Do you teach ECG? 

What are some of the tricks of the trade that you use to improve your students' understanding and retention?  One of my main goals is to simply keep everyone interested and involved.  I think about what puts ME to sleep in classes.  Number one on my list:  PowerPoint presentations or slide shows with a lot of WORDS on the screen.  Add a slightly darkened room and a teacher with a monotonous voice, and nothing can keep me awake!  To keep everyone awake and alert, I employ several strategies:  Lots of photos and illustrations on my presentations, something for the student to write or draw, group practice sessions, and frequent short breaks. Also, many of my students seem to enjoy my using a good, old-fashioned overhead projector to draw while I talk.  They probably get tired of staring at me, and the drawing provides movement and color. Sometimes, I get to use modern projectors that allow me to draw on white paper instead of overhead transparancies.

When lecturing, to improve understanding and retention, I try to start with the BASICS, even if most of the class already knows them.  Then, I progress to information likely to be new to the group. It can be REALLY challenging if your class includes people with widely varied levels of ECG understanding.

Photos and Illustrations

One of the main reasons I included a "Heart Art" section on this website is that I use a lot of illustrations in my presentations and handouts.  Of course, ECGs are the main illustration, but anatomy drawings and photos, charts, diagrams, and medical images can really help make your point.  I even use photos inserted in my presentations to remind me to release my poor captive students for a break!  I use the photo here of an image reflected in water to illustrate a reciprocal view. This is my neighborhood in January.  My sincere apologies to all of you who live in cold climates!

Are You a Student of ECG?

What are some of the techniques your instructors have used to help you understand ECG?  What strategies do not work - that is, what makes you snooze - or forget what you learned the very next day?  An example for me is mnemonics.  Being in the medical field, my brain is already an alphabet soup:  SOB, CHF, COPD, CAD, STEMI, L&D, T&A, LOC ...........................  Adding mnemonics (SALI) just gives me too much to remember.   But that's just me.  Maybe you really need this technique to learn.  Even if you are a teacher, you are also often a student. 

PLEASE SHARE WITH US WHAT TEACHING TECHNIQUES WORK AND DON'T WORK FOR YOU.  Add your comments below: you will be helping other instructors spice up their classes and get better results.