MedTeach II

Our second lesson was on the respiratory system. I did a station on mechanics of breathing for one class and smoking for the second class. For these stations, we had models of lungs and a box of things found in cigarettes: nail polish remover, PVC pipe, bug spray; hopefully, this will reinforce anti-smoking messages for the students. We also had a station on lung anatomy and lung diseases like asthma. At the asthma station, we had everyone breathe out of straws and licorice to see how difficult it is to move air with increased anatomic dead space.

Our most recent lesson was on the digestive system. I ran the station on anatomy with specimens of small intestine and liver. Those were pretty good specimens, as their texture is completely different and I could have the kids try to determine whether the intestine was small or large. We also had a station on nutrition, upper GI stuff (saliva, peristalsis), and a model of the GI tract.

In any case, I really enjoyed doing this and learned a lot. I could really see some of the students trying hard to learn, fascinated by the human body. I became a better teacher as time went on, from organizational things like time management to presentation of material suitable for their level. MedTeach is a great experience.