How to use OOOH!!

Notes for Educators

OOOH!! is quite a collection – as broad (in terms of media) as it is deep (in terms of issues explored). It is also a special type of educational resource. Special because it is grounded in the intimate expression of what students (and a scattering of staff and patients) themselves feel to be important issues in medicine. So when you ask students to engage with OOOH!! you can be sure they are engaging with material that is resonant and authentic. This has great value to the educationalist seeking material that guides learning away from the predictable world of propositional knowledge (a.k.a. facts) and onto the sunny uplands of lived experience.

So how to use OOOH!! in practice? You can invite students to explore OOOH!! until they alight upon a work that ignites their imagination. Ask them to reflect on the work and “Submit a Comment” – see an example of how this has worked here. We’ve then asked students refer to their selected work in a subsequent class – going round from student to student. Especially with skilled facilitation, this will can generate deeply considered dialogue.

As well as a stoutly student-led approach, it also works to specify particular artworks in relation to learning on particular topics. Here the artwork is not the central thing but a complementary angle. For instance, students could view Rebecca Wood’s short film “My Mind is Not My Own” on the experience of stroke during neurology teaching on CVA. Finding relevant works is as simple as using the filter system to search by diagnosis or specialty. As OOOH!! grows it gets more likely that you will find a certain theme represented.

One of the best uses of OOOH!! is to inspire students toward their own creations. OOOH!! is visible proof that generations of students, many initially sceptical, have responded to the challenge of “Compulsory Creativity“. Before we set students a creative project, we encourage them to visit OOOH!! The Curator’s Tour is an excellent starting place for the perplexed. OOOH!! helps build a collective confidence in students’ ability to competently contribute to the Art of Medicine.