Small Group Teaching

I was teaching the medical students in a small group of about 15 'vaginal wall prolapse'. I had to draw diagrams and explain the mechanism of development of the prolapse and its repair. As I sat down drawing the diagram on a piece of paper and they stood in a half circle around me, I happened to look up and notice consternation on the face of many of them. I could make out the reason for that. “I will hold up the paper and show the diagrams to everyone,” I said, “don’t worry”. Their faces cleared. “I had a very traumatic experience as a student”, I said. “There was a lecturer in ENT who was teaching us something to do the ear surgery, drawing a diagram on a small piece of paper. But he kept the paper down on the table and kept explaining with the help of the diagram. Only the three or four students standing in front of him could see that and understand it. I was in the back row and couldn’t see a thing. So I started looking at the ceiling. That must have bothered him. ‘If you are not interested in my teaching, go away’ he said to me. I decided it wasn’t worth explaining my apparent lack of interest, since as a teacher he couldn’t understand the inadequacy of his teaching method. So I turned and started to go away. The other students immediately told him I was a good student, and there was a mistake. So he allowed me to stay, but did not improve his teaching method. I learnt what not to do from his behavior. So I always hold up the diagram and show it to all the students. I hope you will also learn from inadequacies of other people how to be adequate yourselves in your behavior with others.” They seemed to like the idea. And as I held up the paper to show it to all, I realized that it was a better method than drawing in a notebook and holding it up, because I could see my diagram from the back side of the paper too (owing to its translucency) and point out relevant areas while they continued to observe it from the other side. Beats both the students and me looking at the same paper at the same time, when they face me.