The 9th International Health Humanities Conference

Presentation information

Oral presentation

Practice (Implementation)

[9] Oral presentation

[9-18] Transformational teaching in the health humanities

*Ye Kyung Song1 (1. Duke University School of Medicine(United States of America))

Presentation language:English

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As the health humanities continues to become more widespread within health professions education, it is important for its teachers to be self-reflexive about their practice and its undergirding pedagogies. A survey by the American Association of Medical Colleges reports that 1 in 11 students believed their coursework in professionalism was excessive, and 1 in 6 believed their coursework in professionalism was excessive. Some suggest that this is because “students do not fully understand the relevance of the information in the context of patient care.” I argue that the responsibility of understanding the relevance of the information falls on us, the educators. As bell hooks argues, we have the responsibility to practice “engaged pedagogy,” transforming the classroom into an exciting, or even “fun” place, that co-exists with serious academic engagement. In conclusion, this presentation, which is based on the research on transformational teaching and educational theory, will discuss ways that educators can alter their own practice to make the health humanities resonate better with our learners.