Newsletter No. 162

4 No. 162 4th April 2000 CUHK Newsletter 最傑出醫學教師的教學心得 WHATMAKESTHEMOUTSTANDINGTEACHERS 自中大成立以來，學生和學系都零星地舉辦過一些「最佳教師」、「最傑出教學獎」之類的活動； 由本學年起，各學院都擬訂了獨立的選舉機制，每年選出傑出的教師以作表揚。《中大通訊》 特別走訪了本年度各學院得獎教師，請他們談談各自的教學心得，俾供有志為師的 學生和希望改進教學技巧的同人參考。今期率先報導醫學院「最傑出教師獎」得獎者的感受 (部分訪問以英文發表），其他學院的得獎者訪問會陸續刊登，敬請留意。 From the 1999-2000 academic year, various faculties have independently set up annual award schemes to honour good teachers. The CUHK Newsletter has interviewed the teachers so honoured, and will share their experiences and insight as regards teaching with our readers in this and the following issues.This issue carries the interviews of the winners of the Most Outstanding Teachersof the Year Awards 1999 conferred by the Faculty of Medicine. Prof. Diana Lee, Department of Nursing Described by her students as knowledgeable, well prepared, and deeply concerned about their needs and feelings, Prof. Diana Lee said that having a human perspective is crucial for the nursing profession. The profession is unique in that there is a very soft and human side to it. If a nursing teacher is sensitive to her students' needs, the students will feel it and will do the same to their patients when they become nurses,' Prof. Lee said. She tries to keep an open and equal relationship with her students, and share her own life experiences with them in class. She describes her own teaching style as participative and reflective, and encourages her students to bring their experience in clinical practice to class in the hope of bridging theory and practice. Sometimes students who have graduated will also come back to share with her their experiences as practitioners, such as if they are upset by the death of a patient. 'It is important that teachers convey to them the appropriate attitude to adopt when faced with issues such as patient death and dealing with the patient's family,' she said. To Prof. Lee, being a good teacher also means taking the time to understand her students' problems and giving them help when necessary. She remembers an academically sound Year 1 student who failed to show up for year-end exams due to emotional problems. She approached the student to find out what was troubling her, and then referred her to professional counsellors. The student did very well in the subsequent years and was one of the top students of her graduating class. 'Very often students may just be desperate for help at a critical moment. Once they get over it, the rest may be smooth-sailing,' she observed. Prof. Lee believes that good teaching is a constant process of self-improvement, and sharing with colleagues can bring about new ideas on how to teach better. She said she has benefited immensely from the regular sharing sessions of her department. Prof. Gary W.K. Wong, Department of Paediatrics Deemed an 'enlightening and outstanding teacher' and a 'model of a good doctor' by his students, Prof. Gary Wong, winner of the award for all three years since 1998, believes that a good teacher should be able to arouse in students an interest and curiosity in the subject matter that goes far beyond the classroom. However students' concern about exams may be an obstacle to this ideal; it also contributes to the inevitable conflict between a teacher's idea of good teaching and the students', for it may be difficult to arouse students' interest in knowledge that does not seem to have any direct relation to exams. Balance is necessary but difficult. 'In every field, there are exams that consist of questions derived conveniently from textbooks. I think exam questions should focus on application and answers should reflect understanding, but such questions are harder to set,' he pointed out. Prof. Wong finds that some of his students are so terrified of failing that they resort to memorizing facts from textbooks. 'Most of my students' emotional problems stem from exam anxiety. I've seen some metamorphose into completely different beings when exam time draws near. Yet most of them pass. The problem is data overload. No one can possibly remember everything, neither is there need to. Facts can be retrieved in a matter of minutes from the computer. The important thing is to be able to arrange, analyse, and use the data,' he said. An advocate of problem-based learning, Prof. Wong's motto when selecting what material to teach is 'Opt for the simple.' He advises against 'superfluous' details. 'I don't want my students to memorize the names of all 25 to 30 different kinds of brain tumours, or to focus on very rare illnesses though they may be fascinating,' he said. However opting for the simple isn't always easy; each year as he reviews his teaching material, he too has a hard time deciding what to throw out and what to add. Prof. Wong's ideal is to produce versatile and resourceful students adept in all aspects of medical practice. 'It is also important to equip students with knowledge of preventive medicine so that when they become practitioners, they will be able to teach clients how to decrease the chances of getting ill,' Prof. Wong added. Prof. Yvonne S.Y. Law Wootton, Department of Nursing Having won the award for the second consecutive year, Prof. Wootton considers herself fortunate. 1 like teaching and have got good response. Sometimes a teacher may have tried very hard but still the students do not respond in class,' she observed. Good teachers should make the material they teach interesting and relevant to students, she believes, because knowledge can be incapacitated by poor communication. Enthusiasm for one's subject is also important, and so is interest in the welfare of one's students. Prof. Wootton has taught in both the UK and Hong Kong, and found that students from both places are receptive once they feel the teacher is credible. 'So far I've performed well according to course evaluation results. While such evaluation is important, the ones I've had have been a bit too cold and formal. I'd like to carry on a dialogue with students to see whether what I teach is what they want,' she said. Prof. Wootton's teaching has been described by her students as Individualized', 'exciting, funny, and informative', and herself as 'considerate', 'enthusiastic', and 'always with a smile'. While finding her students at CUHK very warm and kind, especially after having received a deluge of e-mails and get-well cards from them while she was ill last year, Prof. Wootton hopes nonetheless that they could be more ready to challenge her. 'Students here are very polite. They don't like to challenge their teachers. But I am sure I can take it, and the process can bring about new ideas,' she said. She regards her students as equals and tries to help them grow personally. 1 have a lot of respect for students who have made a huge effort but who may not be at the top of their class. Personal development is just as important,' she pointed out. Being a born communicator de f i n i t e ly contributes to good teaching. However one also learns on the job. 'When I first started teaching, I shared an office with a colleague who was an experienced teacher. I regarded him as a good role model. I also read books on teaching and have undergone teacher training (B.Sc. in education). Sharing with colleagues who are equally enthusiastic has also been useful,' she observed. When asked which aspect of her teaching she'd like to improve upon, Prof. Wootton's reply was 'Talk less and listen more to my students.' 護理學系周柏珍教授 連獲第二及第三屆最傑出教師獎 的周柏珍教授，本身是護理學系的首 屆畢業生，畢業後留校攻讀碩士課 程，取得學位即在護理學系任教。她 說：「我在護理學系唸書時，得到教 師的悉心指導，他們不但教授基本知 識，更啟發了我的思考方法。我現在 只是效法他們而已，希望能把過去所學的和學生分享。」 為了改善自己的教學法，周教授出席會議和講座時，經常留意講者的表達技巧，又 參加護理學系主辦的工作坊，與同事交流心得。 「我察覺到自己的教學法近年有顯著的轉變：我和學生『互動』的時間多了，並會刻 意多向他們提問，以聽取學生的意見，了解他們的想法。我發覺不少學生其實是很具創 意的。」周教授續說：「每個學生都有他的長處和潛能，只是未有全部發揮出來，或是 未能克服自己的弱點，教師應該協助他們發展潛能，不時給予鼓勵，以年長朋友的身分 對待他們。有時，我亦會充當聆聽者，讓學生無拘無束地訴說他們的煩惱。」