Husnain Shah

Introduction

During the course of one’s medical career, there will be plenty of opportunity to be involved in formal and informal teaching. Attending a Teach-the-Teachers course is a useful way to learn and practice the principles of teaching adults. Moreover, it is a good way to collect a point for the  ophthalmology specialty training (OST) application.

There are a number of companies which run this course, the most prominent of which are Oxford Medical and ISC Medical.

Here I detail my experience of attending the Oxford Medical course.

Setting

Since the advent of Covid-19, the course has been running exclusively online via Zoom.

There is normally one tutor to a group of approximately 12 delegates.

Content

The course takes place over two days. Each day starts at 9:30 a.m. and finishes at 4:30 / 5:00 p.m., depending on the number of delegates.  Regular breaks are included in the schedule.

Before the course, you are sent some pre-course material to read.

During the first day, you cover the basic principles of adult learning. The tutor delivers brief lectures on a number of topics, including: different teaching styles; training design; and the importance of structured reflection. After each topic, you divide into small groups for discussion.

After lunch, there is an opportunity to deliver five minutes of teaching on a topic of your choosing.

At the close of the day, you are given homework to prepare teaching to deliver the following day.

On the second day, each delegate delivers two forms of teaching: 10 minutes of small-group teaching on a subject assigned by the tutor; and 15 minutes of large-group teaching on a subject of personal interest. Structured feedback is provided by the tutor and the other delegates.

Cost

The full two-day course run by Oxford Medical costs £400. For comparison, the equivalent course run by ISC Medical costs between £300 and £350. Both of these companies are recognised for the OST portfolio.

Advantages

This is a straightforward way to collect a point for your OST portfolio. The course is run throughout the year, so there is plenty of chance to attend. It is open to all trainees (as well as medical students), so there should be a good balance of delegates.

The course is interactive, with ample opportunity to practice teaching. A good amount of time is spent on how to deliver constructive feedback. This means that after each teaching session you will learn what you did well and what you can improve. Overall, you will leave feeling more confident in your teaching.

Summary

I really enjoyed my experience of the Teach-the-Teachers course.

It was well-structured and well-delivered. Our tutor was friendly and knowledgeable. They did a good job of offering feedback and shepherding discussion. The class was relaxed and convivial.

I appreciated the opportunity to practice teaching in front of my peers. Furthermore, it was useful to  observe other doctors’ teaching styles, and to consider how to incorporate what I learned into my own teaching.

I left feeling motivated and ready to apply what I learned to practice.