# Avoiding Death by Powerpoint



## LucidResq (Sep 11, 2010)

After nearly 8 weeks of classroom job training, the mere sight of a PowerPoint presentation makes me want to vomit. I'm starting to see that they are often crutch devices for poor speaking/instruction skills. 

I am tasked with teaching two classes next month for an "Advanced First Responder" (EMT without NPAs/OPAs and oxygen as only drug) course... Neuro and ortho trauma, and chest/abd trauma. I have become extremely reluctant to even use PowerPoint at all. 

I'm looking for fun, interactive, engaging and creative solutions that appeal to a variety of learning styles. In the past I've had success with Diabetes Jeopardy (losers had to consume a tube of nasty lemon glucose) and demonstrating "blood loss" with various amounts of water with red food dye on t-shirts and in puddles and such. 

I'm thinking of doing Trauma Pictionary and Catch Phrase this year... any other ideas?


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## Sassafras (Sep 11, 2010)

Remember, power point when done properly can be a very effective tool for visual learners, who may not get anything out of hands on activities.  I'd consider writing your own slide presentation instead of using the pre fab ones that normally come with texts.  You can throw your own stuff in there to prove your points.  Yes it can be a crutch for a poor teacher, but a good teacher recognizes their class represents multiple learning types and tries to encorporate them all into their lecture.  

Games sound good too, especially for those kinetic learners like me.


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## lightsandsirens5 (Sep 11, 2010)

LucidResq said:


> After nearly 8 weeks of classroom job training, the mere sight of a PowerPoint presentation makes me want to vomit. I'm starting to see that they are often crutch devices for poor speaking/instruction skills.
> 
> I am tasked with teaching two classes next month for an "Advanced First Responder" (EMT without NPAs/OPAs and oxygen as only drug) course... Neuro and ortho trauma, and chest/abd trauma. I have become extremely reluctant to even use PowerPoint at all.
> 
> ...



I agree, having sat under some poor instructors, PowerPoint can easily become just that, a crutch for poor teachers. 

As for games, one instructor had a full blown EMS Jeprody. Subjects like trauma, cardiac, OB, resp, geri, pedi, etc.

I'm trying to think of the other games and "fun" stuff we have done in my classes. I'll get back to you.


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## Melclin (Sep 12, 2010)

Games and "fun learning activities" have always annoyed me. I always found them condescending, pointless wastes of time. Even in primary school. Although I draw a distinction between a crossword puzzle of medical terminology and actually educational activities, like wearing low vision glasses to put yourself in the shoes of the visually impaired. 

Besides, good teachers don't need to rely on educational gimmicks. They recruit your interest with thought out and insightful lessons. Some of our lecturers could speak for hours without a single aid and we'd hang on every word. Others could have dancing girls and helicopter gunships and we'd still cut their class. You're better off putting effort into crafting an interesting and engaging lesson than worrying too much about fun activities (not that they can't also be part of it). I do a little teaching myself and we've done some work at uni on educational techniques so here are a few things from that:

-Powerpoint should augment a lesson, it shouldn't teach it. Animations, diagrams, pictures. I use a lot of videos off you tube as well. If you spend some time looking, you can find some excellent professionally made instructional videos as well as showing real life examples (I'm showing a video of a heroin overdose next week). It breaks up the talking, and reinforces your point. Linking ideas visually works tremendously well. Breaking ideas down on whiteboards during powerpoint augmented lectures is also a good way to mix up the lesson a little.

-Don't try to make the powerpoint slides into class notes. A lot of our lecturers do that. All that means is that you end up with class notes that aren't detailed enough and powerpoints that are too detailed.

-Plan your lesson. What are you trying to achieve? Its not enough to say, "Chest trauma...okay so...um.. here's a picuture of a chest...can..um.. anyone name a way in which you could get injured in the chesrt" then list patterns of injury for 2 hours. You need to figure out what you need them to be able to do, then work back from there. You must write learning objectives to guide your own development of the lesson and to show them what they need to get out of it.

-Review and reframe ideas during the lecture to repeat concepts without sounding repetitious. One of my lecturers is fond of joking, "When you're making a presentation, you've gotta tell them what your ganna tell them; tell them;tell them again in a different way; then tell them what you've told them" 

-Here's some stuff on teaching clinical skills from our education lectures:
Simple 4 step approach:
*Demonstration*: Trainer demonstrates at normal
speed, without commentary
*Deconstruction*: Trainer demonstrates while
describing steps
*Comprehension*: Trainer demonstrates while
learner describes steps
*Performance*: Learner demonstrates while they
describe the steps

-Teaching methods in order of most affective to least affective in terms of information retention on the part of the student: _Teaching others, Practice by doing, discussion group, demonstration, audiovisual, reading, lectures._ Note that lectures are the least affective. The more you can work the better teaching methods into your lesson, the better. Discussion groups are really good. Eg. Having people break off into groups and debate the management of a particular patients then present their consensus to the other groups.  


If you can do these things well, all the fun, medically themed crosswords in the world won't be more engaging to your students.


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## NorCal (Sep 12, 2010)

Death by power point, lol.

I haven't heard that term for while.


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## Akulahawk (Sep 12, 2010)

I agree that some people use PP as a crutch... As Melclin noted it should augment the instructor's lesson. Plan your lessons as if your projection equipment failed and you now have to give the lesson without it. Then add in your PP at that point. Why? You never know when the equipment doesn't work properly. 

I've done some teaching myself. It can be difficult to devise ways to teach to the major learning styles... but it can be done. If you do it right, your students will be completely engaged in the lesson and will retain at least some of what you presented to them, as opposed to zip if they're disinterested.


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## ERMedic (Sep 12, 2010)

About a year ago I took a EMS-I (instructor) course here in PA. It was really cool, they teach you how to teach just about every type of student. Incorporate learning styles for all of your students like hands-on, visual, lecture, powerpoint, etc. Mix it up!


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## LucidResq (Sep 12, 2010)

Thanks for the feedback, everyone. I realize I will probably need to use powerpoint... mainly to break down medical terminology and such and show good images and videos. 

Melclin - I understand where you're coming from. However, I should've pointed out that my students are high schoolers... rowdy, competitive, type A high schoolers at that. The games have worked well in the past so I'll probably continue to use them. No crosswords though.  I agree on the gimmicks, though, I've definitely had fantastic instructors that could captivate with their worlds alone. I think what I'm trying to do here is a) address a variety of learning styles and b) keep their attention. 

I couldn't agree more with your list. I can say personally that teaching these classes has helped me review the material myself more than anything else. We also split every class in half - half lecture, half hands-on skills - even in the first few classes.  

Again, thanks for any suggestions. I'll let you all know if I come up with anything neat.


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## Melclin (Sep 12, 2010)

Ahhh. Gotcha. That is a challenge then.


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## ERMedic (Sep 12, 2010)

Lucid- One of the benefits of teaching is that it's a great review and keeps your skills sharp, especially those small details you had years ago in class and may have forgotten! Goodluck with the course.


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## medicRob (Sep 13, 2010)

LucidResq said:


> After nearly 8 weeks of classroom job training, the mere sight of a PowerPoint presentation makes me want to vomit. I'm starting to see that they are often crutch devices for poor speaking/instruction skills.
> 
> I am tasked with teaching two classes next month for an "Advanced First Responder" (EMT without NPAs/OPAs and oxygen as only drug) course... Neuro and ortho trauma, and chest/abd trauma. I have become extremely reluctant to even use PowerPoint at all.
> 
> ...



I am using some of the wound prosthetics on halloweenexpress.com to simulate burns and other wounds for the first responder class I am teaching. I also like to do a lot of hands on stuff with the mannequins and using other students like putting on a C-Spine collar, bandaging, OPA/NPA on the mannequins and combitube with the airway mannequin. 

Powerpoints are a great teaching tool, but you shouldn't rely on them as your only means of teaching.


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## LucidResq (Sep 14, 2010)

So I was wondering if I could do a dissection with a pig heart or something, and I poked around Carolina Biological Supply... from what I saw there are some restrictions on the specimens preserved with formaldehyde, but not on the ones preserved with their special solution. 

Can anyone give me any tips? I've done plenty of dissections in the past so I'm not concerned about that part... just afraid I'd accidentally break some law and go to jail for something stupid. 

My boyfriend mentioned talking to a butcher, but I dunno... I like the dye injections and the preserved specimens are actually pretty cheap. 

Any ideas?


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## medicRob (Sep 14, 2010)

LucidResq said:


> So I was wondering if I could do a dissection with a pig heart or something, and I poked around Carolina Biological Supply... from what I saw there are some restrictions on the specimens preserved with formaldehyde, but not on the ones preserved with their special solution.
> 
> Can anyone give me any tips? I've done plenty of dissections in the past so I'm not concerned about that part... just afraid I'd accidentally break some law and go to jail for something stupid.
> 
> ...



You can do fetal pig dissections. You are required, however to notify students in advance that if they are pregnant, they need to get with you before class to work out some other form of credit. You must also inform students that Formaldehyde is a known carcinogen.

You could use the Virtual Fetal Pig website:
http://www.whitman.edu/biology/vpd/main.html

When we did fetal pig dissections in Anatomy & Physiology 2, we used this website as a bit of a guide to our dissections.


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## boingo (Sep 14, 2010)

LucidResq said:


> So I was wondering if I could do a dissection with a pig heart or something, and I poked around Carolina Biological Supply... from what I saw there are some restrictions on the specimens preserved with formaldehyde, but not on the ones preserved with their special solution.
> 
> Can anyone give me any tips? I've done plenty of dissections in the past so I'm not concerned about that part... just afraid I'd accidentally break some law and go to jail for something stupid.
> 
> ...



I do some teaching at a local medic program, and when covering cardiac anatomy, I picked up a dozen pig hearts from a Chinease grocery in my cities Chinatown for about $15.  They where perfect and the price was right.  I have also picked up pig tracheas and lungs from a butcher for surgical airway practice, that was a bit more pricey, but sure beats cutting rubber.


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## wyoskibum (Sep 14, 2010)

Here is an excellent reference on creating powerpoints

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KbSPPFYxx3o


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## medicRob (Sep 15, 2010)

LucidResq said:


> So I was wondering if I could do a dissection with a pig heart or something, and I poked around Carolina Biological Supply... from what I saw there are some restrictions on the specimens preserved with formaldehyde, but not on the ones preserved with their special solution.
> 
> Can anyone give me any tips? I've done plenty of dissections in the past so I'm not concerned about that part... just afraid I'd accidentally break some law and go to jail for something stupid.
> 
> ...



I recently accepted a teaching assistant position with the local University's biology dept where I teach, you guessed it "Anatomy & Physiology". While I only assist for the lecture of Anatomy & Physiology I, I actually teach Anatomy & Physiology II lab. We just recently decided to bring in Sheep hearts and lungs for study. 







These organs, like the ones you mentioned previously are not preserved in formaldehyde, so as far as I am aware they post no carcinogenic risk whatsoever, although you still want to handle the specimen with gloves since you are handling an organ. 

Check your inbox for the link to our supplier.


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## grich242 (Sep 15, 2010)

If you contact a local slaughterhouse you may be able to get hearts and airways, cows for instance make good cric labs, and since it is food, clean up disposal and handling is much easier without all the chemicals. we have done this several times and it has worked very well. just remember to plan you'll probably need to pick up the stuff the night before since it has no preservatives and it works best if trash pick up is the following day who wants a dumpster full of that rotting for a week.


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## AtlantaEMT (Sep 15, 2010)

Powerpoint is a hatred of mine.  I took a Speach 191 class in tech school and we powerpointed to death.  The thing that made me mad is they teach you to "win over" or basically BS your way to sucess.  If I was a business owner I'd fire someone if they brought in a powerpoint.  Just tell me the facts and bore me.

However, anytime I see powerpoint I now think of former General McChrystal and this powerpoint...




Best quote about this "When we understand that slide, we'll have won the war"

How much you want to bet the guy who created that is now searching for landmines in Kosovo with a knife???

I'm not big on games.  I like boring lecture or hands on.  But I've always been an independent learner.


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