Sample Preceptor Observation Email Feedback

Hi xx and xx,

Thank you for being PLUS preceptors and letting me sit in on your study group. I really enjoyed getting to see you two work together to field questions and cover material students are struggling with.  xx, you certainly  seemed to know the material well enough to help people; in a group that felt like they were looking for answers your knowledge was very useful to clarify concepts and point towards resources.  I appreciate how xx modeled the process of asking questions on topics where there was confusion and spearheaded the visual note taking system on the board.

One thing you might consider to get all attendees more involved is sharing the responsibility to explain concepts by getting the other students to put an explanation into their own words, and using activities to get everyone involved.  You might consider rearranging the room into a circle with 6-7 chairs (preceptors sitting on opposite sides of circle)--thereby suggesting that some study group participants sit closer to the board (hint hint, nudge nudge).  You might consider asking everyone who comes in to anonymously write down 3-5 burning questions they have on the material, and acknowledge them in the context of the posted agenda for the day, or bridge to resources that may be useful in discovering for them.  Or get started by having everyone say their name (I may have missed this in yours) to get them in practice of speaking in this space.  Reminding them throughout (much like a broken record) that study groups are a safe space to make mistakes and learn.  Some of the suggestions posted below came from the (developing) PLUS wiki—see what you think.

At the end of the class you might consider asking everyone to share one specific thing they learned, articulating it out loud to the group (this will reinforce it for the individual and for everyone else).

I also wonder if revisiting your preceptor beginning of session to do list to be more specific (i.e. how to encourage everyone participating) might be useful for everyone (this isn't something I'd expect you to do given your busy schedules, just throwing it out there)--even putting it under the doc camera to show others that everyone getting involved is the plan.

Your enthusiasm and interest for genetics is contagious, and again, I appreciate the hard work you are putting into facilitating these groups!  Your SP will be conducting ongoing training after the weekly planning meetings in the upcoming weeks to address some of the obstacles preceptors are facing.

Thanks for all you do,
Leta

Draw the Dog

Introduce the activity by stating that we’ll collaborate to draw a dog, each person contributing one piece of the picture.  The purpose is to practice stimulating participation.

You start by putting up a neutral arc or line.  Hand off the marker.  Remind everyone that nobody “wants” to go next, so plan to use a different phrase (make sure you do, too).

After 1/3 of the participants have gone, change the rules by directly asking the next person to “resist.”  Be really positive and encouraging to the marker-holder who is trying to hand off!

Name the strategy that each remaining marker-holder uses, as they sit down after successfully handing off: Lower the Bar (“it’s ok, we’ll help”), Prime the Pump (“how about adding legs?”) or Body Language (standing close or handing/tossing the marker in a commanding fashion).



Red Robin/Popcorn

PURPOSE: Improve study group participation and encourage discussion.

Use a pen or other small object to pass around.

The person with the pen starts off and explains/discusses a questions/concept.

The person then passes the object to another person in the group, who will continue to explain the topic or question.

The object will be passed around through the group until everyone has participated/ the topic has been thoroughly discussed.

If at any time a member of the group can’t explain a topic, pause and engage everyone in the group to help explain the topic. When the person with the object can explain the concept, they will then pass it to another member and the group can continue.