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Essential Skills for a Medical Teacher, 3rd Edition

An Introduction to Teaching and Learning in Medicine
Authors :
Ronald M. Harden & Jennifer M Laidlaw
Date of Publication: 06/2020
Perfect for new teachers in undergraduate, postgraduate, or continuing education, as well as more experienced educators who want to assess, improve, and gain new perspectives on teaching and learning, Essential Skills for a Medical Teacher is a usefu ...view more

Perfect for new teachers in undergraduate, postgraduate, or continuing education, as well as more experienced educators who want to assess, improve, and gain new perspectives on teaching and learning, Essential Skills for a Medical Teacher is a useful, easy-to-read professional resource. This book offers a concise introduction to the field of medical education, with key coverage of educational models and theory that can help inform teaching practice. Clear illustrations and practical tips throughout make it an excellent starting point for those new to the field of medical education or who want to facilitate more effective learning for their students or trainees.

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Perfect for new teachers in undergraduate, postgraduate, or continuing education, as well as more experienced educators who want to assess, improve, and gain new perspectives on teaching and learning, Essential Skills for a Medical Teacher is a useful, easy-to-read professional resource. This book offers a concise introduction to the field of medical education, with key coverage of educational models and theory that can help inform teaching practice. Clear illustrations and practical tips throughout make it an excellent starting point for those new to the field of medical education or who want to facilitate more effective learning for their students or trainees.


New to this edition

Significant developments will be highlighted throughout this revised edition including the case for ‘just-in-time’ learning, the concept of learning and technology not learning technology, the implementation in practice of competency based education, a fundamental rethink of assessment with programmatic assessment and the development of the role of the student and the patient as partners in the education process.

  • The text will be updated with recent references with regard to the importance of the teacher and educational concepts such as feedback and individualisation. Reference will be made to the role of the teacher as a scholar and professional as noted in the new book ‘The eight roles of the Medical Teacher’ where the themes are described in more detail. Outcome/competency based education has been an important development in medical education and this will be reflected in the new edition.
  • The section on addressing teaching and learning methods will be revised recognising developments in our understanding of the relation between learning and technology, the importance of the teacher’s tool kit and the increasing options within it. The difference between individualised learning, personalised learning, personal learning and differentiated learning will be clarified.
  • The section on the curriculum will be maintained and will reflect developments in curriculum planning including curriculum mapping.
  • The final section on assessment will present the developments in the area including the closer integration of assessment into the education programme and the challenges of relating assessment to the competencies and outcomes as described in Section 2. The role of self-assessment will be emphasised.

Key Features
  • Provides hints drawn from practical experience that help you create powerful learning opportunities for your students, with readable guidelines and new techniques that can be adopted for use in any teaching program.
  • Includes new coverage of "just-in-time" learning, entrustable professional activities, steps on introducing outcome/competency-based education, selecting a teaching method, programmatic assessment, self-assessment, the student and patient as partners in the education process, the changing role of the teacher, bringing about change, and the future of medical education.
  • Covers recent developments in our understanding of the relationship between learning and technology, as well as curriculum planning and curriculum mapping.
  • Offers practical advice from leading international expert Professor Ronald Harden and co-author Jennifer Laidlaw, who has designed and taught many courses for medical teachers.
  • Prompts you to reflect on your own performance as an educator, as well as analyze with colleagues the different ways that your work can be approached and how your students’ or trainees’ learning can be made more effective.
  • Expert Consult™ eBook version included with purchase. This enhanced eBook experience allows you to search all of the text, figures, and references from the book on a variety of devices.

Author Information
By Ronald M. Harden, OBE MD FRCP(Glas) FRCSEd FRCPC, Professor (Emeritus) Medical Education, University of Dundee, UK, Editor Medical Teacher and Jennifer M Laidlaw, DipEdTech MMEd, Formerly Assistant Director, Education Development Unit, Scottish Council for Postgraduate Medical and Dental Education and the University of Dundee, Dundee, UK