Personal Philosophy of Teaching Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Personal Philosophy of Teaching - Essay Example Such learner-centred approach is based on active and reflective learning which is also founded on the learner’s motivation to learn. This type of learning however, needs the participation and assistance of clinician-educators working with the learners as facilitators. This paper shall discuss my personal philosophy of teaching psychiatry to junior doctors in the psychiatric work place. It will also demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the principles underpinning the structure of learning and supervision in the medical workplace. This essay will also articulate and justify my personal philosophy of teaching and identify potential future needs and opportunities for engagement with continuing professional development. Body In teaching psychiatry to junior doctors, I applied the student-centred approach, more specifically, the case-based learning approach. Case-based learning is a valuable tool in medicine because it involves the application of theories and skills which are eventually meant to secure important tools for the learner (Kolodner, Hmelo, and Narayanan, 2003). Case-based learning is founded on the principle of clinical cognition which, in general, seeks to assess cases and establish applicable processes for their resolution (Elstein and Schwarz, 2002). John Dewey describes the theory of clinical cognition by explaining that experiences are often critical elements which impact on the overall quality of learning and that teachers have a responsibility to ensure optimal experiences in its applications (Kassirer, 2010). In effect, he further posits that teaching experiences â€Å"should arouse curiosity, enhance personal initiative, and allow free expression of learners’ ideas† (Kassirer, 2010, p. 1118). The knowledge which a student has learned through experience in any situation therefore becomes the tool in understanding and managing other situations which may follow. I used this case-based learning because through this method, I was able to guide the junior doctors into establishing a vivid picture of their patient, to have a more tactile experience of the patient’s case, and to enable comparisons of abnormal and normal psychiatric processes. A discussion by Halbreich (1994) established that part of the processes involved in teaching psychiatry to general practitioners is based on the establishment of a curriculum which is built on the needs of the GPs. The case-based and the problem-based techniques help designate the personal skills which need to be evaluated, the knowledge of symptoms, the differential diagnosis, as well as the management tools which they can apply (Halbreich, 1994). In effect, the learning process founded on the case-based approach involves the process of teaching GPs about the essential symptoms involving psychiatric affectations (Coderre, et.al., 2003). As the learners would have a more personal evaluation of various patient cases, they are also able to establish appropriate management interventions for these cases. I found that the process of teaching junior doctors about the medical management of psychosis in wards can be adequately carried out with the application of the case-based learning. Policy and practice protocols in medical management among psychiatric patients, involves the usual elements including, history-taking, reasons for consult, prioritisation of patient needs, assessment, identification of need for specialist consult, health plan/interventions (Bowen, 2006). Case-based