Get Your Students Hired
I CURRENTLY TEACH SONOGRAPHY. IN SONOGRAPHY WE SCAN MULTIPLE ORGANS WITHIN THE BODY. ONE OF THE MOST DIFFICULT AREAS FOR STUDENTS IS THE ABDOMINAL VISCERAL ORGANS AND VASCULAR LANDMARKS.
THE LECTURE INSTRUCTOR AND LAB INSTRUCTOR BOTH USE PLAYDOUGH ON WHITE POSTER PAPER TO HELP THE STUDENTS LEARN EVERY VEIN AND ARTERY WITHIN THE ABDOMINAL CAVITY. THE STUDENTS REALLY LOVE AND LEARN FROM THE VISUAL EFFECTS OF THE VARIOUS PLAYDOUGH COLORS.
The T-shirt idea is great! I've used candy, along with other items, like cotton balls, to create the male/female reproductive system and urinary system. The students had a blast!
I have my students create models of the cell or different body systems using any supplies they have available. I have had many respiratory models made from straws and balloons. I've have also had Cells created from food (macaroni, beans), styrofoam, pipe cleaners, and play dough....I may also have them go to any craft or dollar store and pick up small items like buttons, candy, beads, etc.
This makes the learning more interactive and gives them 3D models to visualize structures and their locations.
Because knowledge of brain structure and function is so fundamental to an understanding of psychiatric disorders, I would like to reinforce this knowledge utilizing the Shower Cap Brain Anatomy in my psychiatric nursing class. I will add activities addressing the neurotransmitters related to mental illnesses as well as the medications used to treat them.
Sandy Mishkin
Since we don't have enough room for the king-size sheet, an adaptive method for this might be to draw each component on a poster board. Mix them up and place boards on the floor or table face down. Each student picks up a board and as a group they arrange each other in the order of flow. (Each student should place themselves in the right spot.) Also, the student should verbalize what part they play in cardiac circulation.
i agree that the tshirt method is a good activity for anatomy and medical terms. we can include using stethoscope in accessing where to put it on the patient so i can use it in clinical procedures. I am interested also in the story of life and may have to give it a try in one of my classes.
I like the idea for CPR listing the steps. I would get poster board and cut it into long strips then hand write the steps for CPR including some steps that are wrong. I would make a few copies of these. I would break my class up into two or three groups, depending on the size, have the student race to see what group gets the steps in the correct order first. The group that wins I give a little goofy prize. This game can be played with the many different steps for CPR/AED/First Aid.
Visual and Kinesthetic Teaching Tools: Part 1
What method could be adapted to best fit a diffcult part of your content, and what changes would you make.
I typically have my students create a project for their Mid-term called, Stepping outside of the box, but of course those that are already creative inclined do great. I think adding the shirt- anatomy for this section of my courses would be awesome - I would put them into teams to work on the best shirts.
Everyone would inturn be engaged, have fun and understand the concept being taught.
Love this concept.
I teach dental hygiene, to teach dental anatomy we have students carve wax or mold clay to form teeth so they can learn the intricate anatomy of individual teeth.
Heather, I like your adaptation here, as it will allow some hands on and some visual work as well.
Michele Deck
One difficult content area that I used to teach was the circulation of the heart. I used to present it in lecture format and then use a model of the heart from the skills lab to visually show the blood flow. I love the teaching strategy- Cardiac circulation sheet. It is a way to teach a difficult content area but yet make it fun. By participating in this interactive way the students can visualize the pathway through the heart as they study. Great for visual and hands on learners.
I really liked the flat sheet and shower cap activities. These are activites that I can adjust for my surgical anatomy lessons. I could have the students draw the incisions and then the anatomy underneath.
Therese, your learners will remember this important content with the objects you dedcribed here.
Michele Deck