Reflection in a Museum Setting: The Personal Responses Tour

Abstract

Introduction We describe an educational innovation piloted by the director of education at a university art museum and a physician-educator using the museum holdings as reflective triggers for medical learners. This innovation is distinct from the emerging trend of using art to build observation skills, enhance pattern recognition, and improve diagnostic acumen. Our intervention is specifically designed to promote individual reflection, foster empathy, increase appreciation for the psychosocial context of patient experience, and create a safe haven for learners to deepen their relationships with one another. Methods Individuals randomly selected a question from a set prepared by the authors to guide a reflective exploration of the galleries. Each question was different, but all invited an emotional response—a connection between a work of art and some aspect of life or medical practice, for example, “Focus on a memorable patient, and find a work of art that person would find meaningful or powerful” or “Find an image of a person with whom you have difficulty empathizing.” The exploration ended with a shared tour of evocative objects selected by the participants. The duration of the exercise was approximately 1.5 hours and required minimal faculty preparation. Results Most of the participants rated the exercise as 5 (excellent) on a 5-point Likert scale and particularly cited the effectiveness at stimulating reflection on meaningful issues and community building. Discussion The exercise is easily reproducible in any art gallery space. The same basic format and facilitation technique opens new and different conversations depending on the composition of the group and the choice of artwork. Museum-based reflection warrants further experimentation, analysis, and dissemination.

Creative art and medical student development: a qualitative study

“…[1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11] The educational objectives of these offerings vary widely, from more practical uses such as sharpening observational skills 1,[12][13][14] and teaching anatomy, 15 to stimulating reflection on the experience of illness and the nature of doctoring. 3,5 Furthermore, ways in which art is used similarly run the gamut from studying works of art in museums to the creation of art by students; however, studies assessing the educational significance of these efforts are few in number. 5,[16][17][18] One of the authors (AKK) has previously theorised about the educational functions of creative art in medical education.…”

“…3,5 Furthermore, ways in which art is used similarly run the gamut from studying works of art in museums to the creation of art by students; however, studies assessing the educational significance of these efforts are few in number. 5,[16][17][18] One of the authors (AKK) has previously theorised about the educational functions of creative art in medical education. The creation of original artwork by medical students, he argued, allowed access to thoughts, feelings and impressions that students may acquire in interacting with families who live with chronic illness.…”

Students' perspectives about the medical humanities curriculum at the Catholic University of Korea

“…30 Reflection and reflective practice are regarded as important parts of the experiential learning processes and have been shown as essential to the development of medical professionalism related to humanism, building individual reflection, fostering empathy, increasing understanding and appreciation for the community and the society, building community, and enhancing cultural competence. [31][32][33][34] Many kinds of reflection exercises have been reported to stimulate and motivate reflection on specific issues. 35 Our data indicated that students were motivated to reflect on their development as physicians through experiential leaning.…”

Using hospital art in medical student reflection

“…Group interpretive exercises allow learners to explore team dynamics and examine medical thinking processes. New strategies, such as the ‘personal responses tour’ (PRT), 1 use artwork in museum settings as triggers for reflection, a core competency for medical professionals.…”