Trust the voice within
Speaking up in front of fellow medical students at tutorials is not always easy. Allan Lee and Kelvin Lim share their wisdom about how to make yourself heard
- By: Allan B Lee, Kelvin Lim
Have you ever been frustrated that you have stayed up late to cover all the possible mechanisms, management, and the psychosocial issues for your tutorial, only to utter “I agree” at the height of the discussion?
Gone are the days when the only formal teaching occurred in large lecture theatres, where medical students could remain inconspicuous for the whole duration of the lecture. Those who sit in the first two rows were the self appointed oracles for the rest of the students, and they seemed to know every single answer to the questions thrown by the lecturer.
With the introduction of problem based, self directed styles of learning in the medical curriculums worldwide, we suddenly have to speak up in tutorials. This proved to be challenging, especially for those who come from non-English speaking backgrounds. So, how can we overcome the tendency to become wallpaper in the tutorial room? How