TEACHING STRATEGIES

 

TEACHING TO OBJECTIVES

It is important for you, as an ECSI Instructor, to know what to present in a particular course. You will need to be able to address the specific needs of your audience. Although it may be difficult to meet everyone’s needs, the information presented should meet the needs of the majority of the class. You will not be able to be all things to all people at all times. The number of participants, time restrictions, available equipment, and facility limitations can pose challenges.

 

Some people get confused when objectives are mentioned. Objectives (or outcomes) are carefully spelled out in the lesson plans in this manual for the benefit of the course participant and the ECSI Instructor.

 

Objectives are the road maps that help the participants know what their destination should be, and they provide ECSI Instructors with guidelines and directions for designing learning activities that will move the participants in that direction. Objectives describe the learning that is expected to occur during the course.

 

If you, the ECSI Instructor, specify the course objectives and the participants attain those objectives, effective learning will occur. When people contribute their experiences to a situation, they may carry learning above and beyond what is specified in the objectives. A behavioral objective means that some observable change is to take place as a result of the training provided. Such an objective identifies not what you will be doing but rather what the participant will have learned or will be able to do upon finishing the course.

 

For most courses, the participant will need only two basic objectives:

  1. Be able to recognize a specific problem (eg, heart attack) through various signs and symptoms.
  2. Be able to describe and/or apply proper procedures to care for the problem. How much material should be covered in a specified time and the manner in which the material should be presented differ from person to person. This is especially true with adults, who bring to each learning situation different personal and professional goals, requirements, attitudes, and needs. Consequently, a particular course outline or objective that works well for one group of participants may not work well with another group.

 

As the ECSI Instructor, you must constantly be aware of your pace and then be prepared to speed up or slow down as needed. You must be flexible, ready to modify your program to meet the needs of the group.

 

TEACHING METHODOLOGIES

As objectives provide the road map to the learning destination, teaching methods provide the vehicle to reach the destination. The number of participants, their backgrounds, time restrictions, available equipment, and the facility will also affect the teaching method that is used.

 

Various teaching methods can be used to teach emergency care programs, as described next.

 

Lecture

There are certain situations, such as when initially discussing a new skill, in which lectures are necessary. Although lecturing is a traditional teaching method, and works when time is a critical concern, it limits instructor–participant interaction and should be limited since it does not always create the most effective learning environment.

 

Discussion

Material can be presented by involving participants in discussions. This allows for good group interaction and allows participants to learn from each other. ECSI Instructors need to control discussion and keep participants on task.

 

Group Activities

Participants can work in small groups to solve a problem or determine a course of action for a given scenario. This method also creates good interaction, but requires ECSI Instructor involvement to keep the groups on task.

 

Demonstration

Using step-by-step techniques, ECSI Instructor demonstrations help participants understand proper care techniques. DVDs can also be used to show proper care techniques. DVDs allow for a standardized demonstration from class to class.

 

Skill Practice Sessions

Participants usually learn more from actual hands-on practice. Providing participants with time to practice skills will greatly enhance their understanding and ability to perform when needed.

 

Case Studies

In case studies, participants are presented with a situation that they need to solve. Participants analyze the case, searching for signs of an emergency and identifying proper care. Case studies also allow for discussion of what went well and what might have been done differently.

 

Role-Playing

In role-playing, participants role-play various situations while their classmates attempt to manage the situation they are faced with. This method provides for great interaction; however, it will not be effective if participants are shy, fail to understand their roles, are not willing to actively participate, or get off task.

 

As an ECSI Instructor, you need to identify the best methods to use for the group you are teaching. No one method is superior to another. You and your participants will benefit from various teaching methods. Try some of the following suggestions:

– Present the information in a concise manner.

– Have participants watch a demonstration.

– Have participants perform the appropriate skills.

– Remediate participant performance as needed.

 

 

 

 

© 2013 Jones & Bartlett Learning, LLC, an Ascend Learning Company     www.jblearning.com