Abstract

MORENO-ALTAMIRANO, Laura; GARCIA-GARCIA, Juan José; URBINA-CEDILLO, Clara  and  GARCIA-DE LA TORRE, Guadalupe S.. Teaching activity as a facilitator for the acquisition of significant learning and social commitment. Investigación educ. médica [online]. 2013, vol.2, n.7, pp.140-147. ISSN 2007-5057.

Introduction: By enabling activity by the teacher identified decoupling theory with practice, which was proposed for the study of a public health problem. Objective: The aim was to identify whether the teaching was useful for facilitating the integration of knowledge, acquisition of significant learning and social commitment to promote the active participation of students in the academic problem identification and reflection and systematization of the process for resolution. Method: We adopted a methodology similar to the "Action Research" (IA). Students of the third year of the medical course were the stars of the identification process of decoupling between theory and practice. Was chosen type 2 diabetes as public health problem, was studied in a rural community in Mexico the relationship between blood glucose levels and sociode-mographic characteristics, anthropometric and other potential risk factors. It was investigated the benefit in terms of activity implementation, integration of knowledge of the race, the doctor-patient relationship, social commitment and importance of community work and the role of epidemiological research and teaching-learning strategy (Significant learning?). Results: Over 90% of students indicated that the activity allowed apply learning-integrating previously identified diabetes as a social problem and noted that all medical students should be involved in this type of work since research linked action is a good learning strategy. Conclusions: The activity performed allow students to obtain a meaningful learning to identify their academic limitations, apply their knowledge and develop certain skills, in addition to realize that health education is a field of discipline that should be focused on who will run the message.

Keywords : Teaching experience; significant learning and social commitment; Mexico.