This document discusses facilitating learning in medicine. It begins by outlining the goals and guidelines for the session on facilitating learning, which is making learning as active as possible. It then defines facilitating learning as employing active learning techniques that require learners to construct and comprehend knowledge, such as think-pair-share activities. The document discusses challenges like keeping learners engaged and strategies for effective facilitation, such as knowing your topic, managing time, and summarizing. In the end, learners will understand the difference between teaching and facilitating and discuss strategies to actively engage learners.

1. ENHANCING LEARNING IN
MEDICINE
FACILITATING LEARNING
We’ll kick off at 2.05pm

3. Play your part in making this
as engaging as possible
Keep your mic muted when
not talking
Use the chat box, and the
‘hand up’ function to
contribute
Keep to time
WAYS OF WORKING

4. BY THE END OF THIS SESSION, YOU
WILL BE ABLE TO:
Consider the difference between
‘teaching’ and ‘facilitating’
Discuss strategies for making learning
as active as possible

5. WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO
FACILITATE LEARNING?

7. ‘Active learning describes a
broad range of learning
activities (e.g., flipped
classroom, think-pair-share,
turn and talk, bulleted breaks
during lecture) that require a
learner to “construct”,
understand, and comprehend
the knowledge derived from
their educational experience
“while simultaneously
improving knowledge gain and
recall abilities”’
Graffam B. Active learning in medical
education: strategies for beginning
implementation. Med Teacher. 2007;29:38–
42.

9. THINK OF SOMEONE WHO’S FACILITATED
YOUR LEARNING WELL – WHAT DID THEY DO?

10. ‘Increased content
knowledge, critical thinking,
problem-solving abilities,
and positive attitudes
towards learning have been
noted when inquiry-based
cooperative learning was
compared to traditional
lecture-based learning
formats’
Anderson WL, Mitchell SM, Osgood MP. Comparison of
student performance in cooperative learning and
traditional lecture-based biochemistry classes. Biochem
Mol Biol Educ. 2005;33:387–93.

11. WHAT ARE THE CHALLENGES ASSOCIATED
WITH FACILITATING LEARNING?

13. Ingredients for facilitating
learning
1. Know your audience and topic
2. Plan for effective use of time
3. Check your room (virtual or physical) and resources
4. ‘Set the scene’
5. Kick things off
6. Have strategies at hand to make the most of group
discussion
7. Summarise and signpost

14. BY THE END OF THIS SESSION, YOU
WILL BE ABLE TO:
Consider the difference between
‘teaching’ and ‘facilitating’
Discuss strategies for making learning
as active as possible

15. REFERENCES:
Anderson WL, Mitchell SM, Osgood MP.
Comparison of student performance in
cooperative learning and traditional lecture-
based biochemistry classes. Biochem Mol
Biol Educ. 2005;33:387–93.
Bucklin, B.A., Asdigian, N.L., Hawkins, J.L. et
al. Making it stick: use of active learning
strategies in continuing medical
education. BMC Med Educ 21, 44 (2021).
https://doi.org/10.1186/s12909-020-
02447-0