Teaching Strategies

Skills for Childbirth Educators

Webbing

In webbing, the students are given the ability to explore a topic freely. Begin with one word in the middle of the paper. Ask the students to write what they know or believe about the topic, going as many levels as they desire. This may take considerable time in class, so may be best as a homework activity or for students to work on while watching a birth movie.

Free Association

In a free association, you allow the students to say or write whatever comes to their minds about a topic. It is a great personal exploration, and when used in your class you can have the students create groups or "clusters" of words that were popular about the topic.

This is also a great activity to help students assess their learning when you give them time for free association on a topic during the first class, and then again after they have studied the topic.

Sample Free Association

Topic: Ways to Stay Healthy During Pregnancy

Individual List

Eat Well
More protein
Pack snacks when out
Snack on fruit
Exercise
go for walks
don't be lazy
swim
stretching and yoga
hand washing prevents colds
avoid the cat litter
Don't stop at drive through
Shop so I have healthy food in the house
Ask my midwife when I have a question

Class Cluster Group

Nutrition:
Plan and prepare to eat well
Make good choices

Exercise:
Daily

Health Care Provider:
Use as a resource

Fact Sheets

Give each student a topic such as an intervention, comfort measure, or stage of labor. Have the student create a fact sheet about their topic with 10 - 20 entries. You can assign specific questions that need to be answered on the fact sheet such as "When would this be appropriate?" or "What are the risks of this?".

Because this activity takes research time, it is best used as a homework. It works well in place of the Great Debate if you have a class that is too small to split into teams.

Journaling

Give each student a small spiral bound notebook with their class materials, or put some lined paper in the binder you prepare for them. Instruct them to record their thoughts, concerns and reactions to what they have read, learned or experienced during the 6 or 8 weeks of the class. If willing, you can have students share some of their reactions each week or how their thoughts have changed over the course of the class at the last class.

Listing

Give each student a blank sheet of paper and instruct them to draw a line right down the center. On one side instruct them to make a list of what they ate yesterday. On the other side, have the assess how helpful that food was to promoting a healthy pregnancy.

This can be used with comfort measures if one side is comfort measures and the other is when they would be appropriate; or interventions if one side lists the types of interventions and the other lists the effects it could have on the labor.

This may also be helpful for exploring the needs of post-partum.

You May Also Be Interested In: The Coach's Notebook explains a variety of comfort measures and techniques for childbirth. The Christian Childbirth Resource Directory lists websites, books and organizations all created to help you honor God through childbirth. Birthing Naturally Books publishes books to help you grow closer to God during this special time of life. Find childbirth professionals near you in the Natural Childbirth Directory.

© Copyright 2000-2007 Jennifer VanderLaan and Birthing Naturally

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