Setting the Stage to Advance Teaching in Medical Education: Development of Pedagogical Content Knowledge

 From the 3/5/2021 newsletter

Perspective/Opinion

Setting the Stage to Advance Teaching in Medical Education: Development of Pedagogical Content Knowledge

 

by Kristina Kaljo, PhD, and Erica Chou, MD, Medical College of Wisconsin, and Jennifer Brownson, PhD, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee

 

Drs. Kaljo, Chou and Brownson share how their KINETIC3 workshop, "The Art of Teaching" is grounded in the principles of improvisation and theater - effective skillsets to incorporate when presenting complex content in medical school...

 

Preparing and advancing medical educators is a multifaceted process that requires a deep understanding of complex content, instructional methods, and diverse learner needs. Historically, medical educators do not receive formal teacher training, yet it is well documented that quality of instruction has significant impact on knowledge acquisition (Shulman, 1986). By bridging together an educator’s rich subject-matter knowledge with effective pedagogical skills, learners have the opportunity to experience transformational teaching. Pedagogical Content Knowledge (PCK) is the unique knowledge and skillset that educators have to effectively teach content using various tools and methods to engage learners (Lamb & Firestone, 2018). To foster this skill of engagement, we developed and facilitated a KINETIC³ workshop grounded in the principles of improvisation (Fu, 2019) and theater (Singh, 2004).

A unique, interprofessional team was established including Dr. Jennifer Brownson from University of Milwaukee’s School of Education, Dr. Chou and Dr. Kaljo. Of course, due to the impact of COVID-19, this two-hour ‘Art of  Teaching’ workshop was facilitated synchronously via Zoom. Theater, the stage and performance served as a literal backdrop. Participants progressed through three ‘acts’: creating your lesson, delivering your lesson, and adapting to the audience. Supported by the experiential learning framework (Kolb, 2014), participants explored and applied strategies within their own teaching. This included improvisation activities such as Mirrors and Half-Life, to encourage attunement and to practice editing teaching content. Sociodrama methods were also integrated to explore various learner perspectives and attitudes, and ways to adapt teaching.

The workshop was offered twice in the fall of 2020 with 38 participants: faculty across ranks, experience levels and specialties, nurses, trainees including: residents, fellows, and postdocs, and other academic teaching staff. By ‘setting the stage’ and modeling effective presentation strategies for medical educators, this workshop provided experiences and concrete opportunities to explore their teaching practice. Even in the virtual environment, engagement was apparent in the ways in which participants asked questions, reflected in the Zoom chatbox, and analyzed case scenarios. 

Theater and medical improvisation are unconventional but important pedagogical skills to incorporate within one’s teaching practice. Bridging these skills with existing subject-matter expertise, participants establish a foundation of pedagogical content knowledge to effectively present complex content. 

KINETIC3 is a supportive environment for medical educators to explore and apply educational theory and a pedagogical practice to encourage professional risk taking. We encourage you to apply for the upcoming KINETIC3 program!

Kristina Kaljo, PhD, is an Assistant Professor and Clerkship Co-Director in the Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology at MCW, specializing in curriculum and instruction, educational research and community-engaged research. She is a member of the Faculty Pillar of the Robert D. and Patricia E. Kern Institute for the Transformation of Medical Education.

Erica Chou, MD, is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Pediatrics at MCW. She leads the Interprofessional Education (IPE) thread in the undergraduate medical education curriculum, and is a member of the Curriculum Pillar of the Robert D. and Patricia E. Kern Institute for the Transformation of Medical Education. 

Jennifer Brownson, PhD, is a lecturer in the School of Education at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.