UsingPicturestoEnhanceUnderstandingofMedicalTerminology

田俊英

【Abstract】Medical terminology consists of so many new words and terms that medical students often have difficulty in learning and understanding them. This paper introduces the direct teaching method by using pictures taken from online resources to facilitate students understanding of the difficult medical terminology.

【Key words】Pictures； Medical terminology； Direct method

1. Problems Encountered in learning medical English

In teaching medical English， the author found that the students in medical classroom have difficulties in learning difficult medical terminology. Many medical terms （e.g. ileostomy， myasthenia gravis， myocardial infarction etc.） are incomprehensible as these terms are outside their regular daily vocabulary. The incomprehensibility affects students achievement in learning medical English. In order to address this problem， the author suggests the use of pictures or illustrations in medical English classroom to facilitate students understanding of difficult medical terminology.

2. Theoretic Basis for Using Pictures in Medical English Classroom

The use of pictures in medical English classroom is originated for the teaching method – Direct method （DM）. According to Larsen and Freeman （1986：18） that one of the effective teaching methods is by using direct method. The aim of Direct method is to think in the target language and， as a result of this， to develop a good communication ability. According the direct method， vocabulary and grammar are learnt through examples and associations. Teacher presents the subject by acting or demonstrations. The example of direct method is the use of pictures in teaching English. Brown in Erwadi （2003） state that picture can be used to introduce and motivate study of new topic， to clarify misconceptions， and to communicate basic information. The students learn best when they are motivated by being interested in the activity and by being involved in activities which are relevant to them.

3. Using Pictures to Facilitate Students Understanding of Difficult Medical Terminology

In learning medical terminology， the students are required to have medical background so that they can understand the medical terminology without much difficulty. Our medical English is taught among junior either junior medical students or non-medical major students， thus most of our students are lack of medical knowledge. When difficult terminology is encountered， they find it is hard to understand it. For example， the medical term - patent ductus arteriosus （a vessel present in the fetus to bypass the lungs fails to close at birth. Blood can then flow from the aorta to the pulmonary artery and return to the lungs.）. It is quite hard for the students to understand its meaning even if there is literal explanation. However， by using a picture taken from online resource， the teacher can explain its meaning clearly together with the help of literal explanation. In fact， a lot of medical terms can be learned by using pictures or illustrations.

Conclusion

The lecturer should be able to determine the most appropriate techniques in teaching medical English. It is very useful by using picture in medical English classroom because it will motivate students to know the new words. By using pictures， the students were easy to remember and understand the difficult medical terminology. Besides that， the use of picture can help students to imagine the situation， things based on the picture given. In a word， the picture as visual aids will attract students attention， and motivate them to learn.

References：

[1]Larsen，D.– Freeman（1986）：Techniques and Principles in Language Teaching.Oxford：OUP.

[2]Erwadi.2004.A study on Effectiveness of Using Pictures in Teaching Speaking at SLTPN 6 Pekanbaru，Pekanbaru：A Thesis Unpublished Paper.endprint