Skeletal Scrabble Faculty Spark - View, reflect and apply

Last updated on 14/10/2019

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Description

Dr Leanne Kenway shares an active learning strategy to enhance recall of anatomical terminology and spelling in a foundation year health course in the School of Medical Science at Griffith University.

Challenge

One of the difficulties faced when studying anatomy and physiology is the sheer volume of content that needs to be learned or recalled.

Amplifying this problem is the fact that most of anatomical terminology is Latin based.  For many students, this is akin to learning an entirely new language.  The problem is magnified by the fact that there is a large amount of recall involved.

Traditional styles of rote learning can be quite tedious and boring for students so I wanted to incorporate an active learning intervention within the tutorials that help students find a new way of learning, helping them to recall anatomical terminology.

Approach

I have designed an activity called Skeletal Scrabble.

This is a simple game that draws on being able to test students' knowledge via recall of terminology, and has the added bonus of testing their ability to spell these words correctly.

Most students are familiar with the game of Scrabble, so it provides a light and fun atmosphere for students.   It becomes particularly useful if they are visual learners, as visual stimuli are known to help encode memories and store that knowledge long term.

Students are separated into small groups where they can work collaboratively recalling the names of the different bones of the skeletal system, in a speed and accuracy test against their peers. This is a formative activity, in a low stakes environment, showing students that there are many ways they can adapt their study revision time to suit their learning style.

This activity can also be used as a revision activity away from the classroom.

Outcomes

The primary aim of this active learning strategy is to enhance student engagement, and test recall of anatomical knowledge.

It also develops students' ability to work collaboratively with peers while improving their communication skills. 

Griffith Graduate Attributes

This activity may assist the attainment of the following Griffith Graduate Attributes:

  • Effective communicators and collaborators
  • Innovative, creative and entrepreneurial

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Licence

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Preferred Citation

Kenway, L., & Learning Futures (2019). Skeletal Scrabble. Retrieved from https://app.secure.griffith.edu.au/exlnt/entry/7428/view