I've been asked to create new words that can't be found in the dictionary. Has there been an experience, action, memory, interaction, etc. that didn't already have the perfect word to define or describe it? At first this task sounded daunting. How often do I need to find a word, or sniglet, for something that doesn't already have one? But within minutes I had invented these words:
-Smemory (s mem ory) - n. When something smells like something else tastes, but you've never tasted it before.
-Wakawaka (wok a wok a) - n. The sound heard when massaging the base of an ear after medication or cleaning solution has been administered. This sound ensures adequate solution administration has been achieved.
-Winedmea (wine dee ma) - n. The quick occurrence of swollen toes due to red wine consumption.
Switching gears from defining to redefining, I encountered a minor issue at work the other day. In my dentistry course I teach students how to chart oral abnormalities using dental notations. To help explain these charting notations I provide photos of the oral abnormalities, such as gingivitis (inflamed gum tissue). Students learn what the abnormality is, are shown pictures of the abnormality, and are taught how to appropriately chart it in a patient's medical record. Students were tested on these charting notations on a quiz, and images of a patient's teeth were projected onto the overhead with directions on what to chart. Some images showed only a few teeth, not an entire half of an animal's mouth. After reviewing the charting portion of the quiz, one student suggested using only images that include the entire half of a patient's mouth. She believed her charting performance could have improved because she could better orient the issue in the patient's mouth by having more points of reference. I considered her suggestion, and I changed some pictures in the exam while also keeping some images displaying only a few teeth.
Her complaint was a lack of seeing the patient's entire half of the mouth. She supported the suggestion by stating they'll always have the entire half of the mouth to use when charting in real life. I agree that a patient will always have two halves of their jaw, but all the teeth may not be present. A significant part to learning these abnormalities and their notations is the ability to recognize normal versus abnormal oral structures. Students should recognize a normal premolar, molar, etc. and be able to orient themselves in the mouth based on the tooth structure alone. Their performance on charting did not change significantly based on the type of image used. I reframed the problem to determine that perhaps the core of the issue was that students weren't learning normal versus abnormal tooth structure. Or, maybe testing them using images in front of the room wasn't the best method. Possibly printed photos for students to read and ponder the question independently could be a better solution. Or maybe I had failed at my initial attempt to deliver the content. Over the years I've tried to implement different methods of teaching so these ideas are not so overwhelming and easier to grasp. Or, maybe students are not studying effectively so content retrieval is less successful. In the future I hope to gain a better understanding of what they're missing so they can be more successful on their first charting quiz.
Reference
Crossen, E. (2014). Retrieved from https://www.scott.af.mil/News/Art/igphoto/2000987458/.
Comments