A student-centered approach for developing active learning: the construction of physical models as a teaching tool in medical physiology

BMC Medical Education

Luiza Antas Rabelo¹  Glaucevane da Silva Guedes²  Valéria Nunes-Souza¹  Lucas José Sá da Fonseca³  Flávio Moura Rezende-Filho³ 

[1] Max-Delbrück-Center for Molecular Medicine, Berlin, Germany;Faculdade de Nutrição (FANUT), Universidade Federal de Alagoas, Maceió, Alagoas, Brazil;Laboratório de Reatividade Cardiovascular, Setor de Fisiologia e Farmacologia, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas e da Saúde, Universidade Federal de Alagoas, Av. Lourival de Melo Mota S/N. Bairro Tabuleiro dos Martins, Maceió 57072-900, Alagoas, Brazil

关键词: Medical education;    Teaching-learning methodologies;    Meaningful learning;    Active learning;   

Others  :  1091404
DOI  :  10.1186/1472-6920-14-189

 received in 2014-03-20, accepted in 2014-08-18,  发布年份 2014

【 摘 要 】

Background

Teaching physiology, a complex and constantly evolving subject, is not a simple task. A considerable body of knowledge about cognitive processes and teaching and learning methods has accumulated over the years, helping teachers to determine the most efficient way to teach, and highlighting student’s active participation as a means to improve learning outcomes. In this context, this paper describes and qualitatively analyzes an experience of a student-centered teaching-learning methodology based on the construction of physiological-physical models, focusing on their possible application in the practice of teaching physiology.

Methods

After having Physiology classes and revising the literature, students, divided in small groups, built physiological-physical models predominantly using low-cost materials, for studying different topics in Physiology. Groups were followed by monitors and guided by teachers during the whole process, finally presenting the results in a Symposium on Integrative Physiology.

Results

Along the proposed activities, students were capable of efficiently creating physiological-physical models (118 in total) highly representative of different physiological processes. The implementation of the proposal indicated that students successfully achieved active learning and meaningful learning in Physiology while addressing multiple learning styles.

Conclusion

The proposed method has proved to be an attractive, accessible and relatively simple approach to facilitate the physiology teaching-learning process, while facing difficulties imposed by recent requirements, especially those relating to the use of experimental animals and professional training guidelines. Finally, students’ active participation in the production of knowledge may result in a holistic education, and possibly, better professional practices.

【 授权许可】

   
2014 Rezende-Filho et al.; licensee BioMed Central Ltd.

【 图 表 】

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