Introduction
Teaching is essential to me as a doctor because it allows me to impart my expertise and experience to aspiring medical professionals. My involvement in education gives me a chance to motivate and assist future medical professionals in acquiring the knowledge and abilities necessary to deliver excellent patient care. Additionally, as I continually work to provide my students with the most up-to-date and pertinent expertise, teaching helps me keep current on the latest developments and research. I enjoy learning from my students as they bring their unique ideas and experiences to the classroom through teaching.
In addition to passing on knowledge, teaching involves mentoring and assisting students in developing the skills necessary to work ethically, compassionately, and competently. Seeing my students improve and evolve through their education and training is a satisfying and rewarding experience. In this essay, I will discuss how I approach teaching, emphasizing the value of group work, involvement, and feedback in helping my students learn as much as possible. I will also discuss the potential drawbacks of employing these teaching principles.
Collaborative Learning
A teaching strategy known as collaborative learning strongly emphasizes group projects and peer-to-peer learning. It works well to include students in the learning process and promote collaboration and community in the classroom. One of the main advantages of collaborative learning is that it enables students to benefit from one another’s knowledge and expertise while they impart it to their classmates (Wood, 2017). Through collaborative learning, students may hone their critical thinking and problem-solving skills by working together to accomplish projects or address complex issues (Wood, 2017).
I recently worked on a case study with several medical students as part of a collaborative learning experience. Each student was given a specific task to diagnose the patient and create a treatment plan for them. To provide the most significant result for the patient, we needed to collaborate, exchange information, and communicate clearly. This experience helped us build vital collaboration and communication skills and better understand the patients’ requirements.
Numerous examples that support collaborative learning in the classroom can be found in the literature. Cooperative learning can considerably improve students’ academic achievement, critical thinking, and social skills. Additionally, collaborative learning has been shown to increase information retention and lower dropout rates, according to Rohrer and Pashler (2012). Collaborative learning is a strategy based on group work and bringing teams together to achieve a common goal. A key component of this learning strategy is demonstrating the positive effects of people’s independence and exposure to their abilities while managing personal responsibility (Van Leeuwen and Janssen, 2019). In collaborative learning, learners work on a task or project.
Active Participation
Overview
Active participation is an effective teaching method as it involves students in learning and stimulates them to be engaged. The reason is that the success of the learning process largely depends on students’ attitudes to learning and motives for learning and cognitive activity (Wong et al., 2018). The solution to these problems is closely connected with developing students’ cognitive activity and independence.
The theory of preventing students from ‘elimination’ and school interventions was articulated in the study ‘Academic achievement among students at risk of failure in school’ 1997 (Wong et al., 2018). The 1,800 students were divided into three groups based on their grades: those who were successful, those who failed, and those who were in between (Wong et al., 2018). They were compared according to psychological characteristics and indicators of school engagement. The study’s results confirmed the hypothesis: active participation is a crucial component of academic performance, facilitating the development of interventions to ‘rescue’ at-risk (dropout) learners (Wong et al., 2018). Therefore, active participation is an essential component for enhancing student learning outcomes.
Types of Active Participation
Moreover, there are several types of active participation: emotional, behavioral, and cognitive. Emotional engagement is a person’s attitude to the learning process (Wong et al., 2018). It is their reaction to the school and everything associated with it, their sense of belonging, and their awareness of their value to the school through recognition of personal academic achievements.
Additionally, behavioral involvement requires exemplary student behavior, such as attendance, appropriate conduct in the classroom, academic objectives, and extracurricular activities (Wong et al., 2018). Observability is a significant strength of this type of engagement, which makes its level quite simple to measure.
Cognitive engagement is a type of participation that relates to commitment and focuses on the construction of knowledge. It is the willingness of the learner to apply effort and perseverance to achieve a goal, to strategize for effective problem solving, and to be flexible when problems arise (Wong et al., 2018). The level of cognitive involvement directly affects the student’s focus on learning when they are interested and engaged. Examples of active involvement include asking questions, contributing to discussions, and accomplishing tasks or assignments.
Benefits of Active Participation
One of the primary strengths of active participatory learning is that it enhances students’ memories compared to reactive studying (Rohrer and Pashler, 2012). They are more successful at retaining and using knowledge when they are actively engaged in the learning process. While active engagement requires learners to reflect on the material and use it in different situations, it can also help foster their critical thinking capabilities.
Strategies to Foster Active Participation
I employ several strategies to promote active class involvement, including interactive lectures, group discussions, and hands-on exercises. I urge students to participate in class discussions, ask questions, and give comments. For instance, I frequently utilize case studies to elicit debate and motivate students to apply their learning to authentic situations.
Using technology, such as interactive simulations and online quizzes, is one of the ways I promote active involvement. With the aid of these technologies, students may actively interact with the course material, get immediate feedback, and keep track of their development. Similar strategies can be applied to e-learning, which has recently become integral to the educational process (Kong, 2019). Teachers may aid students in remembering knowledge, cultivating critical thinking abilities, and enhancing their academic achievement by including them in the learning process and encouraging them to be active participants in their education.
In one instance, I employed the strategy of active student participation through another collaborative case study with a group of students. The goal was to develop a dynamic learning environment where students could use their skills and knowledge. I gave a detailed patient case study with pertinent medical history, symptoms, and test findings. Then, each student was given a specific assignment, such as reviewing the patient’s laboratory results, performing a physical exam, or looking into possible diagnoses and treatment choices.
I wanted to encourage teamwork while providing every student with a unique set of responsibilities. For instance, using an online platform that all students and teachers can utilize for interactive learning is among the most typical solutions to perform this practice (Kong, 2019). All students have accounts that allow them access to all course materials and tasks. It also facilitates posting online and participating in discussions in written form with their classmates.
I encouraged students to participate in class discussions and to present their results to one another throughout the case study. As a result, they were able to learn from one another’s viewpoints and make well-informed decisions as a group. Students were urged to evaluate the data critically, consider alternative hypotheses, and support their conclusions with facts.
I assumed the role of facilitator throughout the case study, directing the students’ conversations and elaborating on ideas. To enable active participation, I ensured that the students stayed at the center of the learning process. I consider using this case study successful, as the students actively participated in the patient’s diagnosis and treatment. They also gained clinical knowledge and critical thinking, problem-solving, and communication skills crucial for their future doctor careers.
Feedback
Overview
Feedback refers to connections from the learner to the instructor and from the teacher to the learner, that is, external feedback or internal feedback from the learners to themselves, through which information about the process and the results of learning passes. Feedback guides or focuses the educational process on the joint actions of the teacher and learners in achieving the learning goals and focuses on a specific result (Irons and Elkington, 2021). Additionally, feedback can extend throughout the process of learning activities. It can be provided in a voice, written, or digital form. Less effective is short-term feedback, expressed in the intermediate or final control of student knowledge.
Moreover, the feedback process depends on the format in which the training is conducted. Depending on the specifics and tasks of the training, the appropriate format for organizing feedback is chosen. When training takes place face-to-face, the feedback is provided in a verbal conversation; for example, the tutor asks the student a question, and the student answers and immediately gets a reaction to their answer (Irons and Elkington, 2021).
When the learning occurs online, it is preferable to use a written format. For this purpose, it is essential to use learning platforms that allow students to ask open-ended questions (Irons and Elkington, 2021). Thus, students study the material and answer the control question, forming judgments based on the information received. The teacher receives the students’ answers, checks their correctness, gives feedback in a short text message, comments on their responses, complements them, and makes recommendations (Irons and Elkington, 2021). This method of communication within the framework of the learning task significantly increases the efficiency of information assimilation by the learners.
Importance of Feedback
I am a medical doctor and a teacher, so I know how crucial feedback is to learning. An effective teaching and learning connection between the teacher and the student is built on feedback. It provides teachers with knowledge of how effectively their students comprehend concepts, allowing them to adjust lesson plans and instructional materials to meet the needs of their students better (Cui et al., 2021).
There are several ways that feedback is significant in education. It first assists students in identifying their areas of strength and weakness in a specific topic. Students are more likely to comprehend what they did well and where they need to improve when they receive feedback. Thanks to this knowledge, they can increase their total performance by concentrating on specific areas.
Feedback also encourages students to study. When students hear positive feedback, they are more likely to participate in the learning process and become inspired to keep searching (Cui et al., 2021). On the other hand, constructive criticism enables people to pinpoint areas where they want development and inspires them to work on them.
Approaches to Getting Feedback
To guarantee that students obtain an excellent education, it is essential to include feedback in instruction. I use feedback in a variety of ways as a teacher. First, I want to reaffirm that my students are open to criticism on test performance. I give them thorough comments verbally on their strengths and flaws and offer suggestions for how they may get better. I urge my students to share their thoughts on their work and ask questions. They can pinpoint their weak points and comprehend how to advance in this method.
Second, I support group initiatives with peer input. I believe peer assessment is a valuable instructional strategy that might improve students’ collaboration and communication skills (Cui et al., 2021). Peer feedback enables students to pick up knowledge from their peers and comprehend other viewpoints; additionally, it fosters analytical thinking and problem-solving abilities.
On one occasion, I used feedback as a teaching approach with my students during a practical skills session. The session’s primary focus was on completing an examination, a vital skill for aspiring doctors. I started by giving a quick overview of the goal and elements of the examination, stressing the significance of precision and thoroughness in finding any abnormalities. I then separated the class into smaller groups and gave each group a task to complete during the test.
During the session, I moved among the groups to observe their methods, pose questions, and offer real-time comments. I carefully observed the students’ communication skills, capacity to elicit pertinent information, and competence in carrying out the examination maneuvers as I watched them. When I saw a student misusing a technique or skipping a vital step, I would gently step in and direct them to the proper method.
I would then request that the student try again while giving them immediate feedback on how they were doing. I tried to inspire confidence and improve performance by providing precise and constructive criticism. After the students implemented my recommendations, they contacted me and explained what problems they had encountered or how they had incorporated my advice into their project.
I collected the whole class for a debriefing at the end of the lesson. I emphasized the significance of addressing these problems to ensure accurate diagnoses and suitable patient treatment by highlighting frequent errors or misunderstandings I had noticed during the practice. In this discussion, I delivered advice and explanations to the students based on their verbal feedback on my advice, which they received during group work.
As I encouraged the students to share their personal stories and ideas, I remained open to their questions and responses. I gave the students a brief homework assignment as a way for them to put the feedback they had received into practice and hone their skills. Additionally, I used this exercise as the foundation for personalized feedback in subsequent sessions, enabling me to evaluate their development and address any unresolved issues. Feedback proved helpful in assisting my students in acquiring the skills required to become capable and caring doctors.
Challenges
Students may gain a lot from the collaborative learning and active involvement approach, combined with feedback from the teacher, as my experience, combined with the investigation into the topic, shows. This instructional approach might, however, run into some difficulties.
Excessive Participation
One of the significant issues is the chance that some students would dominate the group discussions and limit the participation of other students (Weresh, 2019). It negatively affects the psychological attitude of students who belong to vulnerable populations and leads to decreased learners’ motivation (Weresh, 2019). These lessons do not empower students; they are demotivated and feel they do not want to continue studying in this course (Weresh, 2019). By separating the class into smaller groups, outlining the rules and expectations, and ensuring that everyone can speak, teachers may encourage all students to participate in the discussion. I paid specific attention to the problems students experience during the lessons, giving words to every learner during discussions.
Poor Participation
Another difficulty during these lessons was the possibility of over-reliance on group work, leading to less individual learning. For instance, students who were unprepared for the class tried to be silent during the discussions and group work and expected their classmates to complete the tasks. To get around this problem, I ensured that individual assignments and assessments were included in the curriculum, which is the educator’s responsibility.
Furthermore, the experience shows that some students are unwilling to collaborate in groups due to cultural or personal reasons. As a teacher, I should take these concerns seriously and try to comprehend the underlying causes of the student’s resistance. I can give these students various ways to engage actively in learning by delivering individual feedback sessions or other assignments.
The use of technology may be problematic for students because of their varying access to and proficiency with it. For instance, students from families with restricted financial opportunities cannot access personal computers and often must share them with their siblings (Weresh, 2019). As a teacher, I should ensure that all students have access to the required technology and, if necessary, offer training sessions.
Teacher Unpreparedness
Finally, some teachers may find this teaching strategy challenging due to a lack of experience or education. As an educator, I should have access to professional development opportunities to learn about productive methods for group projects, participation, and feedback (Weresh, 2019). Teachers should be aware of possible difficulties and try to solve them to ensure that all students have an equal chance to profit from this teaching strategy, as my experience shows.
However, there was a problem with the feedback method, as some students found it challenging to contribute both positive and negative information. The ‘feedback sandwich’ implies that teachers simultaneously express all aspects of student performance, not just negative comments (Adkoli, 2018). The problem was that most students could not focus on correcting their mistakes when they received praise for their work. Nevertheless, the good point is that it was possible to explain each student’s mistakes and strengths again during the general discussion. This will enable them to correct their errors and develop their positive qualities.
Summary
In general, I found out that the feedback process that will be used in the practice of a clinical supervisor needs to be improved. Students have different perceptions of information; some are only confused by the ‘feedback sandwich’ method. Even though the strength of the ‘feedback sandwich’ is that it provides the maximum amount of feedback to students in a short time, the method does not take into account the nuances of student perception (Adkoli, 2018). Therefore, on the one hand, the ‘feedback sandwich’ allows for mitigating the perception of negative feedback. On the other hand, due to the simultaneous praise, students feel confused and unclear about the feedback.
Pendleton’s rules model can be applied to achieve better student learning outcomes. Consequently, in contrast to the ‘feedback sandwich’, which emphasizes a balance of positive and negative comments, Pendleton’s rules model suggests paying attention to students’ self-assessment and self-directed learning (Adkoli, 2018). That is, the teacher should help students to evaluate their actions and take responsibility for their results critically. Therefore, teachers in this model act as providers of additional information and suggestions, but the focus is on enabling students to manage their own development (Adkoli, 2018). Accordingly, it provides students with a deeper appreciation of their abilities and teachers with feedback to support their improvement.
Conclusion
In conclusion, teaching is crucial to my professional life as a doctor. I can provide aspiring medical professionals with the information and abilities they need to succeed in their field through education. In this essay, I have covered the value of group collaboration, active involvement, and feedback in teaching. Through collaborative learning, students can acquire the essential cooperation and communication skills required for the medical field.
As a doctor, I must say that teaching is essential to me since it enables me to impart my knowledge and expertise to upcoming medical professionals. Although cooperative learning, active involvement, and feedback are crucial in the classroom, implementing these strategies may present some difficulties. Nevertheless, while difficulties could occur, it is essential to deal with them so that students get the best education possible. We can construct a collaborative and encouraging learning environment that promotes the growth and development of all learners by incorporating these ideas into our instruction.
Reference List
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Wood, D.F., Cantillon, P., and Yardley, S. (Eds.). (2017) A.B.C. of learning and teaching in medicine. Berlin: Wiley.