1. Cheryl Cockburn-Wootten Nittaya Campbell Tom Cockburn
Play Dough and Tin Foil: Bringing the audience back into the communication picture
Cheryl Cockburn-Wootten
Nittaya Campbell
Tom Cockburn

2. Pedagogy: Student Approaches to Learning
Knowledge co-created through discussion in the student’s learning activities, environment, relationships and interactions
Theories of student learning approaches have illustrated 2 key student attitudes - surface & deep learning.
The aim has been to achieve deep learning through activities and reflective dialogue

3. Collaborative learning: Aiming to enable ...
“ ...students can work collaboratively and in dialogue with others, both peers and teachers. Good dialogue elicits those activities that shape, elaborate and deepen understanding” (Biggs, 2003, p.13)

4. Kolbe’s Learning Cycle

5. Purpose of the activity
Purpose was to encourage students who work with clients in the Healthcare services to consider the recipient / receiver of their communication
Focus on giving & receiving instructions
Move the emphasis from the health care worker to the client/recipient of the communication

6. Activity Students are asked to be in groups of 3
They are told that they will have a certain amount of time to complete the activity
Each group is given either play Dough (various colours) or tin foil
Tin foil group receives extra instructions
Assign a role to each group member
Instructor
Trainee
Observer

7. Activity: Continued
Instructors – Your role is to tell the trainee how to make an animal out of the materials given.
Trainee – With the instructor begin to make the animal out of your materials.
Observer – Make notes on all the communication and interaction.
If time - roles can be swapped until everyone has had a turn.

8. Activity: Student reflective discussion
Following the activity a reflective review and discussion is held where the following approach and questions are typically asked:
Review of the observation – what did the trainee (T) and instructor (I)do, say and act with each other
Identify & acknowledge things that were done well
Identify & discuss any assumptions they had about the activity & task of giving instructions to clients/trainees
Did the T and I achieve what they had set out to make/do?
Identify & discuss any things that need to be improved
Discuss any barriers to learning/instructions & how to overcome them
What aspects would they change or allow the trainee to repeat?

9. Discussion of the activity
Highlights 3 key areas in professional communication
Students do not necessarily perceive or thoroughly consider instructions
Students make assumptions on their own skills and knowledge capabilities and the trainees
Students realise that they need to consider the recipient's perspective when giving instructions

10. Concluding comments
Play Dough & Tin Foil – lessens anxious feelings and opens up the student to being involved in the activity
Encourages students to consider the ‘other’ / receiver of the communication
Adaptive – to courses, student diversity in learning styles & environment