‘Teaching’ Articles
Written by hedir on 04 June 2009
Recently, I picked approximately five gallons of dewberries, which average about 1/3 the size of blackberries and grow on bushes closer to the ground. The dewberries grow wild on property managed by the Army Corps of Engineers that surrounds the neighborhood in which I currently reside. While I was picking these berries, I was reminded of picking blackberries with an aunt in 1951.
At age 10, I convinced my parents to let me live with my favorite aunt, an uncle and my paternal grandfather. My parents had five sons, so it was reasonable that they could spare one to help care for my “invalid” grandfather; there were no children in my aunt and uncle’s home.
My aunt was a good teacher, although she only had six years of formal education. She took me along with her when she went to pick wild blackberries. It was easy to convince me to help pick the berries; I knew she would bake a berry cobbler and whip some cream to place on top of the portion I would eat. When we were in the berry patch, she would draw analogies between things we would encounter there and things I would encounter later in life.
A good example of a lesson learned in the berry patch is: Many things in life have risks associated with them. When picking berries, a person faces the risks of briar scratches, mosquito and tick bites that could lead to infections (Rocky Mountain spotted fever, Lyme disease, West Nile virus [In 1951, we were not yet aware of Lyme disease and West Nile virus]), snake bites, etc. My aunt would warn of risks in life from unwise use of alcohol, speeding when operating a motor vehicle, unwise use of a tool, including guns, axes, knives and chainsaws, and unwise affection for a disloyal person.
Another lesson learned in the berry patch was: A “gathering” approach to selection of berries to pick is better than the “hunt and shoot” approach. If a person focuses too intently on the biggest juicy ripe berries, she or he is apt to overlook many other ripe berries nearby. She would demonstrate that she could pick far more berries than I could in the same period of time. She was seeing far more berries nearby, while I was moving about trying to pick only the biggest and nicest berries I would see. My aunt said that men and boys seemed to prefer the “hunt and shoot” approach to the “gathering” approach generally preferred by women and girls. She made this observation in 1951, well before this concept was popularized through a comedy skit and published literature.
A third lesson learned in the berry patch was: When one reaches too far, she or he is apt to lose her or his balance and increase exposure to the risks of unintended injuries and fail to achieve the successful outcome desired. If one loses her or his balance, she or he is apt to fall, brush against one or more briars, or expose oneself to a snakebite. Copperhead snakes tend to inhabit brushy areas where blackberries thrive. My aunt saw this as analogous to living beyond one’s means, which could lead to financial ruin, or trying to attract the affections of a person who would be disinterested or highly likely to be disloyal to the relationship.
I have been grateful to my aunt throughout my life for lessons she taught me in the berry patch, the stable and the garden.
Tags: Wise aunts can teach about life
Posted in Teaching, Thoughts | No Comments »
Written by hedir on 04 June 2009
Recently, I picked approximately five gallons of dewberries, which average about 1/3 the size of blackberries and grow on bushes closer to the ground. The dewberries grow wild on property managed by the Army Corps of Engineers that surrounds the neighborhood in which I currently reside. While I was picking these berries, I was reminded of picking blackberries with an aunt in 1951.
At age 10, I convinced my parents to let me live with my favorite aunt, an uncle and my paternal grandfather. My parents had five sons, so it was reasonable that they could spare one to help care for my “invalid” grandfather; there were no children in my aunt and uncle’s home.
My aunt was a good teacher, although she only had six years of formal education. She took me along with her when she went to pick wild blackberries. It was easy to convince me to help pick the berries; I knew she would bake a berry cobbler and whip some cream to place on top of the portion I would eat. When we were in the berry patch, she would draw analogies between things we would encounter there and things I would encounter later in life.
A good example of a lesson learned in the berry patch is: Many things in life have risks associated with them. When picking berries, a person faces the risks of briar scratches, mosquito and tick bites that could lead to infections (Rocky Mountain spotted fever, Lyme disease, West Nile virus [In 1951, we were not yet aware of Lyme disease and West Nile virus]), snake bites, etc. My aunt would warn of risks in life from unwise use of alcohol, speeding when operating a motor vehicle, unwise use of a tool, including guns, axes, knives and chainsaws, and unwise affection for a disloyal person.
Another lesson learned in the berry patch was: A “gathering” approach to selection of berries to pick is better than the “hunt and shoot” approach. If a person focuses too intently on the biggest juicy ripe berries, she or he is apt to overlook many other ripe berries nearby. She would demonstrate that she could pick far more berries than I could in the same period of time. She was seeing far more berries nearby, while I was moving about trying to pick only the biggest and nicest berries I would see. My aunt said that men and boys seemed to prefer the “hunt and shoot” approach to the “gathering” approach generally preferred by women and girls. She made this observation in 1951, well before this concept was popularized through a comedy skit and published literature.
A third lesson learned in the berry patch was: When one reaches too far, she or he is apt to lose her or his balance and increase exposure to the risks of unintended injuries and fail to achieve the successful outcome desired. If one loses her or his balance, she or he is apt to fall, brush against one or more briars, or expose oneself to a snakebite. Copperhead snakes tend to inhabit brushy areas where blackberries thrive. My aunt saw this as analogous to living beyond one’s means, which could lead to financial ruin, or trying to attract the affections of a person who would be disinterested or highly likely to be disloyal to the relationship.
I have been grateful to my aunt throughout my life for lessons she taught me in the berry patch, the stable and the garden.
Tags: Wise aunts can teach about life
Posted in Teaching, Thoughts | No Comments »
Written by hedir on 01 May 2009
The H1N1 influenza virus is causing a great deal of confusion among people in various populations. Vice President Biden indicated he had advised family members to avoid air transportaion among other precautions, which the Obama administration describes as off-message. Celebrities, i.e., Paris Hilton, had indicated they do not eat pork, erroneously assuming this is an effective way to avoid becoming infected with the H1N1 virus. Public health authorities in Fort Worth Texas are encouraging cancellation of public gatherings, i.e., May Fest, a May 1 festival, while the director of the Dallas County Health Department is encouraging planners of public gatherings to hold their events, while providing additional access to sanitary facilities and materials for participants.
This seems an ideal time for health educators to fill the breech. Without a doubt, H1N1 will be with us for a while. While it is the new kid on the block, other strains of influenza regularly kill tens of thousands of Americans each year and account for hundreds of thousands of hospital admissions. If H1N1 becomes endemic, it may increase the volume of deaths and hospital admissions by anywhere from 25% to 100%. While H1N1 is the focus of the public’s attention, it is a good time to educate the public about effective disease prevention practices. For school health educators, this is a prime time to reinforce instruction on disease prevention and emphasize the need for a sound school health program. For health educators in clinical settings, this provides an excellent opportunity to reinforce messages to fellow health professinals and patients about the need for performing effective disease prevention activities.
Tags: Public Health Disease Prevention
Posted in Teaching, The health education profession | 2 Comments »
Written by hedir on 14 January 2009
Last week I wrote about how public health needed to address issues from a political standpoint… I am of the opinion that most of us will agree that we must embrace the political process in order to be successfull. One respondent quoted a professor that said “One good piece of legislation will save more lives than 1000 smoking cessation workshops”.
The other comments seemed to agree that politics is important “public health is the body politic”. So, since we tend to agree on this point lets take it further.
What would we say about a pharmacist having very little understanding of organic chemistry? Or a Social worker lacking the basic understanding of say Skinner or Prochaska?
Just like Pharmacy, social work or health education… the political world is based in theory!
If public health folks enter the politic world expecting that logic, epidemiology and sound judgement will win over policy maker… we are doomed to fail.
There was a theory in political science called “Rational Choice” that attempted to explain how policy makers decide what ideas become laws. It goes like this: Option A has 6 benefits and 2 shortfalls… Option B has 6 shortfalls and 2 benefits… Option C has 4 benefits and 4 shortfalls. Therefore, Option A should be the correct option ans should become policy. OHHHH how failed. First this theory requires accurate and COMPLETE information for the policy maker. Second… Even with accurate and complete information, some people will not make Option A their Choice because they have friends that think Option C is better. (anyone say smoking ordinance?)
The rational choice principle of policy making has gone by the wayside… Yet Public Health practice regarding policy making (in administration class and so forth) rely on rational choice as the basis of their actions (remember all of our actions should be based on theory… we just didn’t realize that we were using a theory). We exect that if we show policy makers enough “evidence” ans statistical analysis, they will form policies favorable to our agenda.
Community organizing discussions are based on a different policy theory… And this is where I find hope in advancing the policy process in our profession… It is called the Advocacy Coalition Framework. This theory is one in which coalitions form to promote their policy ideas… even when they are unlikely bedfellows.
Take for instance an effort to address teenage drug use in the community… Community organizing says that we should marshal all the community resources that are willing to participate and address the issue with good education and community involvement… Evidence based practice shows this works… but the policy process would ask us… Who else wants the same thing we do. The advocacy coalition framework tells us that we will be more successful in getting our ordinace (or law) passed if we team with other powerful organizations that have the same core beliefs.
Our core beliefs are health, empowerment, and equality. Who else shares these beliefs? Is there any group in your community that we would normally NOT expect to help us that has the same CORE beliefs?
The Key is to base our policy efforts on theory… not wishful thinking…
From the Heart of the Rockies.
TDUB
Posted in Politics & Policy, Teaching | 1 Comment »
Written by hedir on 07 January 2009
I routinely get that expression… You know, the one where someone furrows their brow and looks at you like “that makes no sense whatsoever”… The confused, “so what do I say now” look?
Although sometimes it is when I am just trying to explain the intricacies between Odds Ratio and Relative Risk, it usually comes after this part of a conversation.
THEM: So Mr Watson, what do you do?
ME: I teach public health up at the college.
THEM: That sounds interesting… So you have a doctorate in Health?
ME: No, actually I am almost done with my Doctorate in Political Science.
Now, because this happens so frequently I know what they are thinking… {so how does political science have anything to do with health}.
Unfortunately, I think most of us that have worked in public health and dealt with the political process have no clue how political science has to do with health, except that we get frustrated when politicians don’t listen to us. (and maybe a foggy memory of our senior year government class “how an idea becomes law”)
Perhaps it is because we are not trained very well in the policy process. Here is what I mean.
We regularly hear that policy making is one of the best ways to address the root causes of disease and poor health (smoking laws, school based physical education, trans fat, etc, etc) (also see Cottrell or McKenzie texts). We also hear that community organizing is a great way to change the community’s health (again see McKenzie).
Most of us have heard this through our schooling, and many of us teach it, but we stop there. Shouldn’t we teach more about the policy process?
When was the last time you heard the names of theorists in a classroom? For many of us, it was yesterday! We teach about Bandura, Prochaska, Skinner… Green, Kreuter, Neiger… MATCH, APEX-PH, etc, etc. But what about these… Kingdon, Sabatier, Jenkins-Smith, Stone, Simon, Buchanan.
The latter are policy theorists. As common as the behaviorists are to Health Education, these policy folks are known to political scientists.
Would we ever dream of sending out students to engage in behavior change without a good understanding of the transtheoretical model? So why do we ask our new professionals to go change the policy landscape without teaching them the theories that explain the policy process (more than to emphasize epidemiology and persuasive reasoning)?
Just some thoughts….
From the heart of the Rockies
TDUB
Tags: politics
Posted in Politics & Policy, Teaching | 14 Comments »
