Teaching About Violence in Higher Education

1. Teaching About Violence in Higher Education Elaine J. Alpert, MD, MPH MINCAVA April 12, 1999

2. Topics • Why teach about violence? • Opportunities and impediments • Approaches and strategies • Quality teaching - a precious resource • Integrating campus and community • Integrating science and advocacy • Two examples • Troubleshooting • Collaboration to achieve a common goal

3. Topics • Why teach about violence? • Opportunities and impediments • Approaches and strategies • Quality teaching - a precious resource • Integrating campus and community • Integrating science and advocacy • Two examples • Troubleshooting • Collaboration to achieve a common goal

4. Why Teach About Violence? • Prevalent in all stages and contexts • Child abuse and neglect • Child sexual abuse • Intimate partner abuse • Elder mistreatment • Homicide • Suicide • Rape

5. Why Teach About Violence? • Important issue in society • Affects everyone’s sense of well-being • Impedes optimum development of children • Adverse effects on physical and mental health • Adverse effects on society • Deflects and distorts society’s goals • Criminal justice costs • Health care expenditure • Social service costs • Indirect costs

6. Why Teach About Violence? • Germane to students’ future careers • Opportunity to make a difference in society • Intellectually challenging • Multidisciplinary • Competitive edge in job market

7. Why Teach about Violence? • Germane to students’ personal lives • Common topic of discussion on campus • News and entertainment media exposure • Video games, music videos • Many students are personally affected • Witness (child, family member, friend) • Victim • Perpetrator

8. Topics • Why teach about violence? • Opportunities and impediments • Approaches and strategies • Quality teaching - a precious resource • Integrating campus and community • Integrating science and advocacy • Two examples • Troubleshooting • Collaboration to achieve a common goal

9. Opportunities and Impediments • Opportunities • Faculty pioneers • Student activism, initiative • Visionary leader (dean, department chair) • Incident or event (on or off campus) • Funding availability

10. Opportunities and Impediments • Impediments • Faculty opponents • Lack of student initiative • Presence of student initiative • Not perceived as a “priority” • Resistance by administration • Lack of funding • Few women, minorities in leadership positions

11. Topics • Why teach about violence? • Opportunities and impediments • Approaches and strategies • Quality teaching - a precious resource • Integrating campus and community • Integrating science and advocacy • Two examples • Troubleshooting • Collaboration to achieve a common goal

12. Approaches and Strategies • Subject-based approach • Content of entire course or segment • opportunities, challenges • Integrated through several segments • opportunities, challenges

13. Approaches and Strategies • Subject-based approach • Ex: MMS Seminar Series on DV • Ex: SB750 - Fam. Viol. and Public Health

14. Approaches and Strategies • Whole campus approach • Ex, freshman orientation • opportunities, challenges • Ex, “Take Back the Night” week • opportunities, challenges

15. Topics • Why teach about violence? • Opportunities and impediments • Approaches and strategies • Quality teaching - a precious resource • Integrating campus and community • Integrating science and advocacy • Two examples • Troubleshooting • Collaboration to achieve a common goal

16. What Makes a Great Teacher?* • Engages minds and curiosity of every student, not just those going into the field • Opens avenues of exploration • Available • Accountable • Affable (Thanks to Mort Hoffman, Ph.D)

17. Which is Better? • in class teaching? • field / clinical teaching? Answer: both, and it depends!

18. In Class Teaching Cost effective Efficient One expert, many students Easy to communicate expectations

19. Field / Clinical Teaching • Skill-based • Effective • One-to-one attention • Feedback on performance

20. Classroom Presentations • Should not be boring • Active process • Questions can guide presenter • Clarify, emphasize important points • Persuasive • Empathic

21. Teaching - live, improvisational performance in real time • Paying audience • Well-honed script with improvisation • Set, props, special effects • Blocking (how you use your space) • Dramatic (pregnant) pause

22. Teaching - live, improvisational performance in real time • Verbal language (how you use your words) • Body language (how you use your body) • Feedback from audience • Real time performance modification • Stage fright!

23. How to be Effective in the Classroom • Emphasize important points, but don’t repeat yourself • Neither too loud nor too soft • Neither too fast nor too slow • Enunciate clearly (but don’t be ridiculous) • Use pauses but don’t fill up with vocalizers • Don’t hide behind furniture! • Make eye contact • Look alive - use facial expression!

24. Use a Predictable Structure • Introduce what you are going to do • Do what you said you would do • Summarize what you did

25. Additional Teaching Strategies • Break up the lecture into segments • Use directed group discussion • Repeat each question before answering • Manage your time • Lead the discussion

26. Other Useful Teaching Strategies • Survivor presentations • Panel presentations • Theater presentations • Video segments

27. More Useful Teaching Strategies • Kelly box • Utilize technology but don’t get crazy • Be prepared - make sure everything works!

28. Less is More • Don’t need to “cover” everything • Session is a departure point, not a terminus • Encourage independent learning • Knowledge is built, not just passed on

29. Teaching about Violence • Students may know more than teachers • Teachers may not appreciate scope of problem • Teachers may not value others’ expertise in field • Some students may be victims, perpetrators or witnesses • Some teachers… • Knowledge isn’t enough. Specific practical skills are necessary

30. Topics • Why teach about violence? • Opportunities and impediments • Approaches and strategies • Quality teaching - a precious resource • Integrating campus and community • Integrating science and advocacy • Two examples • Troubleshooting • Collaboration to achieve a common goal

31. Integrating Campus and Community • Involve others in curriculum planning • colleagues • students • security • health services • theater groups • survivors • advocates • others

32. Integrating Campus and Community • Involve others in teaching • within and outside of class • advisory group • seek (and be alert to) diversity • guest faculty from university • guest faculty from community (inc. survivors) • collaborate on each others’ projects • work together towards a common goal

33. Integrating Campus and Community • Join in coordinated community-based response • community roundtable • grass roots violence prevention efforts • involve young people - energy and creativity • involve business - money and influence • involve faith community • others

34. Topics • Why teach about violence? • Opportunities and impediments • Approaches and strategies • Quality teaching - a precious resource • Integrating campus and community • Integrating science and advocacy • Two examples • Troubleshooting • Collaboration to achieve a common goal

35. Integrating Science and Advocacy • Effective teaching is science-based • Effective teaching is advocacy-based • Tension between science and advocacy

36. Topics • Why teach about violence? • Opportunities and impediments • Approaches and strategies • Quality teaching - a precious resource • Integrating campus with community • Integrating science with advocacy • Two examples • Troubleshooting • Collaboration to achieve a common goal

37. Example 1 Massachusetts Medical Society Seminar Series on Domestic Violence

38. Seminar Series on DV • Self-contained • 4 sessions • Skills-focused • Interactive • Multimedia

39. Seminar Series Intent • Non-expert medical faculty can teach effectively about DV • Target audience - physicians in training and in practice (primary care doctors) • Non-MD clinicians, others (segments of curriculum)

40. Seminar Series - Goal • Enable learners to master skills of: • routine inquiry • assessment • referral • advocacy

41. Seminar Series Contents • facilitator notes for 4 sessions • handouts • slides • physician pocket reminder (RADAR) cards • teaching goal cards • 15- minute instructional video • 3-disc interactive CD-ROM • baseline, follow-up evaluation instruments

42. Seminar Series Components • Seminar 1 - Background and Dynamics of DV • definition • spectrum • high risk indicators • obstacles to leaving • patient, system barriers to receiving care • physician barriers to providing care

43. Seminar Series Components • Seminar 2 - RADAR - a Clinical Model for Screening, Diagnosis and Intervention • interviewing techniques • physical examination • documentation • danger assessment • safety planning

44. Seminar Series Components • Videotape - “Diagnosis: Domestic Violence” • summarizes first 2 seminars • learner can “see” model of care

45. Seminar Series Components • CD-ROM - “Understanding Partner Abuse” • Disc 1 - 3 model, in-depth virtual interviews • Discs 2,3 - 4-visit scripted virtual “case”

46. Seminar Series Components • Seminar 3 - Skills Development for Clinical Practice • 3 role plays • modeled after FUND role plays • learners break into groups of 3 (triads) • 3 roles - physician, patient, observer

47. Value of Role Plays • Awareness of personal barriers • Safety to practice and explore • Awareness of non-verbal cues • Identification with “victim” • Opportunity to develop new skills • Group learning and modeling • Increased confidence • Gets everyone actively engaged in learning Adapted from Carole Warshaw, M.D.

48. Seminar Series Components • Seminar 4 - a Team Approach to Violence Prevention and Intervention • cofacilitated with a community-based “expert” • reinforces team concept of care • de-emphasizes role of doctor • introduces learners to real referral experts • strengthens relationship with community agencies

49. SB750 - Family Violence and the Practice of Public Health • Catalog Description: Prereq: SPH SB 721 Behavioral Sciences and Public Health (recommended). This course provides an overview, from a public health/prevention perspective, of the problem of family violence, focusing on child abuse and neglect, child sexual abuse, domestic or intimate partner abuse, and elder abuse...

50. SB750 - Catalog Description, cont The “Spectrum of Prevention” model, developed by Dr. Marshall Swift of Hahnemann College, will be utilized to provide a conceptual framework for primary and secondary prevention. Students who have completed this course will be prepared to approach meaningful community-based or investigative work in the field...