Open - HETI - NSW Government

What constitutes effective clinical teaching?The educational roleCollaboration and active involvement.Adults like to have input into their learning.Relevance to the clinical duties currentlyrequired of the supervisee, or to their futurecareer plans.Teach the individual: Ascertain what thesupervisee is interested in and then directyour teaching to this motivation. For example:a junior dentist has been limited to providingpatients routine general dental treatment butwishes to develop their skills in crown andbridge work.There may be opportunities to develop theirskills and confidence in this area by encouragingthem to take on more complex tasks as partof their clinical duties with the supervisor’songoing coaching and support.Appropriateness to the level of the supervisee.Teaching by guided questioning.Asking and encouraging thinking.Didactic teaching (lectures) is most effectivewhen you know the knowledge baseof your audience (ask first). A failure of somedidactic teaching is that time is spent teachingsupervisees things they already know.The advantage of guided questioning is thatit reveals what supervisees do know andinvites them to extend their knowledge. Butdon’t turn questioning into a grilling. Make suresupervisees are provided with space to thinkabout their responses and if they require moretime to process what is being taught, offerto continue the discussion later once they havehad a chance to reflect.Setting clear learning goals with the superviseeso expectations are clear. Document SMARTlearning goals: Specific, Measurable, Attainable,Relevant, and Timely. (See page 98 forinformation on setting SMART goals.)Giving feedback so that supervisees know howthey are going. (See page 94 for advice on givingfeedback.)Seeking feedback so that you know howeffective teaching has been.Simply telling people what you expect themto learn will focus their attention in a clinicalencounter.Feedback given and received lets everyoneknow whether the intended outcomes are beingachieved.Adult learning is a collaborative process.FIRST EDITIONHETI The Superguide43