Teaching for better learning : a guide for teachers of primary health care staff / F. R. Abatt. World Health Organization

A comprehensive, step-by-step guide to teaching methods that can make the training of primary health care workers more relevant and effective. Noting that training courses often fail to prepare students for real conditions in the field, the book argues for job-oriented training focused on tasks, skills, and attitudes rather than on the memorization of facts from various academic disciplines. To this end, the book itself uses numerous practical examples and stories to anchor concepts and theories in real experiences, while exercises and tests help readers think through exactly what the job of the health worker involves on a day-to-day basis. Now in its second edition, the manual has been substantially revised and expanded following more than a decade of widespread use in over 30 developing countries. The manual is organized in four parts. Part one deals with the general problem of what students should learn. Chapters also illustrate areas of knowledge, often included in courses that are irrelevant to job performance and therefore useless to students. Part two helps readers choose the best teaching methods for each part of the course and offers some advice on using each method effectively. Part three, on performance assessment, describes traditional and newer methods for testing whether students can perform the work for which they are being trained. Emphasis is placed on the strengths and limitations of the different methods for assessing decision-making skills, communication skills, and the ability to perform procedures correctly. The final part gives practical tips and advice on how to plan, write, produce, and evaluate learning materials, from single-page handouts for use in lessons, through to complete manuals which health workers can use after the course as permanent job aids.

F. R. Abbatt