STUDY OF PASSIVE DIDACTIC TEACHER CENTERED APPROACH AND AN ACTIVE STUDENT CENTERED APPROACH IN TEACHING ANATOMY

The importance of Anatomy in undergraduate medical education cannot be adequately emphasised. For doctors, the human body is the focus of investigation and intervention on a daily basis; for this reason, the study of anatomy in some form, will continue to be essential to safe medical practice. It is necessary for core knowledge of anatomy to be assimilated by all doctors in order to practice medicine safely. It may be true that most doctors do not need to dissect a cadaver or study a prosection in order to practice, but if they do, it can improve their understanding and this surely has to be of benefit both for the safety of the patient and satisfaction of the doctor as a professional. Teacher-centered typically refers to learning situations in which the teacher asserts control over the material that students study. In contrast,to teacher centered learning, student-centered typically refers to forms of instruction that, for example, give students opportunities to lead learning activities, participate more actively in discussions, design their own learning projects, explore topics that interest them, and generally contribute to the design of their own course of study. Additionally, student-centered instruction is often associated with classrooms that feature desks arranged in circles or small groups (rather than rows of desks that face the teacher), with “self-guided” or “self-paced” learning, or with learning experiences that occur outside of traditional classroom settings. Anatomy teaching has undergone major changes due to time constraints and the rapid advances in computer technology. Also there has been a shift a teaching methodologies from a passive didactic teacher- centered approach to an active student - centered approach. Conclusion: We should develop and implement an instructional design that focuses on incorporating active-learning and student-centered pedagogy into what is previously a traditional lecture-based course. These changes will lead to sustainable improvements in student attitudes and performance. Although the changes to be implemented may require a significant time commitment in the first year ,it will essentially be a “one time investment” because it will not require extra effort to teach the revised model in the future. Furthermore, it will not only provide a model for revision of an individual course but can also provide a catalyst for institutional reform.