Wednesday, September 25, 2013
Wikis for Collaborative Learning and Knowledge Construction
For this blog, I developed an 8 week lesson plan incorporating Wikis for my dental hygiene students.
Normally, when I teach my dental hygiene students regularly I like to use pictures while they're working to see their technique and show any discrepancies from the "proper form".
1) Title of the Lesson
Instrumentation in the Clinic
2) Target Audience
The target audience for this project is the first year dental hygiene students; students who recently began the dental hygiene program and are learning how to use dental instruments for the first time.
3) Learning/ Training Techniques
The student will learn a new dental instrument each week and be required to show "proper instrumentation form" and be able to explain what specific teeth each instrument is used for.
The student will also use multiple pictures and resources to detail their experience with different dental cleaning instruments as they progress with adding the different techniques associated with each dental instrument.
4) Materials needed
The needed materials are a device with digital camera capabilities (i.e. smart phone, Ipad, Webcam on a computer, digital camera). Also the Essentials of Dental Hygiene textbook is needed.
5) Instruction Procedure/ Learning Procedure/ Class Outline and Methods
Classroom: In the classroom the students will learn about each specific instrument and how the special design differentiates from the other instruments. The students will view power point videos to help retain the information. Practice skulls will also be used to help students learn the normal dental anatomy found and the variations of dental anatomy will be discussed using power points.
Simulation: In simulation lab the students will be able to use the classroom knowledge that they developed and practice their instrumentation form on "Manny the Mannequin" while under the supervision of instructors.
Clinic: After the instructor believes that the student is comfortable and ready to work on another individual, the student will move into the dental clinic to practice on another student "peer" to work on their instrumentation form on an individual and learn the different dental anatomy of others.
6) Suggested Learning Activities
Week 1
Read chapter 1 of the text.
Go over the dental anatomy with the practice skulls.
Post 1 picture of abnormal dental anatomy without the name of the variation on your own Wiki page.
Comment on at least 2 other students dental anatomy Wiki posts by guessing what abnormal anatomy it is.
Week 2
Read chapters 2 & 3 of the text
Go over the differences between all of the instruments in the student's instrument kit.
Practice using an anterior scaler on Manny.
Post 1 picture of yourself doing instrumentation with the anterior scaler and include any comments on how to change your form to make the instrumentation perfect. (The picture only has to include the mannequin's mouth and a full view of your instrumentation hand).
Week 3
Read chapter 7 of the text.
Go over all of the instruments in the student's instrument kit.
Complete the first competency (Pass/Fail) of instrumenting with the anterior scaler using the "Instrumentation" rubric.
Practice instrumenting with a posterior scaler.
Post 1 picture of yourself doing instrumentation with the posterior scaler and include any comments on how to change your form to make the instrumentation perfect
Week 4
Complete the first competency if you did not pass the first time.
Complete the second competency of instrumenting with the posterior scaler using the "Instrumentation" rubric.
Practice using a universal curette on the clinic floor practicing on a peer.
Post 1 picture of yourself doing instrumentation with the posterior scaler and include any comments on how to change your form to make the instrumentation perfect.
Week 5
Read chapters 5 & 8 of the text.
Complete any previously failed competencies.
Complete the third competency of instrument with the universal scaler using the "Instrumentation" rubric.
Practice using both a 13/14 and 7/8 gracey curette.
Post 1 picture of yourself doing instrumentation with the 13/14 and 7/8 gracey curette and include any comments on how to change your form to make the instrumentation perfect
Week 6
Read chapter 4 of the text.
Complete any failed competencies.
Complete the fourth and fifth competency on the 13/14 and 7/8 gracey curette.
Practicing using the "pig's tail" explorer and "shepherd's hook" explorer.
Post 1 picture of yourself doing instrumentation with the "pig's tail" and "shepherd's hook" explorer and include any comments on how to change your form to make the instrumentation perfect
Week 7
Read chapters 6 & 9 of the text.
Complete any and all failed competencies.
Complete the sixth and seventh competency on the "pig's tail" explorer and "shepherd's hook" explorer.
Post 1 picture of yourself doing instrumentation with any instrument.
Comment on at least two other students picture and guess what instrument you think they are using.
Week 8
Final written exam over all of the instruments taught in this class.
Post 1 picture of your favorite instrument to use and why you think it is the most important instrument in your instrument kit.
Comment on at least 2 other students picture and explain where their favorite instrument is best used in the mouth and why.
7) Evaluation
Grading Scale
Final Exam- 30%
Participation- 20%
Competencies- 30%
Wiki Postings- 20%
Final exam: The final exam will be 50 questions, including dental pictures where the student will need to identify the instrument or the dental anatomy.
Participation: The student will be required to either be the patient or be practicing on another student. If the student is absent or is not either being the patient or the operator, no credit will be given for the day.
Competencies: An instrumentation rubric will be used to reflect every part of instrumentation (ie. wrist rock, fulcrum, using the correct end, the thumb, the index finger, the middle finger, posture). Each rubric will have 7 different components and will be graded using a Unsatisfactory, Satisfactory, and Excellent. To pass the student cannot get one unsatisfactory on the rubric.
Wiki Postings: Students will be required to have a minimum word posting when scheduled. The instructor will check the Wiki each week. At the end of the eight week course, students will have a Wiki with all of their major instrumentation and improvements with each instrument. Also the student will have comments from the instructors on how to improve their instrumentation based on the picture.
8) References
Cooper, M., & Wiechmann, L. (2004). In Essentials of dental hygiene. Prentice Hall.
Ornelas, J. (n.d.). Sample lesson plan- how can i use all these beans. Retrieved from Lesson plans website: http://www.kansaswic.org/nutrition_education/lesson_plans.html
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Your lesson plan is great! I was a practical nurse for over five years but had to quit due to knee arthritis and this reminds me of the lesson plans we had for my schooling. You have included everything necessary and the details are awesome. There is nothing I can suggest to add. I really like the evaluation grading; that really is great to provide in a rubric.
ReplyDeleteI like how you incorporate the students’ postings weekly on the wiki. The clinical is also great where you have them practicing on other students. They learn in a common setting before having to work on a real patient.
Your rubric provides the definitive measures needed for a medical evaluation of a student. The standard you have set on the rubric is high for each student but that should be the expectations of a student in the medical field,
I was wondering if the final exam is provided online for the students or in print form or either way.
Do your students eventually do clinical with dentists around the area? I was wondering about a rotation with dentists, periodontists, orthodontists and oral surgeons? Also, what is the length of your program: 1 or 2 years?
This was very interesting to read and I really enjoyed it!! Great work!
The exam would be in written form. It makes spotting cheating easier. You would be amazed at how many people cheat if they think they can get away with it. Sorry to hear about going out of nursing because of arthritis. I always tell myself I want to leave the profession because I want to, not because I have to.
DeleteThe program is 2 years including the summers. The students do have one full year of prerequisites before entering the program. The students practice on the community under a licensed supervising dentist and two licensed hygienists. Also the students do complete rotations of shadowing at different offices, i.e. perio, endo, ortho, and oral surgery.
We hold our students to a very high standard so that when they get into private practice in the real world they will have no problem.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteKelli:
ReplyDeleteYour lesson plan is well outlined and easy to follow.
I believe the concept you reference concerning taking pictures of the students while they are practicing the techniques is a valuable learning tool. This can allow students to learn better through their “mistakes” or simply to help them perform more effectively. By mentioning this learning tool, you have opened my eyes to another element of the benefits of “hands-on” learning. I appreciated the notion of videos or someone capturing pictures of myself when I was younger and learning to ride horses. It can be difficult to realize what you may be doing incorrectly or methods to be improved without actually seeing yourself.
With my experience of developing and contributing to wikis has been solely through online learning, you have helped me to grasp how this form of technology can be incorporated into face-to-face courses.
I like the variety of learning activities you provide for your students, including pictures, PowerPoint videos, mannequins, readings, and practicing on other learners. I think offering an array of instructional activities, helps to accommodate the different learning styles adults possess. It seems to me that it would be required in programs relating healthcare professions that at least some of the courses be conducted face-to-face with different hands-on activities similar to the activities you describe. I am fascinated with the notion that degrees such as nursing can be attained entirely online! I have taken courses in college, such as chemistry, that I think would be nearly impossible for me to achieve through online learning. I am definitely a hands-on learner when it comes to “science” based courses. I think learn by doing is a valuable method for learning, especially in science related studies. However, the concept of learning by doing can be applied to a wide-range of coursework. In my opinion, even though with online coursework, we are not “physically” in class participating in a lab activity for example, we can relate the notion of learn by doing through conducting interviews and applying our studies to current positions. “Most millennial learners prefer to learn by doing and are impatient with passive activity” (West & West, 2009, p. 24). As an adult learner myself, I will say it is imperative to me that I can relate my studies to not only “real-life” matters, but also that my coursework is parallel to my career goals.
I believe the activities you include in your lesson plan can relate to the Incubation Model of Teaching where there are three stages of instruction: warm-up, dig-in, and going beyond (Goff, 2005). Additionally, sensory learning can be applicable to educational experiences your students are involved in with this course, as people learn through seeing, hearing, touching, and feeling (Goff, 2005). Your lesson plan encourages cooperative learning, as the students can learn from each other and through practical experiences from their peers (Goff, 2005).
I have some questions concerning your lesson plan.
1) In your courses you teach, do you allow the opportunity for students to evaluate the course and if so, what are tools do you use for feedback?
2) Do you currently use wikis in the curriculum you develop? If not, will you begin incorporating wikis in your lesson plans as a result of this project?
3) What are some challenges you have experienced in teaching this course or similar classes? How did you overcome these issues?
4) What have you found to be the most significant element of the courses you teach?
5) Are some of your dental hygiene courses instructed entirely online? If so, what are some specific challenges you have encountered through this method of delivering your courses?
Goff, K.G. (2005). Everyday creativity. Mannford, OK: Little Ox Books.
West, J.A. & West, M.L. (2009). Using wiki’s for online collaboration. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
Hi Kelli,
ReplyDeleteGreat lesson plan! Your plan appears to be well thought out and very effective. What I enjoyed most about your plan was your use of Wiki technology. My entire experience with Wiki is limited to group work. While your use of Wiki does include occasional collaboration, discussions between learners/instructor, it appears your use of Wiki is primarily for each learner's benefit. Your use if Wiki seems somewhat like a journal where learners catalog their work and reflect on their practices. This seems like a wonderful way to use Wiki technology!
In the past, I have been forced to maintain a journal and I hated it! It seemed silly for me to take time out of my schedule to write down what I did and what I learned. My peers never viewed my journal and the instructor only reviewed it a couple times throughout the course. Because of this lack of collaboration, I felt my journal writing was a waste of time; I believed I knew what I learned and there was no need to share it with myself or my instructor. I like your use of journaling and reflection. Your technique would motivate me more to reflect on my learning because this reflection would be available to other learners and my instructor on a regular basis. I also like the ability to comment on each other's reflections. The way I see it, this circle of reflection and discussion is how we learn and your use of Wiki supports this idea. Great job!
My lesson plan utilizes Wikis for group projects only; however, I believe I might attempt to integrate Wiki technology into my plan for journaling purposes as well. My only question for you is how come you have learners comment on their peer's Wiki's only three out of the eight weeks? Why not have learners discuss perfect technique between themselves each week?