Practical Training of Facilitators to Introduce Visual Thinking Strategies (VTS) in Dental Education

Abstract

 Abstract In recent years, interactive appreciation using visual art―Visual Thinking Strategies (VTS) ―has been attracting attention as a means of developing learners’ clinical skills. In order to apply VTS at our university, a workshop was held with the aim of training facilitators. This report provides an overview of the workshop.

 The workshop participants were 20 faculty members affiliated with the Nippon Dental University School of Life Dentistry at Tokyo and the Nippon Dental University Hospital. The workshop included a brief explanation of VTS, small-group VTS facilitator experience, and reflections. At the end of the workshop, a questionnaire was administered, and a quantitative text analysis was conducted on the freely written content.

 The results of the questionnaire showed that “observation skills,” “understanding others’ opinions,” “critical thinking” and “accepting diversity” were the most frequently selected items where VTS might contribute to students’ learning. Three sub-graphs were extracted as a result of the quantitative text analysis : “Expectations for VTS,” “Diversity of Perspectives,” and “Understanding and Concerns for Facilitating.”

 As a result of this workshop, many participants were aware of the educational effects of VTS in developing professionalism, although many of them were still concerned about the facilitation of VTS. In order to implement VTS in dental education in the future, it is necessary to improve the workshop content and continue training VTS facilitators.