Philosophy

There are three general groups of learners that I teach: those in the clinical setting, those in the classroom, and patients and their families. While my teaching philosophies are informed by and adapt based on my setting and audience, the overarching philosophy that largely encompasses my teaching is Humanism. Humanism is the pursuit of creating lifelong learners with the motivation and tools needed to seek out and gain new knowledge. A teacher can inspire leaners by creating a psychologically and educationally supportive and safe environment. A humanistic teaching style meets the learner in their current needs, recognizes the learning limitations of their current environment, and never forces knowledge onto others. Humanism teaching connects learning with utility, leading to fulfillment.

In the clinical setting

Teaching is a precious opportunity, but every moment is not an opportunity. Learners might not learn from every teacher, or the learning may be limited. In the context of clinical medicine, teaching is often done during a busy workday, despite heavily competing demands. I enjoy teaching most when helping individual’s overcome learning barriers and identifying a unique explanation that results in break-through knowledge acquisition, application, and retention. Some supplementary philosophies that help me accomplish this are pragmatism and progressivism. Pragmatic teaching focuses on knowledge and skills that are of practical use to the learner. Pragmatic teaching is adaptable to current technologies and lifestyles. Progressivist teaching takes this one step further to connect learning to action by emphasizing the relevance of the learning to the life, career, and abilities of the learner.

In the classroom

During protected learning, I quickly work to gain the trust of learners, use innovative teaching styles to address specific learning objectives, and promote retention by connecting learning to a future application. I enjoy engaging discussions, the use of humor, and thoughtful and appealing visuals. I enjoy using innovation through technology and gamification to make learning engaging. I find that competition, when accompanied by psychological safety, brings tremendous engagement.

Patients and their families

Teaching families about medical conditions is one of the biggest gifts of medicine. I believe it is imperative to gain the trust of families and limit your teaching to practical, or pragmatic, take-home points. By taking time to understand a family’s knowledge, I can focus my teaching to meet their needs.

“Teaching is a precious opportunity, but every moment is not an opportunity.”

References

Gandhi MH, Mukherji P. Learning Theories. [Updated 2022 Jul 19]. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2023 Jan-. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK562189/
Indeed Editorial Team. “12 Common Teaching Philosophies (With Definitions).” Published on: 24 Jun 2022. Accessed on 1 Jun 2023. Accessed at: https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/career-development/teaching-philosophies.
Elkjaer, Bente. (2009). Pragmatism: A learning theory for the future. Contemporary Theories of Learning. 74-89.