Reflections on the flipped classroom

Dr Andy Brereton, Clinical Teaching Fellow

Andy teaching on the TIME course for new BSMS educators

I joined the Department of Medical Education at BSMS, in October 2016, as a Teaching Fellow. One of my motivations for applying for the job was the belief that this faculty could support me in my development as an educator. By refining my teaching skills, understanding and embedding technology (TEL), I would in turn, be providing the best recipe for learning.

Key to developing as a teacher I challenged myself to ask;

  • What motivates me to teach in a certain way?
  • Do I repeatedly use the same teaching method to deliver the key points of a session?

Today I facilitated a seminar (Week 5) on sepsis for my SSC in Module 103 #shocked using the flipped classroom approach.

This was the first time I had provided students with reading material (http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa010307) and asked them to read it pre-session. This morning’s session was then spent collectively exploring the pathophysiology of sepsis and the evidence behind current clinical guidelines by critiquing appraising this sentinel paper (pre session reading material).

From my observation, this was the most interactive seminar so far and I’m pleased I tried something new! Better still, the students appeared to thoroughly enjoy the session.

Note to self: Be open to change…