Teaching Methods

In no particular order, here are some of the teaching methods I employ.

Writing Prompts

We often begin class with a writing prompt. The prompt is shown onscreen, or a handout is provided. This in-class personal narrative is “stream of consciousness” –meaning spontaneous and impressionistic. While social-scientific prose is written in the third person, with a minimum of personal pronouns, this assignment welcomes personal experience. Students are encouraged to write about their experiences, but they are also reminded of their right to privacy. If they would rather not share personal details, there are other forms of writing I suggest. For example, the student can anonymize by fictionalizing certain identifying details, or, they can write about a movie, TV show, video game or book. The handwritten in-class personal narratives are ‘first drafts’ so spelling and grammar are of secondary importance. Students  hone their story-telling skills, connecting to feelings as well as intellect. After writing, volunteers read their narrative out loud, or summarize it extemporaneously. Others are encouraged to relate their own experiences to what was shared. Even if they cannot relate to the specific content, they are encouraged to try and relate to the feelings being expressed. The idea is to give a prompt which may raise issues that will later be under discussion in the lecture. With any luck, I can refer to what volunteers shared to illustrate the course content, which brings students into the picture. For Health Communication, we are all experts on health, because we are our bodies, with organs and bodily processes, aches and pains. We care for others who are ill, and we are also clients and consumers of health care products and procedures. Therefore, in a real sense, we have first hand knowledge of our own health from a sensible, embodied perspective.

Here is an example of a writing prompt:

Positionality and Intersectionality

Positionality refers to awareness of where and how we are located in the world. Our age; gender; nationality; place of birth; family of origin; skin color and other identity positions (both ascribed and avowed).

Intersectionality helps us see that we are never only one thing. For example, yes, I am a middle aged white man, but that is not all that I am. I am also half Canadian and half American. I am a cultural mix of Jewish and WASP. I am also a son to my parents; an older brother to my younger sister and brother; an uncle to my nephew; a consumer to businesses; a Professor to my students; and so on. If I were a Venn diagram I would be a number of overlapping circles.

First, write about your unique life history and family of origin. You may wish to include your your kinship relations; where you grew up; where you work; what your major is, etc. Write about affiliations and cultural groups that you have gravitated towards or chosen. You may also wish to talk about how you may have been labelled by others in a way that does not capture the many facets of your identity.  Consider how your unique position has influenced your view of the world.

Second, consider the many different persons you are according to different people and/or institutions in your lives. For example, as a sibling; an offspring; a student; a worker; a friend. As a group member; a demographic; etc. How do these subject positions “intersect” with one another?

Discussion Boards

One of the learning outcomes in Communication courses is to demonstrate the ability to communicate across various channels and modalities, including orally and in writing. The discussion boards are a way to leverage lessons from the readings and lectures, by supplementing them with further readings or multimedia. For each week, I post a prompt on the discussion board, with a link to an article, webpage, or video. After they have clicked on the link, they are asked a series of open ended questions, designed to show their recall of information, and their critical engagement with the underlying issues. Students are required to post their own ‘thread’ within the weekly discussion forum on Blackboard. The forum includes a starter thread from ‘anonymous’ which models an appropriate response to the prompts. After writing about one page, they read other threads written by their classmates and reply to at least three. Their replies are at least one paragraph. The style of writing is prose, in complete sentences, but in a relatively informal or conversational style. They are encouraged to give their threads unique headlines which stand out from the others. Here is an example of one of the Discussion Board forums:

Communicating Empathy

In this prompt, I’d like you to watch some videos and respond to some questions. The first one is a TED Talk from 2007, given by Dr. Daniel Goleman, who wrote the book Emotional Intelligence and others. The talk is about developing compassion:

I wondered if Goleman had anything to say about compassion in a health care setting, and I found this short video:

In your response I’d like you consider these questions:

1) What is your reaction to these videos?
2) How does this topic apply to health care settings?
3) What are the potential benefits and risks of being compassionate?
4) Can you share a personal experience related to the topic of empathy?

Don’t forget to pose a discussion question, and respond to at least three other three other threads.

Impromptu Speeches

Impromptu Speeches are often “low stakes” in that, students receive full credit for giving it a shot. Any assigned letter grade is for learning purposes but does not affect their grade. I describe impromptu assignments as a chance for students to “flex” their “public speaking muscles.” Based on my belief that learning communication does not come solely from reading a textbook and taking quizzes, impromptu speeches are a proverbial “sandbox” where students can practice and try out different approaches. Health professionals don’t always have time to prepare a formal speech, and usually, students have only minimal preparation time to deliver their impromptu. Here are some examples of impromptu speech assignments.

Common Diagnoses: Ask Me Three

• • Practice “Ask Me Three”
  • Take turns being provider and patient
  • Provider chooses a condition from a list of conditions
  • Provider conducts on the spot research
  • Explains it to patient
  • Three main points
    • What is the main problem?
    • Why is it important?
    • What does the patient need to do?
  • Get the patient to repeat back what you said
  • Switch

Providers will research the topic on the internet using credible sources (Medline Plus, CDC, Mayo Clinic, Cleveland Clinic)

15 most common diagnoses:

1. 1. Hypertension
   2. Hyperlipidemia
   3. Diabetes
   4. Back pain
   5. Anxiety
   6. Obesity
   7. Allergic rhinitis
   8. Reflux esophagitis
   9. Respiratory problems
   10. Hypothyroidism
   11. Visual refractive errors
   12. General medical exam
   13. Osteoarthritis
   14. Fibromyalgia / myositis
   15. Malaise and fatigue
   16. Pain in joint
   17. Acute laryngopharyngitis
   18. Acute maxillary sinusitis
   19. Major depressive disorder
   20. Acute bronchitis
   21. Asthma
   22. Depressive disorder
   23. Nail fungus
   24. Coronary atherosclerosis
   25. Urinary tract infection

Source: https://www.practicefusion.com/blog/25-most-common-diagnoses

Next, compose a brief speaking outline using this format:

Title: Name of Diagnosis

Introduction

Attention getter: Say unusual fact about this condition or disease or tell anecdote about someone with it.

State topic: State name and nicknames for condition/ disease, and describe it in one or two sentences.

Credibility: Tell the audience where you found the information you will present.

Relevance: State why it matters.

Preview: Give preview of what you will talk about.

Body

Main Point One: What is the main problem?

• • Talk about the symptoms, causes etc.
  • Tell the audience any reasons or risk factors for this disease or condition.
    • For example, smoking is a risk factor for hypertension.
    • Remember to cite your source out loud by saying “According to…”

Main Point Two: Why is it important?

• • Causes and consequences of not treating
  • Tell them what could result from not addressing the disease or condition.
    • For example, untreated hypertension can lead to heart attack or stroke

Main Point Three: What do I need to do?

• • Talk about how to manage or treat this condition/disease.
    • Talk about medical treatments but also include non-medical interventions, such as diet, exercise, quitting smoking, etc.

Conclusion

Briefly restate each main point.

The next impromptu speech operationalizes the health belief model, a highly influential framework for understanding the perception of health risks.

Health Belief Model Impromptu Speech

The Health Belief Model (HBM) is a staple of health psychology and communication. Social psychologists Rosenstock & Leventhal at the U.S. Public Health Service wanted to figure out why screening programs for tuberculosis were not that successful. They wondered, why don’t people prevent disease or get screened for disease? They came up with these psychological variables that determine how people assess a threat:

Perceived Susceptibility

The person wonders, who is at risk for this? Am I?

• • • Example: “COVID affects the elderly and immune compromised. I’m neither of those so I don’t need to worry about it too much.”

Perceived Severity

The person wonders, if I did catch it, how severe could it get?

• • • Example: “Even if I did catch it, it probably wouldn’t be fatal.”

Perceived Benefits

They wonder, what are the benefits of doing the recommended behavior to prevent this?

• • • Example “They say avoid large crowds indoors. But hey, I’m a social person.”

Perceived Barriers

They ask, what stands in the way of me adopting the disease prevention recommendations?

• • • Example: “I would social distance, but I have to go to work.”

Self-Efficacy

This term refers to somebody’s belief in their ability to make a change.

• • • Example: “I don’t think I’ll be able to quarantine much longer.”

Cue to Action

When learning about a health risk, people want to know, how do I avoid it?

• • • Example: “Ok, I admit it. I haven’t been that careful. So how do I be more careful?”

In this impromptu speech, talk about a disease, injury or affliction in terms of HBM. Pretend you are addressing someone at-risk. Do research and consider these questions:

What is it?—First, state what disease/condition you chose to speak about

Who is at-risk?—Find out what populations are most at risk (Susceptibility)

How sick can you get?—Find out about how it progresses if untreated (Severity)

How do you avoid it?—What can somebody to do avoid it (Cue to Action)

Do I have what it takes?—Give them confidence that they can avoid it (Self-efficacy)

What stands in the way?—Help them identify any road-blocks (Barriers)

Rosenstock, Irwin (1974). “Historical Origins of the Health Belief Model”. Health Education & Behavior. 2 (4): 328–335. doi:10.1177/109019817400200403. hdl:10983/3123. S2CID 72995618.