Review: i Kinchin's Visualising Powerful Knowledge to Develop the Expert Student

If there are sources to help understand Hodges' model and even contribute and provide evidence for a 'theory' then this book is one to add to the shelf.

Consequently this is the first of several posts (and other book reviews?):

Kinchin's Visualising Powerful Knowledge to Develop the Expert Student and related books

As mentioned Kinchin's book was brought to my attention through the Threshold Concepts forum. More on this to follow. Kinchin begins by noting how academics who teach at universities are there because they are subject experts. This is not just their knowing a lot, but the way this knowledge is organised (structured) and understood. This facilitates their engagement in the field to help extend knowledge further and the discipline they teach. Kinchin cites Goldsmith et al. (1991):

"To be knowledgeable in some area is to understand the interrelationships among the important concepts in that domain." p.4.

There is an immediate opportunity here, to note that Hodges' model in providing four domains is encouraging and facilitating the identification, association, understanding (meanings) across the model's domains that for novices simultaneously increases their vocabulary.

Kinchin's book seeks to address what is often a marked gap, between academics as subject matter experts and their ability to teach or present the content of 'what they know'. While teachers (and nurse mentors) are preoccupied with a student's competence, this book also considers the competence of teachers to teach. Kinchin reports how a great deal of teaching appears designed to keep students as 'perpetual novices'. I had an image here of Benner's theory pushing from one side; while teaching custom & practice (Powerpoint, linear, chains - of theory) pushes from the other. Why are students being taught, why are they learning? Reference to tell-memorise-test-forget in order to pass exams, seems the end-game, the outcome that student are now (potentially) paying for.

At this point in writing the review, I come across an omission. There is no index, but what appears a comprehensive list of references is provided. I found what I was looking for quickly enough - reference to 'bulimic learning' on p.7. Students gorge on information only to regurgitate it for exam purposes. This means it is undigested, not learned and integrated into the student's existing knowledge base and other concurrent learning. While science is applied in terms of evidence through research, teachers often seem reluctant to apply the very same principles.

"One of the problems in moving from 'traditional' teaching models towards 'effective' models is perhaps the lack of accessible tools with which to support the change from the non-learning of inert knowledge to the meaningful learning of powerful knowledge." p.7

Teachers and teaching provoke many adages, especially in health education; the 'differences' between those who practice, those who teach and those dedicated to research who eschew teaching preferring research. As the references suggest, Kinchin cites the literature, in this case the 'politics of reluctance'. Ideally all should apply, teaching, teachers, research and researchers married and allied together. There is a tendency (as ever) to stereotype and dichotomise. Some teach because they are lousy researchers; when it should be the case that teachers teach the way they research (p.10).

Chapter 1 is "The Framework - Linking Key Ideas" central is the approach and resource provided by Novak and Symlington in 1982 using the concept map. With a small library of papers and books, Novak is in there, Tony Buzan's mind-mapping approach - which is different and other sources. From the start, examples of a concept map framework are provided pp. 3,4,6 ... While very critical of 'traditional' teaching, Kinchin is sympathetic to the reality many teachers face and empathetic of teaching as the poor cousin. There are teachers aspiring to be 'active' teachers and effect change.

to be continued...

Novak, J.D. and Symington, D.J. (1982) Concept mapping for curriculum development. Victoria Institute for Educational Research Bulletin, 48: 3–11.

Kinchin, I., (2016) Visualising powerful knowledge to develop the expert student. Rotterdam: Sense Publishers.

See also:

Intro post

Review Two

Three

Four

Five

Six

Thanks to Brill for my review copy.

Ayurvedic Man: Encounters with Indian Medicine

The Wellcome Collection

‘Woman Swinging Below an Aubergine Plant’, watercolour with pencil, 19th century (Wellcome Collection)

individual

|

INTERPERSONAL : SCIENCES

humanistic --------------------------------------- mechanistic

SOCIOLOGY : POLITICAL

|

group

oral traditions learning teacher - student	3000 years botany turmeric
culture, history, community knowledge,  traditional medicine	West - contested - East prices scope of patents

My sources: November London visit research and FT.com Magazine, 28-29 October 2017, pp.20-22.

Image: http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/food-and-drink/turmeric-ayurveda-india-health-tradition-healing-a8060476.html

The profit motive and health currency

individual
|

INTERPERSONAL : SCIENCES

humanistic --------------------------------------- mechanistic

SOCIOLOGY : POLITICAL
|

group

	"... They tell us that temperatures are still unbearable, that it’s consistently scorching hot. And it’s getting worse as the weather heats up. Workers are fainting every day. To cope, they use a traditional technique called “coining”, where they scratch their skin with coins to bring blood to the surface of the skin. It’s meant to relieve the stress and fatigue caused by the heat. ..."
	A Kin Tai factory worker getting “coined” by a coworker on Monday.

When people are exploited and in the absence of health services and evidence-based health care information, they may resort to traditional remedies to try to solve acute health problems. When the control of the work environment is also beyond the worker's control then acute problems and risks to health are bound to follow.

My source: France24 TV English Service

Web: Cambodian workers 'keep fainting from heat' while making Armani jeans:
https://observers.france24.com/en/20150513-fainting-heat-factory-cambodia-armani

Rhinos, evidence based medicine and 'out-reach'

It would be be marvellous to be able to introduce h2cm to the nursing, health and social care communities in Asia, including China of course.

Working in health we are surely aware of the need to base what we do on evidence. Although nurses are not necessarily independent as the patient advocate. Advocacy is still an important part of the nursing role and one requiring specific advice in some instances.

Earlier this month a Guardian article related the ever more precarious position of the South African rhino and how claims about the curative properties of rhino horn as a medicine fuels poaching. The UK is nowhere near South Africa or China so what gives? What gives is the Planet, the tiger too and the biosphere in general. Apparently rhino horn is just compacted keratin and has no medicinal properties.

Nurses tend to be a green, ecologically minded group and the best source of change comes from within. It is never easy to change the beliefs of others, especially when your culture venerates its elders. Belief also remains a powerful factor in health. Despite this do nurses not have a duty to challenge beliefs that are wrong, to educate their communities even while taking tradition into account?

What price true literacy: spiritual, 3Rs, ICT, health, environmental and cultural ...?

There must be a way for nurses to unite on this - 

across cultures, borders, traditions, animal welfare standards,
digital barricades, politics, beliefs ...

As nurses there is always the question of dignity and respect and being non-judgemental and sensitive to cultural attitudes and practices that differ from our own. A 'truth' here is that you do not have to travel far for your own values and opinions to be challenged.

As we make a difference individually with patients and carers ... collectively can we extend our reach to other communities too? While there's still time - and we try not to bite our nails.