, and application of information to new situations. A brief teaching session, such as at the bedside, might have only one single overriding communication objective (SOCO). A longer session, such as a class or Grand Rounds presentation, may have three or four SOCO’s. Such objectives should be learner-centered, measurable, and appropriate for the level of the medical student or resident. There may also be “enabling objectives” that must be met before the learner will be able to successfully meet each single overriding communicating objective.

Instructional strategies are most effective when they involve the learner. Since so much of what is effectively acquired and retained by the learner depends upon how it was presented, principles of oral communication should be followed closely, especially when using the lecture and small group discussion formats. The mood for learning can be set by:

1) approaching the class with real excitement and enthusiasm,
2) adding vocal variety for interest and clarity,
3) including purposeful pauses,
4) maintaining effective eye contact with each learner throughout the presentation,
5) showing a desire to communicate without over-dependence on notes,
6) actively involving the learner and,
7) ending using a strong conclusion with vitality.

Instructional Strategy and Teaching Steps

Utilizing the “events of instruction” or teaching steps gives the mentor or teacher an organized instructional strategy for optimally transmitting knowledge and assessing competency.

Recall Gagne’s Nine Events of Instruction

Source: http://ben1976.wordpress.com/2011/05/20/medical-instructional-strategies/

NOTE FROM STEVE: Test your teaching against the “events of instruction” above. Try outlining your next teaching encounter based upon them. Communicate this to the learner/s…they will be thankful and remember your teaching, plus they will learn how to teach others. It’s a win-win!

December 2012: Five Competencies for Culturally Competent Teaching and Learning

Greetings Holiday Helpers,

Five Competencies for Culturally Competent Teaching and Learning

Educators should all possess competencies for teaching all students…an instructor who is sensitive and responsive to the unique differences of each student.

1. Culturally competent teaching and learning facilitates critical reflection. A critical analysis of one's own cultural assumptions is foundational to culturally-responsive teaching and learning. Critical reflection on tightly held cultural assumptions is necessary to dislodge misconceptions and stereotypes. Culturally-responsive teaching engages students in self-awareness activities that lead to reflection on cultural assumptions.

2. Culturally competent teaching and learning demands respect for others. Every student possesses a unique cultural background.. Culturally responsive methods such as inter-cultural communication stimulate respect for the needs of all learners and allow every voice to be heard.

3. Culturally competent teaching and learning involves accommodating individual learners. In addition to pedagogical and subject matter knowledge, competent instructors relate well to their students and possess dispositions such as compassion, fairness, integrity and respect for diversity. Good teachers not only learn from, but learn about their students.

4. Culturally competent teaching and learning requires the use of intercultural communication skills. Culturally competent instructors recognize the potential of intercultural communication as a means for enhancing the learning of the entire learning community. Effective communication with others who are linguistically and culturally different includes the use of techniques like active listening, elaboration, paraphrasing, and restatement.

5. Culturally competent teaching and learning requires focused activities and intentionally structured environments. Perspective-taking behavior requires an understanding of norms, values, and traditions that have informed the other's worldview and learning behaviors.

Reference: Chang, M. (1996). Racial Diversity in Higher Education: Does a Racially Mixed Student Population Affect Educational Outcomes? (unpublished doctoral dissertation, University of California, Los Angeles).

“Cultural and linguistic competence is a set of congruent behaviors, knowledge, attitudes, and policies that come together in a system, organization, or among professionals that enables effective work in cross-cultural situations. ‘Culture’ refers to integrated patterns of human behavior that include the language, thoughts, actions, customs, beliefs, and institutions of racial, ethnic, social, or religious groups. ‘Competence’ implies having the capacity to function effectively as an individual or an organization within the context of the cultural beliefs, practices, and needs presented by patients and their communities.”

NOTE FROM STEVE: Want to self-assess your cultural competence? Try our CC “Values and Belief Systems” survey at Cultural Competence (CC) and see if there are areas of improvement needed in your CC understand and behaviors. If nothing else, this survey surely gives you some things to think about when interacting with members of a different culture.

January 2013: Three Ways to Ask Better Questions in the Classroom

Three Ways to Ask Better Questions in the Classroom

Good questions make students think, they encourage participation and I think they improve the caliber of the answers students give and the questions they ask. …three actions that have the potential to improve our questioning:

1. Prepare Questions – Go to class with some prepared questions. When you write out a question, you can make it clearer ... not just the wording, but clearer conceptually. Is it the question that needs to be asked? When is the best time to ask it? …if you try it, you'll be persuaded.

2. Play with Questions – Questions are most powerful, when they best engage students, and when they are at their thought provoking best. It's in that space between the question and the answer. As soon as the question is answered, it loses most of its power to engage students.

Playing with the question means leaving it unanswered for a while and using some strategies that encourage students to think about it. The question might appear on a PowerPoint slide or written on the board. Students might be encouraged to write the question in their notes. They might be given a bit of time to write some ideas or discuss potential responses with another student. The teacher might collect several different answers, discussing their various merits and detriments before designating a right one. Maybe the question appears at the beginning of the period but isn't answered until the session is almost over. Maybe an answered question returns on a subsequent day when more information and greater understanding enables a better answer.

3. Preserve Good Questions – Good questions can be kept. They can be asked in a subsequent class, perhaps revised or refocused so that they accomplish the good question goals even more effectively. Sometimes I jotted a few notes about the answers students offered and discovered that helped me revise the question and content surrounding it.

Occasionally a student asks a really good question and there are reasons to save those as well. When you solicit questions and there aren't any, but you think there should be, you might be able to start the process this way, "While you are thinking of questions, let me share one a student in a previous class asked about this." The teacher I first saw doing this also oohed and ahhed a bit about the question and using student questions this way demonstrated how he remembered and valued what students ask.

We should be working on our questioning techniques, but not just because our questions are more effective when skillfully used. We need to ask good questions so that students see the importance of questions — how they make us think and help us learn. Eventually students may start asking better questions themselves, including ones we can't answer. And those are the best questions of all.

Found at: FACULTY FOCUS; http://www.facultyfocus.com/articles/teaching-professor-blog/three-ways-to-ask-better-questions-in-the-classroom/ , By Maryellen Weimer, PhD

Reference: Welty, W. M. "Discussion Method Teaching: How to Make it Work." Change, July-August 1989, pp. 40-49.

NOTE FROM STEVE: There is a nice resource on your FD Website outlining the basics of Socratic Questioning: http://www.oucom.ohiou.edu/fd/Socratic%20questions.pdf. Question asking is a critical (perhaps the most critical) educational art that improves with practice.