With hands and sight activities students seems to learn a better pace.
For removing sutures, we us dummie arms which simulate a real arm.
A variation on the shower cap brain anatomy has been used at our school and I think it's quite effective. The students take a styrofoam mannequin head (the kind you see in wig shops) and draw the muscles of mastication on them in different colors. It's very instructive because the styrofoam heads are very realistic in terms of the actual size shape and form of the human skull. Pins with labels can be used to mark the various muscles. They can then be removed and shuffled and used as a puzzle to see if the students can place them back in the proper positions. The whole process can be repeated on another mannequin head for the displacement of the bones of the skull or nerve supply or the vasculature.
Robert, this is such a wonderful teaching idea. Thank you for sharing it with us.
Michele Deck
I really like the T shirt idea as I can use this in my Medical Terminology and Anatomy and Physiology class. It's a wonderful idea
Bindu, either look for sales on these items, or have the student bring in their own t-shirt.
Michele Deck
The Incredible Edible Cell is similar to an adapted teaching method that we use to teach our dental hygiene students local anesthesia. The first day of lab, we place large polish sausages in the mouths of our rubber mannequins and have the students practice their very first injection into the sausages. This gives them an idea of the way the needle feels entering the tissue and also helps to relieve some of the initial anxiety of local anesthetic administration before moving onto to fellow student partners. In addition, we make "fake" blood (recipe can be found online) and have the students practice aspirating it out of a cup to represent what a positive aspiration looks like. The students really seem to enjoy this learning experience.
Kelly, thank you for sharing this hands on simulation idea. I agree that this is a great first step before "real people."
Michele Deck
I teach clinical dental hygiene so I think the t-shirt activity would be useful. The students could very easily use a t- shirt to illustrate the oral cavity and it could be very useful to be able to diagram the "inside" and "outside" appearance of the mouth. I think having this kind of visual activity could prove very effective for learning and memorization abilities.
I will have to share this with our A & P instructor. The physical movement is great and reinforces learning. I think if they learned the song on television from a commercial that also sings through the cardiac pathways, it would be fun to incorporate that into the movement on the sheet as well.
What great fun? I call that "edutainment!"
These tools can also be used to deal with classroom management issues.
We actually experienced some classroom bullying with one cohort and I used a cutout paper doll that was given to groups of 3-4 adult learners and they were told to start beating up on this paper doll as if it was the most hated kid on the block and to pull her hair and rip her clothes, punch holes in her clothes and generally deface her.
Then they were provided with scotch tape in attempt to repair the damage.
The object lesson was clear: that scars remain, even though we try to patch things up with individuals we have abused.
lori, I'm glad this dea is one you can adapt and use.
Michele Deck
the shirt idea is great, gets the students more involved in more ways.
Darren, I hope this is one you can adapt to your content.
Michele Deck
DeeAnne, I would love to publish this idea of yours in the Journal of Nurses in Staff Development. Can you email me directly at gamesinc4@aol.com?
Michele Deck
I like the t-shirt idea, we are in vet tech but could do the same thing for animals.
Christopher, this is very true. They sell doll clothes at dollar stores for animals, this can be applied to this also.
Michele Deck
I could implement the object method when it comes to learning the steps of drug administration and the "rights in giving a drug". Example, a clock for the right time to give a drug. I could use a big colored foam #3 for checking a drug label three times. I thought I could use object method too when teaching drug classification. Example, emesis basin for anti-emetics, epi-pen for adrenergics, insulin syringe for anti-diabetics, BP cuff for anti-hypertensives. I like the sheet idea too for keeping track of steps although the lab isin't that big. Therese
Therese, your learners will remember this important content with the objects you dedcribed here.
Michele Deck
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.
