Utilizing theatrical tools in consultation training. A way to facilitate students' reflection on action?

Abstract

The aim was to give the individual student a group-based opportunity to reflect on possible consultation strategies as the consultation was evolving. An actress acted as patient in the consultation training for a group of 30 students. The consultation was stopped at each critical incidence, and time-out given to allow the students to reflect on possible continuation strategies, and then to carry out one of them. The project was evaluated adopting a pragmatic version of the reflective practitioner research strategy as developed by Taylor. The evaluation was based on tutor and actress's field notes, students' written free text evaluation and students' evaluation through two focus groups. The qualitative analysis resulted in the three categories: the fiction created, temporality manipulated, and students' learning through reflection. Implications for students' learning process are discussed. We conclude that our way of creating fiction and manipulating temporality in the consultation training was paralleled by most students' report on substantial learning feed-forward abilities from reflection on action.

Notes

Notes on contributors

ANDERS BAERHEIM, is professor in General Practice at the Section of General Practice, Department of Public Health and Primary Health Care, University of Bergen.

TORILD JACOBSEN ALRAEK, is educated as an actress, and has worked on stage for 20 years. During the last few years she has completed a Master of Arts in drama at the University College of Bergen. She is affiliated to the Section of General Practice, Department of Public Health and Primary Health Care, University of Bergen, Norway.