Most pharmacy educators are either clinicians or scientists who are passionate about their careers and desire to help mold new pharmacists just as their teachers and mentors shaped them. Although the leap from practice to academia may be as simple as accepting a different job, new teachers often feel overwhelmed and underprepared as they face the stares of students who appear no more engaged at the end of a lecture than when they first walked into the classroom. This leaves new educators wondering what they have gotten themselves into and whether they will actually be able to make a difference in the lives of students. They quickly come to the realization that teaching may not be as easy as it first looked. Unlike grade school and high school teachers, few instructors in higher education received formal training in how to be a teacher.
Sylvia and Barr have come to the rescue with their new book, Pharmacy Education: What Matters in Learning and Teaching. This teaching primer has been specifically written for pharmacy educators using discipline-specific examples. It is a welcome addition to the small number of offerings of pharmacy-specific educational literature, but would also be a helpful reference for higher education teachers in other areas, especially in health professional programs. The book discusses all aspects of teaching, beginning with what makes a good teacher and expanding to educational theory and analysis of learning styles, and makes the case for a student-centered approach to teaching. Sylvia had me hooked on the second page where she states “teaching and learning do not exist as separate and distinct activities…the facilitation and promotion of learning, rather than the transmission or telling of knowledge, should be at the forefront of all your actions as a teacher.” This is what I have come to believe in my 8 years in academia, but facilitation is easier said than done.
This book provides ample opportunities for the reader to learn the building blocks of facilitating and promoting learning. It includes chapters on assessment, large classroom and small-group teaching, application of technology, and specific guidance for laboratory and experiential teaching. The book also includes a chapter on a topic that is not usually covered in “how to” teaching manuals and which is especially helpful for faculty members teaching in professional educational programs: What Matters in Developing Professionals and Professionalism. This chapter discusses the need to incorporate education about professionalism into the curriculum and suggests strategies to promote civility and professionalism along with advice on how to handle unprofessional behavior.
Numerous examples that are integral to the learning points of the chapter and to which the reader can readily relate are provided throughout the text. In particular, chapter 9, What Matters in Experiential Education, contains 2 examples that are easily transferable to my own experience as an acute care internal medicine preceptor. Although I have been a pharmacy preceptor for many years, Sylvia offered new ways of enhancing student learning that I can implement tomorrow in my clinical practice as I work with students.
Pharmacy Education: What Matters in Learning and Teaching practices what it teaches by offering the reader active-learning opportunities using reflective exercises placed strategically throughout each chapter. These have been designed to help the reader use their own past and current experiences as they consider new theory and methods. In this way the experienced educator as well as the new or relatively new teacher can benefit from this book. Many of the activities provide the framework for review and analysis of the reader's current courses or lectures as it relates to the chapter topic using charts that the reader fills in along with completed examples.
The book concludes with a series of chapters to help faculty members develop skills related to service and scholarship, the final 2 components of the trinity of responsibilities for which teachers of higher education are evaluated. Included are chapters providing advice on student advising and mentoring, faculty development, and guidance on developing scholarly research on teaching and learning. In my experience, faculty members often become overburdened by their willingness to take on numerous service responsibilities and the chapter on What Matters in Faculty Service provides helpful guidance for self-reflection and advice about balancing commitments.
The authors have recruited 12 additional pharmacy experts to write some of the chapters, and although this strengthens the content, I was concerned this might disrupt the flow of the text. However, I was impressed with their ability to link concepts and material throughout the book. It does not read like 14 unrelated topics, but rather the student-centered focus of teaching is the backbone and all of the topics are interrelated and work together like parts of a body. Another benefit the authors have provided is the balance of theory with application supported by classic and new research. As I read this book, I found myself frequently going to the reference list and highlighting sources for further study.
Sylvia and Barr have written a handbook that is to pharmacy education as McKeachie's is to general higher education.1 The primary difference between the 2 texts is that McKeachie's is more detail-oriented and contains “teaching tips” as its title suggests. It remains a valuable reference in my library but Pharmacy Education: What Matters in Learning and Teaching would be an excellent guidebook to facilitate new faculty orientation as well as ongoing faculty development. I can also envision its use as precursor to overall curriculum evaluation and revision. By engaging faculty members in the discussion of “what matters in learning and teaching,” a college of pharmacy or other health professional program could lay the groundwork for a common focus – to create a learner-centered environment.
References
- 1.McKeachie WJ, Svinicki M, Hofer B. Teaching Tips: Strategies, Research, and Theory For College and University Teachers. 12th ed. Boston: Houghton Mifflin; 2006. [Google Scholar]