Approaches to Learning and Teaching

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1. Objectives

Module Objectives

Module Objectives

By the end of the module, learners will be able to:

Appreciate the importance of applying learning principles to teaching experiences.
Describe 5 approaches used in contemporary learning and teaching.
Describe a simple framework to plan effective teaching experiences.

2. Preparation in Advance

Exercise 1

Exercise 1
Exercise 2

Think of a really satisfying learning experience that you have had.

What was it about the experience that left you feeling satisfied?
What did the teacher do to make the experience satisfying?
What did you do to contribute to the learning experience?
Describe the learning environment. How did it influence the experience?

3. The Module

1. History of Learning and Teaching

Review key events by reviewing the timeline below:

On the next tab, you can see theories and models that many currently find to be useful.

Today there are seemingly countless approaches to learning and teaching. In the concept map below we highlight several that we believe are especially relevant to medical and biomedical education. Click on parts of the following diagram to learn more about each approach. The camera icons feature videos of master faculty educators sharing their stories about how they use particular approaches in their teaching.

Frontiers in Learning and Teaching:

While much progress has been made, there are many fundamental questions about learning that have yet to be answered, such as:

Is learning the same for everyone?

Evidence has not supported that different “learning styles” affect learning.
Learning processes in children and adults may be the same.

When aren’t we learning?

Neuroplasticity, the finding that neural pathways continue to take shape even as we age, means that learning is lifelong.
Many see learning as continuous and influenced not just by teachers but by everything around the learner. “Learning spaces,” the physical setting in which one learns is getting more attention as influencing learning.
Continuous assessment and feedback (“assessment FOR learning”) is believed to optimize learning.

Do we even need “teachers”?

Some argue that the role of an educator is to create the environment for learning to occur, often enhanced by peers. You can watch this TED Talk by Sugata Mitra, who coined the term “Minimally invasive education” to describe his work with children in India.
Gaming in education allows peers to collaborate and learn without the aid of experts. It is being shown to have profound effects on learning through focusing attention and increasing effort. It can have special application in medical education when combined with simulated clinical scenarios.

Helpful Links

Competencies and IPE (eLearning)
Best Teaching Practices (eLearning)
Teaching in the Medical Setting (journal article)

4. Application of the Module

Exercise 1

Exercise 1
Exercise 2

As you review the other modules on our website, ask yourself: How are learning principles applied in this module?

5. Next Steps and Coaching

Exercise

Exercise

Please write down 3 things you can do differently based on what you learned in this module.
Try inviting a trusted colleague to watch you during your teaching and ask for feedback.
Use our forum to discuss ideas about teaching with other educators.

6. Summary Points

Summary

Summary

Great teachers have existed for millennia, and many theories and principles have been developed to describe how learning happens, such as:

Andragogy
Mastery learning and deliberate practice
Reflective practice
Social cognitivism and social constructivism
Neurosciences of learning

In any teaching situation, one should consider the following questions:

Who are my learners?
What do I want to teach?
How will I teach my learners?
How will I know what they have learned?

► Resources
- Bing-You RG, Lee R, Trowbridge RL, Varaklis K, Hafler JP. Commentary: principle-based teaching competencies. J Grad Med Educ. 2009 Sep;1(1):100-3.
- Ericsson KA. Acquisition and Maintenance of Medical Expertise: A Perspective From the Expert-Performance Approach With Deliberate Practice. Acad Med. 2015 Nov;90(11):1471-86.
- Fleming M, House S, Hanson VS, Yu L, Garbutt J, McGee R, Kroenke K, Abedin Z, Rubio DM. The Mentoring Competency Assessment: validation of a new instrument to evaluate skills of research mentors. Acad Med. 2013 Jul;88(7):1002-8.
- Knowles M, Holton EF, Swanson RA. The Adult Learner. 8th Edition. New York: Routledge, 2015. Print.
- Mintz M, Southern DA, Ghali WA, Ma IW. Validation of the 25-Item Stanford Faculty Development Program Tool on Clinical Teaching Effectiveness. Teach Learn Med. 2015;27(2):174-81.
- Sandars J. The use of reflection in medical education: AMEE Guide No. 44. Med Teach. 2009 Aug;31(8):685-95.

About the Authors

Rachel Levine, MD, MPH
Associate Professor of Medicine
Co-Director Faculty Development Program in Teaching Skills
Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center
Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine

Sean Tackett, MD, MPH
Instructor of Medicine
Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center
Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine

Module Editor

Joseph Cofrancesco Jr., MD, MPH, FACP
Director of the Institute for Excellence in Education
Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine Institute for Excellence in Education Professor of Medicine
Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine