Being An Updated Health Lecturer

By Connie Sears


The learning environment is posing a unique challenge to the health lecturer and raising the bar on expectations. Increasing number of dental, medical and nursing students requires a rethinking of strategy. More specialization in career requires better and deeper understanding of content. There is a call for implementation of new learning methods that makes it easier to understand concepts.

Lecturing today requires a great deal of interactive learning in line with the new curriculum. Students are learning in smaller groups and require that their enthusiasm be maintained in all ways possible. Laptops, tablet computers and PDAs have also been introduced changing the paradigm of learning. This requires lecturers to abandon old learning models and adopt the interactive, self-paced and customized options.

Policy makers want a reduction in hours spent in class regurgitating notes. This is considered passive learning and must be replaced by active and participatory methods. These methods are more productive. Systematic phasing out has seen an end to traditional lecturing. It is worth noting that productivity or lack thereof of a lecture does not depend on numbers.

Lecturers should understand that they are not there to read notes to the students. The session should be compared to a dance where the student and the lecturer participate. There is transmission of energy between the two parties. This energy is given and received in form of words, content and how it is delivered. The exchange and consequent reaction becomes an inspiration to the other party. The student must see the possibility of transformation through a single lecture.

There is value in the presence of a lecturer that cannot be delivered when a student follows an online module or reads a book. Real time delivery which is only possible during a physical lecture adds greater value. A lecture goes beyond information into inspiring a learner and engaging his or her imagination. It should be easier and better to understand a concept during a lecture than when one reads.

Students can turn to books or electronic resources for information. A lecture must be animated by the mind and heart of the lecture. Similar enthusiasm should be transferred to the learner to capture the heart and mind as well. Such a reflection allows students to see their future through the lecture session.

The result of a successful lecture should not be confined to passing examination, getting good grades and the resulting certificate. It should be the source of new connections, imaginations and questions in life. It should shape and make clearer the careers and lives of the students.

To achieve this, one must create a story format for every topic. There must be a beginning, development and end. The beginning is a problem that seeks answers. This is where curiosity, suspense and expectations are created. The lecture then transforms into a quest for answers.

The delight and enthusiasm of a health lecturer is reflected in the students. Delivering in this manner ensures that their expectations are met. You should not be surprised when your students ask a question you have never thought about. Your perspectives on the topic will be passed on to them like flu.




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