This interactive workshop is designed to equip medical educators with practical strategies for identifying and managing difficult learner behaviors during didactic teaching sessions. As residency education increasingly incorporates active learning techniques, disruptive or withdrawn learner behaviors can negatively impact engagement and educational outcomes for the entire group. In this session, participants are introduced to structured communication frameworks—including the Subjective–Objective–Assessment–Plan (SOAP) model and the educational alliance using advocacy–inquiry techniques—to facilitate effective educator–learner conversations.
Participants engage in role-play exercises involving standardized scenarios in which learners exhibit withdrawn or disruptive behaviors stemming from diverse underlying causes such as knowledge deficits, personal stressors, burnout, or organizational challenges. Through paired or small-group exercises followed by facilitated debriefing, educators practice diagnosing the root causes of learner behavior and collaboratively developing improvement plans. The workshop emphasizes psychological safety, real-time behavioral management strategies, and reflective teaching practices.
Target Learners
- Residency and fellowship program faculty
- Clinical educators involved in didactic teaching
- Graduate medical education instructors
- Academic physicians participating in faculty development programs
- Medical education bootcamp participants
- Chief residents or senior trainees with teaching responsibilities
Equipment Needed
- Computer with presentation software
- Projector and screen
- PowerPoint slides for didactic introduction
- Printed role-play case scenarios
- Debriefing guide handouts
- Quick-reference framework sheets (SOAP and advocacy–inquiry)
- Participant evaluation forms
- Optional: Audience response system (e.g., PollEverywhere) for engagement
Estimated Time to Complete Activity
Two implementation formats are supported:
- Abbreviated Format: 30 minutes
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- Introduction to behavioral frameworks
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- Paired role-play activity
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- Group debrief and action planning
- Extended Format: 60 minutes
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- Didactic overview of difficult learner behaviors
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- Framework instruction (SOAP; educational alliance)
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- Small-group role-play (educator–learner–observer)
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- Small- and large-group debrief discussions