Small group facilitation skills in problem-based learning.

ABSTRACT

Medical schools are increasingly changing over to a problem-based system of learning. Students work in a small group to analyze a well-structured, clinically relevant patient case. Problem Based Learning (PBL) provides a logical approach in training students for practicing medicine in a complex environment by exposing them to simulated problems which may reflect real life situations. PBL requires a change in mindset on the part of both the learner and the teacher/facilitator. For tutors, metacognitive skills, i.e. the ability of active, positive, conscious monitoring and direction of activities carried out by the students who were confronted with a problem, clear communication, and awareness of the learning needs of the students are rated as important. The ‘knowledgeable’ teacher no longer dominates learning, and students and teachers became equal partners in the learning process. Teachers/facilitators are requested not to give answers but to provide students with more room for active self-learning. An effective PBL tutor has the ability to communicate informally with students and has an empathic attitude which creates an atmosphere in which open exchange of ideas is facilitated. Programmes to improve PBL facilitation skills have been carried out in various institutions in the South Asian region. The positive impact of these training programmes highlights the need for workshops to develop such facilitative skills among South Asian medical educators. Problem-based learning should gradually become the more important and more widely used method of learning compared to didactic lectures.