Yesterday I met a new colleague (now friend) at the Armory vax clinic and we ended up bonding over our mutual affinity for the @CPSolvers podcast. Today in the lit review for my MedEd project, I read some great papers on *why* learners like us yearn for this type of content...
This paper I found by Eva, et al. may provide the most powerful explanation for *why*. The authors describe the concept of cognitive "analogy," which allows learners to apply general principles learned in one problem to a 2nd, conceptually similar problem.
journals.lww.com
journals.lww.com
We use analogic reasoning all the time in VMR! For example, how can we frame the DDx of pulm edema & splenomegaly using analogy? Both can be considered processes of abnormal filling: H2O, RBC, WBC, & molecules! Although specific etiologies are different, the same buckets apply!
Eva, et al. describe numerous studies that suggest different ways to promote analogic reasoning and therefore promote diagnosticians' solving of novel clinical problems. Conveniently, the authors conclude the article by providing 5 crticial ways to promote such thinking:
1β£"Given the opportunity, mentors should make explicit mention of similarities between problems from different domains. If new problems can be understood using old schemas, learning should be more efficient and last longer."
2β£"Tasks given to students should promote their active processing capabilities, again inspiring them to search for the deeper, structural elements of novel problems."
3β£Educators should provide immediate feedback to learners, "including guidance through the overwhelming number of possible comparisons that can potentially be drawn."
4β£"The experience of problem solving itself should be emphasized as a valuable learning tool rather than simply as a way of finding the 'correct' solution." @CPSolvers
5β£"Numerous examples should be provided, as they serve to clarify abstract principles and add information to the abstract schema that result from students' generalizations of...problems."
Needless to say, whoever both finished this thread and somehow participates in the content facilitated by the @CPSolvers can appreciate how these recommendations are implemented by this wonderful teaching community! Thoughts? Other papers to read?
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