ABSTRACT
Medical education is a hot topic. Since the Calman report in 1992 there has been enormous concern about the way we teach and assess medical trainees. The reduction in hours and years of training has led to anxieties about whether educational standards can be maintained. Structured teaching of theory does not necessarily mean that trainees have been adequately prepared to practice medicine, which requires a high level of practical skills together with elements of experience and wisdom. People learn, and teachers inspire, in different ways. Individuals respond differently to written, visual, aural and electronic teaching methods, and favour different styles of teaching. Interactive small group teaching gives trainees a better understanding of principles than didactic lectures. Practical skills are best learned by practice. Self-directed and problem-based learning, in which the pupils decide for themselves what they want to investigate, works well for some. Any method of teaching can be effective, but all will fail if the course structure is badly organized, the teachers uninspiring, or the students use inappropriate methods of learning.
