By: Saachi Datta
A good presentation or a good lecture tells a story with memorable take-home points. That is just one of the many concepts that I learned in Principles of Medical Education. Here are 3 more.
‘Meta-Learning’
To begin with a story… now in my 2nd year of medical school, I found myself working on several projects that involved teaching and learning in medicine. This was a space previously unexplored by me, mostly because I did not know medical education was a domain to explore.
To provide a foundation for the research I was doing, I enrolled in Principles of Medical Education, a seminar-style elective for medical students and physician assistant students at Stanford University that covers 10 foundational topics in medical education across 10 weeks. I expected interesting content in this elective but was not expecting the epitome of meta-learning – learning about learning!
From the first class session, the practical and accessible learning points immediately reshaped my life in medical school. Like a story unfolding, I began to perceive each lecture, each practicum, as a narrative arc rich with knowledge to learn, and much to my surprise, rich with a method to its madness. Prior to this class, my concept of learning was rudimentary at best; exposure to ‘behind the scenes’ evidence-based curriculum design and pedagogy was minimal.
Through the class, I gained insights into the reasoning behind our medical school curriculum and found answers to questions that my classmates and I often pondered casually (e.g., What is the point of a learning objective?) This fostered a deeper trust in the educational journey I was on. The course also led me to the conclusion that understanding the principles of medical education can profoundly enhance a medical student’s learning experience.
Feedback That Works
I had heard the word feedback used countless times. To me, feedback was simply a flurry of required end-of-quarter evaluations to complete about preceptors and peers alike.
In Principles of Medical Education, I learned a framework for using feedback as an effective tool to enhance performance and nurture professional relationships within clinical teams, for better outcomes overall. The ethos of this method lies in its ability to foster a supportive learning atmosphere, to drive behavioral change, and solidify professional bonds. As I navigate through my medical school journey, understanding and applying such a structured approach to feedback promises to not only improve my learning experience but also strengthen the fabric of my future communities-of-practice.
I discovered that it is vital for students to ask for feedback. Soliciting feedback orients our learning trajectories and keeps us engaged with our goals. It also helps our preceptors, I learned, which was an unique perspective. As a student, before an encounter with a patient, I can (and should) let my preceptor know some of my learning goals. For preceptors, stating my goals focuses their attention and teaching points to topics that are relevant to me, and makes for richer feedback.
After the class session on feedback, I used this newfound perspective that same week in practicum, which proved to be an invaluable learning tool. Before one of my standardized patients, I let my preceptor know I wanted to work on my efficiency with the neuro exam. After I completed my encounter, the preceptor asked the patient and I if it would be ok if he showed me how he performs the exam. After observing him, my preceptor and I discussed ways in which our exams were similar and places that mine could have been smoother. Asking for feedback in this manner was an easy and practical tool for self-improvement and learning efficacy.
The Adaptive Learner
Coming into medical school, the sheer amount of knowledge to memorize and master forces nearly everyone to relearn how they learn. And I certainly cycled through this challenge multiple times over my first few quarters. Principles of Medical Education gave us a roadmap by teaching us about the master adaptive learner framework and how important it is to emulate an adaptive learner at all stages of medical training.
Adaptive learners follow 4 key steps. First, they must plan for learning; this includes identifying materials to learn and strategies to do so. Next is the actual learning – actively engaging with the content and learning it. These first two steps come fairly naturally to any seasoned test-taker. The adaptive learning comes next with the following step of assessment. Adaptive learners must periodically evaluate their understanding of the material and the effectiveness of their learning plan in an honest way. This can be done through assessments, grades, feedback, and self-evaluations. This leads to the last step, adjusting – making the necessary changes or seeking out the proper aid to change their learning strategy.
Soon after learning about master adaptive learners, I applied these steps when planning my study sessions with specific goals, actively seeking resources that catered to my learning style, frequently self-assessing my understanding of topics, and adjusting my study methods accordingly. This allowed me to feel comfortable with changing my study methods depending on the class and allowed me to incorporate feedback from practicum sessions more effectively. In a clinical setting, being an adaptive learner will require that I am open to feedback and can be trusted to apply it. It also means that I must constantly evaluate what is best for me to learn.
Adaptive learning requires an active role in bettering oneself and, if practiced, will ensure that we remain flexible and responsive as lifelong learners. I think it is best coupled with the strategies for soliciting feedback described above.
Conclusion
My parting message is twofold.
To the educators: please, enlighten your students about why you teach the way you do. Such transparency fosters trust and enhances the educational experience.
To my peers: recognize that there is sound, evidence-based reasoning to guide our educational strategies and experiences. Learn this pedagogy and use the knowledge to your advantage.
As I prepare for a clinical practice that will demand constant learning, how fitting it is to embark on this journey having had such a richly meta-learning experience. This education about education has undoubtedly equipped me with tools that will continue to shape my professional life in the years to come.
Image – Open source, https://pixabay.com/illustrations/hand-learning-home-learning-touch-5870353/
About the author: Saachi Datta is currently a second-year medical student at Stanford School of Medicine, Stanford, California.
About the Editor: Michael A. Gisondi, MD is an emergency physician and medical education researcher living in Palo Alto, CA, USA. He is Professor and Vice Chair of Education in the Department of Emergency Medicine at Stanford University, and an Assistant Dean for Academic Advising at Stanford School of Medicine. X: @MikeGisondi Threads: mikegisondi
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