The Physical Therapist as
Educator
Chapter 7
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Education
Education is the process of imparting
information or skills and instructing by
precept, example, and experience so that
individuals acquire knowledge, master skills,
or develop competence.
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In addition to instructing patients/clients as
an element of intervention, physical
therapists may engage in education activities
such as planning and conducting academic
education, clinical education, and continuing
education programs; planning and
conducting educational programs for local,
state, and federal agencies; planning and
conducting programs for the public to
increase awareness of issues in which
physical therapists have expertise.
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EDUCATIONAL ROLES OF THE PHYSICAL
THERAPIST
Patient instruction
Teaching as tenured professors.
Teaching and training of Co-workers
Other groups of professional and lay people
Teaching opportunities, therefore, can take a
number of forms
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Informal, short classes
In-service courses for other staff members to
update information or provide training for specific
skills
Continuing education courses
Clinical instruction (e.g., clinical instructor or
center coordinator of clinical education)
Academic programs (e.g., adjunct faculty member,
academic coordinator of clinical education, or full-
time tenure track faculty member)
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TIPS FOR GIVING A GOOD
PRESENTATION
The cardinal rule of a good presentation is this—
Get up, say what you have to say, and sit down.
Determine the single purpose of your presentation.
Make sure you know why you are making the
presentation: to sell, to teach, to motivate, or to
persuade.
Always plan what you are going to say.
Each visual should support the purpose of the
presentation
Avoid complex data and excessive information.
Less information means less distraction.
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TIPS FOR GIVING A GOOD
PRESENTATION (cont.)
As a general guideline, use five slides in a 10-minute
presentation.
Use graphics, to portray concepts.
Hand out more material than you say and say more
than you show.
Keep handouts simple and consistent
Make your point without overwhelming the audience.
A simple, clear presentation made in a quiet,
confident, and friendly manner results in greater
retention of the material.
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TIPS FOR GIVING A GOOD
PRESENTATION (cont.)
Pay attention to the background colors you use in your
presentation materials because they can affect the mood of
the audience.
Blue signifies a conservative, credible approach to
information. It has a calming effect and elicits feelings of
trust and safety.
White or yellow text on a blue background is the easiest to
read.
Green stimulates audience interaction and is best for
training and educational presentations. It suggests
immovable, analytical, precise, opinionated.
Red is stimulating. It increases the heart rate and audience
enthusiasm and therefore is the color of choice to persuade
or motivate to act.
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TIPS FOR GIVING A GOOD
PRESENTATION (cont.)
Black evokes a sense that the audience has no
choice; it should be used for information that
cannot be changed (e.g., financial reports).
Gray suggests a lack of commitment (not clear
constant) to the content.
Yellow evokes a sense of optimism but is difficult
to use with most text colors.
Brown leads to audience passivity; it suggests that
the content is solid and permanent.
Violet implies a magical or mystical quality of the
content; it should be used when the material is
meant to be entertaining
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Learning behaviors
Learning behaviors are classified into three
domains:
1. The cognitive domain
2. The psychomotor domain
3. The affective domain
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The cognitive domain
Recall and use of information
Analysis of information is a much higher
learning objective than recall of knowledge.
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The psychomotor domain
Physical and manipulative skills
If Psychomotor goals are sought, laboratory
practice is indicated, and a practical
examination would be the test of choice.
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The affective domain
Interest, attitudes, and values
If with affective goals, discussion groups and
a report may be indicated
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Teaching Plan
In devising a teaching plan should begin
with the purpose or expected outcome (or
outcomes) of the learning unit.
The outcomes should be classified
according to the objectives in specific
terminal behaviors.
The instructional method and the
evaluation tool most appropriate for each
domain must be selected
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ETHICAL AND LEGAL ISSUES IN PHYSICAL
THERAPY EDUCATION
Teachers are also responsible for understanding ethical
and legal issues.
Discrimination, privacy, dismissal policies, and academic
freedom are among the issues.
The ethical obligations of PTs involved in teaching or
continuing education are specifically addressed.
PTs providing continuing education courses should be
competent in the content and should give accurate
information about the course in course materials.
Those attending continuing education courses are
obligated to evaluate the quality of the information before
putting it to use:
“A physical therapist shall evaluate the efficacy and
effectiveness of information and techniques presented in
continuing education programs before integrating them
into his/her practice” A.B(batrasian_67@[Link]) May 1, 2024 15
Continuing Competence
Maintaining competence requires
commitment to a lifelong process of
education and skill development to meet
the ever-changing needs of health care.
Mandatory continuing education has been
the tool most commonly used to ensure
that licensed PTs maintain competence.
It is universally acknowledged that
attendance at courses does not necessarily
translate into competence.
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Academic Integrity
Programs that educate future professionals seemingly
would be free of cheating and violations of academic
integrity!!!!
Technology has created additional challenges to
academic integrity by making materials easier to
copy.
Students have been caught sending messages by cell
phone during practical examinations.
Because self-regulation is expected of professionals,
serious violations of academic integrity may be
considered an indication that a student lacks the
required moral qualities and decision-making
capability.
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Vulnerability of Students
Just as patients are vulnerable to the PT’s
knowledge and status, students are
vulnerable to the status and power of faculty
members.
Students may be subjected to unfair grading,
sexual harassment, or discrimination.
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Summary
Teaching roles for PTs range from one-on-one patient/client
management to fulltime teaching with little or no patient care.
The PT educator may have an informal preparation or may have
completed graduate studies in education.
The transition from clinician to full-time educator involves
career planning, because academic positions require advanced
degrees.
PTs who want to pursue professional development by obtaining
an academic position should consider the following factors:
◦ Self-confidence as an expert in Physical Therapy
◦ Level of comfort with public speaking
◦ Commitment to research and service as well as teaching
Importance of effective teaching and learning strategies
◦ The complicated milieu of higher education and the
responsibility inherent in the preparation of licensed
professionals
◦ The complexity of the educator’s role at all these levels is
reflected in the legal and ethical challenges that must be met.
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