Assessment of the Module – detailed guidance

YOU MUST READ THIS DOCUMENT IN CONJUNCTION WITH

THE MODULE HANDBOOK

This documents provides additional guidance to that set out in the module handbook – you
should read both documents together.

The assessment of the module addresses both theory and practice. You will be expected to
complete:

• Assessment 1: Personal Philosophy of Teaching Statement: Page 2

This module assessment meets the following UKPSF Dimensions: A2, A5, K1, K3, V3, V4

• Assessment 2: Portfolio of Peer Observation of Practice & Reflection: Page 6

This module assessment meets the following UKPSF Dimensions: A1, A2, A3, A5, K1, K2, K3, V3

• Compulsory Discussion Activities (CDAs): In addition to the two formal assessments

above, you are required to complete a minimum of 4 out of 6 of the online compulsory
discussion activities (CDAs) with your Learning Set. This is a simple measure of quantity and
engagement – the quality of the responses will not be assessed. However, there is an
expectation that the activities will help you prepare for the two written assessments.

This module assessment meets the following UKPSF Dimensions: K4

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Assessment 1: Personal Philosophy of Teaching Statement

2,000 words. (Overall weighting 50%)

This assessment is designed to show how you meet Learning Outcomes 1 & 4:

Learning Outcome 1: Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the principles underpinning

the structuring of learning and supervision in the medical workplace.

Learning Outcome 4: Articulate and justify your Personal Philosophy of Teaching, and identify
potential future needs and opportunities for engagement with continuing professional
development.

For your Personal Philosophy of Teaching, you will be expected to reflect critically on your
specified personal approach to teaching and learning support. This essay must include reference
to scholarly literature, and make explicit your reasons for taking a student-focused approach to
supporting learning in the medical workplace.

It seems safe to say that every teacher will have a philosophy guiding his or her teaching, but not
that every teacher has consciously articulated this. Being explicit about your personal philosophy
of teaching has at least two advantages:

1. Reflection: Most of us have found that forcing ourselves to write a clear explanation of
something demonstrates to us that our understanding of that thing was less complete than
we thought. So it is with our philosophy of teaching. Until we sit down to make it explicit, we
are likely to avoid dealing with hard issues, and particularly with inconsistencies between our
practices and our beliefs. The act of writing about our philosophy forces us to confront these
hard issues, and there is good reason to believe that this should make us better teachers.

1. Communication: Making your philosophy explicit means that you can share it with those
who care about your teaching. These stakeholders include students/learners, colleagues, and
those in formal medical education roles, and those who may have an interest in the quality
assurance of postgraduate medical education.

A philosophy of teaching should be a personal document and no two teachers will be exactly the
same. Not all statements of philosophy will address all of the points raised below, but the
following prompt questions might help get you started:
• Why do I teach the way I do?
• What do I believe about teaching and learning?
• What do I want my learners to gain from my teaching?
• Why do I choose the teaching strategies/methods that I use, and what evidence informs
my practice?
• What learning and teaching theories have I read that particularly resonate with my
personal experiences of teaching and learning support?
• What research underpins and informs my approach to teaching?
• What are my development needs – how can I become a better teacher?

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Tips for Writing a Personal Philosophy of Teaching Statement

Tips for a Philosophy of Teaching Statement

In general, a statement of your philosophy of teaching should:

• Take a first person form, demonstrating your understanding of educational theory and the
application of these theories to your practice as an educator.

• Be critically reflective and personal. Remember, that critical reflection in academic writing
should still be a rigorous and analytical piece of work, drawing on both personal experience
AND the academic/scholarly literature in the field.

Recommended Reading
If you are struggling to understand what a Personal Philosophy of Teaching is, you may be
interested to read this article:
‘Writing a Teaching Philosophy: an evidence based approach’

We think this journal article will help to develop your understanding of what writing a Personal
Philosophy of Teaching involves, however, please do not regard the information in the article
as a set of ‘step-by-step’ set of instructions for writing the essay.

Personal Philosophy of Teaching: An Example

Below are some brief excerpts from a personal philosophy statement, written by a former
student who has given permission for us to use a sample of their work. By sharing this short
piece, we hope that you will see one possible way of addressing some of the questions that we
have recommended you use to help you to articulate your own evolving philosophy of teaching.

Please note this is a series of extracts from different sections of the main body of the essay,
and there are no introduction or conclusion extracts. The extracts are not contiguous in the
essay, and so the line of argument in each extract does not ‘follow on’ from the other extracts.

Extract 1:
Central to my teaching philosophy is that everyone’s experience is individual and this should be
respected and valued. In line with constructivism, I believe that the learner takes control of their
own learning and builds on prior knowledge by manipulating new information through their
belief system and previous experiences to create new knowledge (Sivalingam and Nazimah,
2014). Thus, I ensure that my teaching is learner-centred by understanding what my learner
knows or does not know, to provide experiences that expose or challenge their previous
assumptions (Kaufman, 2003). Exploring this is pivotal to my practice as my audience can vary
from having near to no clinical experience such as undergraduate medical students, through to
experienced senior colleagues.

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Personal Philosophy of Teaching: An Example

Extract 1 continued....

Bloom’s taxonomy of learning reflects the different levels at which I pitch my teaching, depending
on my audience (Taylor and Hamdy 2013). With medical students, I often start at the level of
remembering. Pedagogy, traditionally, is the theory of teaching children. Children are meant to
have an uncensored and comprehensive learning, absorbing everything within their clutch (Illeris,
2008). From my experience, I think this reflects medical student education. They have a wealth of
information given by their institution which they faithfully rote learn. The motivation to learn is
externally driven in the form of passing exams, or due to a thirst for knowledge. I see my role in
this context as providing them with “comprehension” of the information learnt and to anchor key
concepts allowing them to apply them to practical situations (Taylor and Hamdy 2013: 1564-5).

Extract 2:
For example, I had to teach a junior doctor the importance of reviewing blood results at the end
of the day, teaching her to prioritise what needed actioning that day and what could wait. Having
set the objective, I went through an example and explained my reasoning for each decision,
providing opportunities for questions. I then asked her to do the same, explaining her reasoning
and discussing why that was an important factor to consider and provided feedback. Thus, by
elaborating on the situation and by using Bloom’s later levels of taxonomy we created new
knowledge and principles (Taylor and Hamdy 2013: 1563-4).

Essential in being able to do this with my learners is to create an open and friendly environment
in which they feel free to engage in conversation and to ask questions. I have learnt from
personal experience that to create this climate, a non-judgemental and non-critical approach
should be adopted, such that they are not anxious about their knowledge base or fearful of
criticism of any inadequacies as highlighted by Dent, Harden and Hodges (2013:85). Using these
techniques in the above example, meant my colleague was extremely open and grateful. This led
to a symbiotic relationship where we continued to learn from each other, improving patient care,
the ultimate goal when teaching.

Creating this safe, supportive environment, I think is important, as it facilitates the provision of
constructive feedback, which is essential to personal development. King (1999) highlights that
feedback is to provide insight. Without knowing your own strength and limitations you cannot
progress (King, 1999). The essence of feedback is good communication. Chowdhury and Kulu
(2004) explore this further. They advise that feedback should be specific and descriptive as
opposed sweeping generalisations or judgemental comments, such that the learner can change.
Furthermore, they discuss that feedback should not be a “prescription” but an interactive process,
where the leaner decides what changes they feel need to be made, preserving their self-esteem
(Chowdhury and Kulu, 200:2). Thus, like King (1999), I believe observing, listening and asking are
the pinnacles of effective feedback, all of which I strive to use in my role as facilitator.

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Personal Philosophy of Teaching: An Example

Extract 3:
Race (2005) highlights that assessment is part of the learning cycle. Critical to assessment is
reflection and the delivery of feedback. Reflection is a megacognitive process, where we try to
make sense of and understand experiences by selecting, monitoring and evaluating our approach
to a situation. Through this we create a mental model and a personal theory. The potential of
reflection may not be fully realised without the support of another person. We can facilitate
reflection by challenging a perspective and by providing constructive feedback to enable them to
develop future action plans. Such feedback should be related to an individual’s effort to enhance
self-efficacy and drive internal motivation (Sanders, 2009; Kaufman, 2003). Consequently, my role
as a facilitator can expand to that of mentor.

Anonymous Student 2017

References for the extracts:

CHOWDHURY, R.R. AND KALU, G. 2004. Learning to give feedback in medical education. The Obstetrician
& Gynaecologist. 6: pp 243-247.

DENT, J.A, HARDEN, R.M AND HODGES, B.D. 2013. A Practical Guide for Medical teachers. 4th Edition.
London. Elsevier Churchill Livingstone.

ILLERIS, K. 2008. What is special about adult learning? Chapter 2 in Lifelong Learning. Concepts and
contexts. Routledge Taylor and Francis Group. London.

KAUFMAN, D.M. 2003. ABC of learning and teaching in medicine. Applying educational theory in practice.
BMJ. 326: 213-216
KING, J. 1999. Giving Feedback. BMJ. 318: pp S2-7200. Available from
https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.318.7200.2. [Accessed 27th May 2017].

RACE, P. 2005. Making Learning Happen. A guide for Post – Compulsory Education. London. Sage
Publications. Available from https://learningedge.edgehill.ac.uk/bbcswebdav/pid-2062752-dt-content-rid-
7409895_1/courses/2016_CPD4706_C16_MRG/Compulsory%20Reading/Block%202/Phil%20Race%20Ch
apter%202%20making%20learning%20happen.pdf. [Accessed 20th May 2017].

SANDERS J. 2009. The use of reflection in medical education: AMEE Guide No.44 Medical Teacher. Medical
Teacher. 31: pp 685-695

SIVALINGAM, N. AND NAZIMAH, I. 2014. Applying the learning theories to medical education: A
commentary. International eJournal of Science, Medicine and Education. 8(1): pp 50-57.

TAYLOR D.C.M AND HAMDY H. 2013. Adult learning theories: Implications for learning and teaching in
medical education: AMEE Guide No.83. Medical Teacher. 35: pp. e1561-1572. Available from
http://dx.doi.org/10.3109/0142159X.2013.828153 [Accessed May 15th 2017].

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Assessment 2: Peer Observation of Practice & Reflection

2,000 words (Overall weighting 50%)

This assessment is designed to show how you meet Learning Outcomes 2 & 3:

Learning Outcome 2: Critically reflect on and analyse teaching and learning facilitation issues in
your own professional practice, with reference to achieving student-focused learning.

Learning Outcome 3: Demonstrate a critical awareness of the processes involved in giving and
using constructive and critical feedback in your teaching practice to facilitate student-focused
learning

We want the Peer Observation of Teaching assessment to be more than just an exercise – it is a
real-life learning situation. The assessment will be based on a critically reflective essay which
derives from the process of peer observation, along with accompanying appendices which
contain copies of the written feedback given and received, plus any other relevant evidence
relating to the observed sessions. Together the essay and appendices will create your Peer
Observation Portfolio. The detail of the required contents of the portfolio are on the next page.

Each of you will be observed in your clinical teaching by a peer, and you will also observe a peer
teaching, supervising or facilitating a session. This can be a simple, two-way, reciprocal
arrangement, or it could include more than two people (eg. Dr A observes Dr B …. Dr B observes
Dr C …. Dr C observes Dr A, etc). You will be given more detailed guidance in the workshop
sessions and will have an opportunity to discuss any questions with the course team.

We realise that you may be apprehensive about this exercise, so we have provided a separate
'Peer Observation Toolkit' which includes lots of useful advice on the practicalities of conducting
the observation. Ensuring the actual observations are conducted properly is key to ensuring you
get the best out of writing the essay.

We have also provided you with a series of forms that you can use to make notes during the
observation itself, and then to structure the formal, written feedback to your peer. Negotiation
about the forms you prefer to use should take place during the initial phase of planning the
observation – you can read more about this in the Peer Observation Toolkit.

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Contents of a Peer Observation Portfolio

Your Peer Observation Portfolio will contain the following sections:

1. A brief introduction providing a concise overview of the session during which you were
observed – this will help the markers understand the context of your teaching session

2. A 500 word critically reflective analysis of your own performance during the session you
delivered. You will find it helpful to identify any tensions between your beliefs about
teaching (ie. Your personal philosophy) and the actual practice of delivering the session.

3. A 500 word critically reflective analysis about being observed – what did you learn
through being observed teaching by a peer? What did you learn from the peer feedback?

4. A 500 word critically reflective analysis about the process of being an observer. What did
you learn from the process of observing a peer teaching and from giving feedback to a
peer?

5. A brief conclusion summarising the key learning points and how this will inform your on-
going development as a teacher.

6. Appendices. These will include:

• A copy of the written feedback given to you by your peer observer
• A copy of the written feedback you gave to your peer after you completed their
observation
• Handouts/slides/teaching resources used in your own teaching session
• Student/Learner Evaluations from your teaching session (if available)

NB. Sections 2, 3 and 4 are academic pieces of work, therefore, you MUST examine your
reflective observations in light of relevant academic and scholarly literature.

Submission information:

• Sections 1 to 5 should be included in a single document and submitted using the Turnitin
dropbox called ‘Peer Observation of Teaching’.

• The appendices should be combined into a separate single document and submitted into the
dropbox called ‘Peer Observation of Teaching – Supplementary Documents’.

Rationale for needing two separate files for submission:

Turnitin has limits on file sizes/types and cannot accommodate large files such as powerpoint
slides containing high-resolution images. The appendices can also generate misleading similarity
scores.

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Tips for Writing a Peer Observation Essay

General Tips:
Do NOT try to reflect on everything that happened – this is impossible given your word limit.
Therefore, select one or two of your most interesting reflective observations and do them justice
by analysing them in depth. Citing the literature is required, but you should avoid writing an
impersonal literature review. A common error is that you can easily spend too many words
simply describing what happened in your session or observation – it is crucial you keep any
descriptive elements very brief and you must focus your writing on analysing your reflections,
critical analysis of related literature and the learning that results from this. At this stage, we
would like to refer you to the ‘Frameworks for Reflection’ handout used in workshop 1. You
might like to use one of these frameworks as a basis for structuring your reflections to ensure
you go beyond simple description.

Tips to Help with Reflecting on Your Observer’s Comments:

Avoid simply re-iterating what the observer said or wrote. Rather, you should reflect on the
impact this feedback has had on you as a teacher or reflect on the utility of the observation
process. Here are some possible questions that might help you:
• Did my observer note something that no one has ever pointed out to me before?
• Did I agree with my observer’s comment(s)?
• Has agreeing with my observer bolstered my confidence in my own reflection skills?
• Has this weakened or reinforced my confidence as a teacher? What can I do next?
• Has it provided me with a welcome opportunity to discuss different approaches to teaching?
• Have I learned something new and useful from my observer’s comments? Or was our
disagreement a chance to share my own best-practice tips with a colleague?
• Did anything discussed result in an action plan? Give specifics of your plan

Tips to Help with Reflecting on the Process of Observing or Being Observed:

Pre-observation Meeting
• Did you have one? Was it long enough? Were you able to find a private place for it?
• Did it happen at an appropriate amount of time before the teaching session?
• Did one of you impose observation criteria on the other? Or was it mutually agreed?
• What are the implications of your answers to the questions above?

Effects of having an observer in the classroom

• Did you note any difference in student behaviour? Or your own? Cite specific examples.
Evaluate their positive / negative impact on the learning
• How did you feel about being the observer? Would you do anything differently when
observing next time?
• Did you gain anything (unexpected) by being the observer?

Feedback Session
• Do you wish you had had an initial meeting? Or changed any part of it?
• Do you wish you had asked for different observation criteria / pro-forma?
• Did your observer use any particular model for giving feedback?

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Peer Observation of Teaching: An Example

These extracts from the Peer Observation essay have been kindly provided by Dr Freya Ball (ST4,
Old Age Psychiatry at the time of essay completion in 2017). The course team would like to thank
Dr Ball for agreeing to share her work in these guidelines.

Please note this is a series of extracts that are taken from different sections of the Peer
Observation essay, and there are no introduction or conclusion extracts included in this
example. There is one extract from Sections 2, 3 and 4 of the essay:

Extract from reflection on own performance (Section 2)

Practising scenarios in timed conditions is the best way to prepare for this exam as it allows
trainees to develop their skills in demonstrating their knowledge in a time-efficient manner. This
is an example of experiential learning (Kolb 1984). Schenck and Cruickshank (2015: 77) stated
“experiential learning provides novel experiences, stimulating attention and limbic/emotional
systems, which facilitates memory formation.” I found this approach to revision beneficial when I
was preparing for the exam as it helped me to remember better, particularly when combined with
feedback from colleagues.

I opted to deliver feedback based on Pendleton’s rules (Pendleton et al 1984) as I find this simple
style works better within informal sessions, particularly with groups. I tried to involve the other
juniors, particularly when suggesting improvements. As this was the first time the trainee had
attempted a scenario I wanted to ensure that I wasn’t critical as I didn’t want to negatively affect
her confidence. Young (2000) identified that self-esteem can impact upon how people perceive
feedback, particularly those with low self-esteem. This highlights the need to be careful when
providing feedback and ensure this is done in a supportive manner. On reflection I wonder if I fell
into the trap of trying to be too non-judgmental and may have failed to give clear instructions on
what would be required to pass the station. This is a common issue in providing feedback as
discussed in Rudolph et al (2006). I aim to provide constructive feedback to trainees, but this can
be difficult; particularly in group settings due to concerns about embarrassing people or being
perceived as unkind. Hesketh and Laidlaw (2002: 246) state “being aware of the barriers to giving
effective feedback is the first step to overcoming these.” I tried to give specific examples of things
which were good, such as her question style, as recommended by Chowdhury and Kalu (2004);
before moving on to suggesting improvements.

Extract from reflection on being observed (Section 3)

I usually adopt quite an informal approach to this style of teaching as I find it helps to build
engagement with the participants. During observed sessions I tend to become more formal due to
concerns about appearing unprofessional. I don’t consciously decide to do this but have noticed
this tends to be a consequence of being aware I’m being observed. This is unfortunate as I suspect
my more informal sessions tend to run more smoothly and allow me to display my enthusiasm for
teaching better. I think that people often behave differently when they are being observed due to
wanting to make a good impression. Overeem et al (2007: 1040) identified that “there is a
discrepancy between how doctors perform in controlled examinations situations and their
behaviour in real practice.”

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Peer Observation of Teaching: An Example

Extract from reflection on being the observer (Section 4)

Although XXX and I had a quick debrief after the session, it felt very different composing written
feedback for her. I was mindful of the language I used as I didn’t want to appear judgemental or
critical. Gabay (2015) discussed the challenges of providing feedback to colleagues. He identified
that providing feedback to colleagues can be more daunting that providing feedback to students
or junior trainees for many reasons including “fear of a negative response, lack of understanding
the importance of constructive comment, and discomfort with providing feedback to a ‘seasoned’
colleague who has more experience” (Gabay 2015: 259). I certainly found it more challenging
providing feedback to XXX than I do to junior trainees because we are at the same level of
training. In providing feedback to her I did not want to appear superior, as I respect XXX. Gabay
(2015) suggested that one way to manage this is by differentiating between the person and their
work or behaviour. By providing feedback specifically on an aspect of work, you avoid making
comments which can be interpreted as an attack against the person, and this in turn makes it
more likely that the feedback will be accepted by the recipient.

References for the extracts:

CHOWDHURY, R.R AND KALU, G. (2004) Learning to give feedback in medical education. The Obstetrician
and Gynaecologist. 6 (4) pp. 243-247

GABAY, M. Providing Feedback to Colleagues: A Continual Challenge. Hospital Pharmacy. 50 (4) pp. 259-
260

HESKETH, E.A AND LAIDLAW, J.M (2002) Developing the teaching instinct, 1: Feedback. Medical Teacher.
24 (3) pp. 245-248

KOLB, D.A (1984) Experiential learning: Experience as the source of learning and development. Englewood
Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall

OVEREEM, K, FABER, M.J, ARAH, O.A, ELWYN, G, LOMBARTS, K.M.J.M.H, WOLLERSHEIM, H.C AND GROL,
R.P.T.M (2007) Doctor performance assessment in daily practise: does it help doctors or not? A systematic
review. Medical Education. 41 pp. 1039-1049

PENDLETON D, SCHOFIELD T, TAT P AND HAVELOCK P (1984) The Consultation Approach to Teaching and
Learning. Oxford. Oxford Medical Publications

RUDOLPH, J.W, SIMON, R, DUFRESNE, R.L AND RAEMER, D.B (2006) There’s no such thing as
“Nonjudgmental” Debriefing: A theory and method for debriefing with good judgment. Simulation in
Healthcare. 1 (1) pp. 49-55

SCHENCK, J AND CRUICKSHANK, J (2015) Evolving Kolb: Experiential Education in the Age of Neuroscience.
Journal of Experiential Education. 38 (1) pp. 73-95

YOUNG, P (2000) “I might as well give up”: Self-esteem and mature students’ feelings about feedback on
assignments. Journal of Further and Higher Education. 24 (3) pp. 409-418

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