This practical course teaches you how to plan and deliver effective teaching in clinical settings, from a formal session to five minutes at the bedside. It covers how adults learn, writing learning outcomes, a complete worked lesson plan, the one-minute preceptor, small group facilitation, structured feedback models such as Pendleton and ALOBA, and how to evaluate your teaching and use it as evidence for appraisal and revalidation.
What you will learn
- Apply key principles of adult learning, including Kolb's experiential learning cycle and Miller's pyramid, to plan teaching for a defined group of learners.
- Write specific, measurable learning outcomes and build a structured lesson plan using a set induction, body and closure.
- Use the one-minute preceptor and SNAPPS models to teach effectively during busy clinical work.
- Facilitate small group teaching that keeps learners actively involved and manages common group challenges.
- Give structured feedback using the Pendleton and ALOBA models and choose the right model for the situation.
- Evaluate a teaching session using learner feedback and peer observation, and turn the results into reflective evidence.
Course content
- Why teaching matters and how adults learn (3 min)
- Planning a teaching session (3 min)
- A worked lesson plan (3 min)
- Teaching in the clinical setting (4 min)
- Small group teaching (2 min)
- Giving feedback that helps learning (4 min)
- Evaluating your teaching (3 min)
- Case study: improving a teaching session (2 min)
- Knowledge check (10 questions, 10 min)
- Guided reflection (15 min)
Standards and guidance covered
- GMC: Good Medical Practice (2024), including the duty to contribute to teaching, training and supporting colleagues, and Promoting excellence: standards for medical education and training
- NMC: The Code (2015, updated 2018), including sharing skills and experience for the benefit of people receiving care and colleagues, and the Standards for student supervision and assessment
- HCPC: Standards of conduct, performance and ethics (2024) and the Standards of education and training
- GPhC: Standards for pharmacy professionals (2017), including the standard on demonstrating leadership
- Academy of Medical Educators: Professional Standards for medical, dental and veterinary educators
Certificate
Courses are free to study. When you pass the knowledge check (80%) and complete your reflection, you can buy a verified certificate showing your CPD time, with a unique ID and QR code that anyone can check on our verification page.
Study free at your own pace on any device.
Related guides
Teaching Skills for Doctors and Nurses: Practical Methods That Work
Practical teaching skills for doctors and nurses: learning outcomes, the one-minute preceptor, SNAPPS, Peyton's four steps, and bedside and group teaching.
Giving Feedback in Clinical Supervision: Pendleton and Other Models
Pendleton's feedback model explained with a worked example, plus SET-GO, Ask Tell Ask and R2C2, and how to give feedback well in clinical supervision.
Leadership Skills for NHS Staff: Leading Shifts, Teams and Change
Leadership skills for NHS staff: how to lead a shift, delegate safely, communicate in a crisis, manage conflict and lead small changes, with worked examples.
Practitioner Insight is an independent education provider. It is not affiliated with or endorsed by the GMC, MPTS, NMC, HCPC, GPhC or any NHS organisation, and this information is not legal advice. If you have been referred to a regulator, speak to your defence organisation, trade union or legal representative.