Application of the PBL Teaching Method in the Teaching of the Medical Articles R

Abstract. In this paper, the author applies PBL teaching method to the teaching of the reading and translation of the medical articles. Through the comparison of the teaching cases, the author carries out an observation on the different results of the traditional teaching and the PBL teaching method in the teaching of the translation of the medical articles, and analyzes the feasibility of applying the PBL teaching method to the teaching of the reading and translation of the medical articles.

Key words:PBL Teaching Reading; Reading and Translation of Medical Articles; Feasibility

1.PBL Teaching Method

PBL (Problem Based Learning) is a kind of learning that is based on problems. The most important characteristics of the PBL teaching method are paying attention to the training of the abilities, keeping the objectivity of the issues, laying a stress on the participation and initiative of all members, and getting the diversified and optimal solutions to the problems.

The educational ideas and characteristics of the PBL teaching method are in conformity with the training objectives of College English education and the needs in all aspects, and can also stimulate the interests of the students in learning.

2.Selection of Teaching Materials

Generally speaking, the medical articles touch upon a great number of the exclusively-used vocabularies, the terminologies as well as the medical knowledge. Before the reading and translation of the medical articles, making a prediction on the contents in the articles in advance and looking for the medical vocabularies are highly importance to the understanding and translation of the articles.

In the PBL teaching method, it is highly necessary for the teachers to make clear the most important points for the teaching, give time to the related questions, and carry out the discussions by groups; it is highly necessary for the teachers to give the sufficient time to the students to have a preparation before class.

Due to the existing preparations and the large reserves of a large number of professional knowledge outside English language, the process of the reading and translation of the medical articles is much smoother than that of the traditional teaching method.

In this paper, with regard to the lesson Cholelithiasis and Chronic Cholecystitis, the author makes a comparison and analysis on the different translations of the students from two classes, and finds that the different teaching effects can be generated under the PBL teaching method and the traditional teaching model.

3.Teaching Cases

For the lesson Gallstone Disease and Chronic Cholecystitis, the author carries out the introduction on the two diseases from five major aspects: (1) all signs that the cholelithiasis presents; (2) the characteristics of chronic cholecystitis of gallstone disease; (3) all signs of the chronic cholecystitis; (4) the diagnosis of the chronic cholecystitis; (5) the treatment of the chronic cholecystitis. In this lesson, there are a great number of the medical vocabularies, but the number of the vocabularies that are related to the vocabularies is only closely to 10. Also, the vocabularies such as ileum, epigastric, colicky, icterus, belching and iodopanoic acid are very professional medical vocabularies.

If the students have a certain understanding of the gallstone disease and the chronic cholecystitis as well as the relationship between the gallstone disease and the chronic cholecystitis, they can understand the medical vocabularies more easily and smoothly, and subsequently will be much handier in the translation of the medical articles.

In view of this situation, with regard to the lesson Cholelithiasis and Chronic Cholecystitis, the author reserves some questions for the students in the PBL teaching process, as shown in the following.

(1) What is cholelithiasis? How many are the types of cholelithiasis?

(2) What is the relationship between cholelithiasis and Chronic Cholecystitis?

(3) What harms are caused by cholecystitis?

(4) What are the symptoms when the chronic cholecystitis breaks out?

(5) What are the methods to make a diagnosis on the chronic cholecystitis?

(6) What are the methods to treat the chronic cholecystitis?

In the following, the author carries out a comparison on the translations of the students from both experiment class and contrast class, and then conducts research and analysis on it to discover the different teaching effects under the two teaching methods.

In the process of selecting the cases about the translations from experiment class and contrast class, the author selects the translations with a convergence rate of over 60% in structure, logics and meaning.

The translations of experts source from the standard translation in the teaching reference book of "Medical English" that was chiefly edited by Guoquan Liu and published by the People's Health publishing House in 2003.

3.1.Translation case 1

Cholelithiasis may express itself clinically in a variety of signs, depending to some degree upon the behavior of the stones.

Contrast class:

Cholelithiasis shows the changing-over symptom in clinics relying on the different degrees that the behavior of the stones can reach.

Experiment class:

All kinds of signs that the cholelithiasis present in clinics depend on the e characteristics of the stones to some extent.

Expert:

A variety of signs that the cholelithiasis may express itself depend on the conditions of the stones to some extent.

The title of this lesson is called as the Cholelithiasis and Chronic Cholecystitis. The students in the experiment class to receive the PBL teaching consult a large amount of the related medical information about cholelithiasis and chronic cholecystitis before class.

From the translation of the experiment class, it is not difficult to discover that the students carry out a search on all kinds of information that the students propose. Therefore, the students have gotten a certain understanding of the relationship between the cholelithiasis and the stones activities.

However, compared with the experiment class, the translation of the contrast class is obviously in shortage of the knowledge of the relationship between the cholelithiasis and the stones activities, and thus the logics of the students are not clear.

3.2.Translation case 2

As has been observed, obstruction of cystic duct may lead to a dramatic attack of the acute gallbladder inflammation, and repeated episodes of mild degree may be observed.

Contrast class:

According to the observations, it is found that the obstacles in the gall bladder may give rise to the dramatic attacks by the serious cholecystitis, and the repeated segments to a slight degree may be observed at the same time.

Experiment class:

According to the observations, it is found that the obstruction of the episodes may lead to the severe attack of the acute cholecystitis, and sometimes the easing recurrence may be observed as well.

Expert:

Just as has been already noted, the obstruction of the gall bladder may give rise to the severe attack of the acute cholecystitis, and also the light repeated breaking-out can be seen.

Through the comparison on the translations, it is not difficult to see that the translations of the students in the experiment class are more professional in the vocabularies of the medical English, and are more scientific and rigorous and closer to the translation of experts.

3.3.Translation case 3

We shall next consider the most common impairment that may outcome from cholelithiasis, chronic cholecystitis. This is characterized by evidence of a chronic inflammatory process on gross or microscopic examination.

Contrast class:

In the following, the commonly-seen harms, which are caused by cholelithiasis and chronic cholecystitis, will be discussed. The characteristics of these harms are expressed by the whole process of the chronic pro-inflammatory substances and the examination of the microscope.

Experiment class:

At the present time, the most common harm (chronic cholecystitis) that is caused by the cholelithiasis will be discussed in the following. This is a chronic inflammation, which can be observed through the eyes or the examination of the microscope.

Expert:

It is necessary for us to give further consideration to the harms, which are caused by cholelithiasis and chronic cholecystitis. The characteristic is that the chronic inflammation can be seen under the observation through the eyes or the examination of the microscope.

From the above, it can be seen that the translation of the students in the experiment group is more accurate than the translation of the expert, and gives a more accurate expression to the relationship between the cholelithiasis and chronic cholecystitis.

However, the translation of the students in the contrast group is highly obscure in the logics and unclear in the structure.

3.4.Translation case 4

Typical chronic cholecystitis is associated with discrete attacks of epigastric or right upper abdominal pain, either steady or colicky, with tenderness to palpation and lasting for hours. Fever, dark urine, and/or jaundice may accompany the episode, indicating common duct obstruction, which is caused by edema and/or a calculus.

Contrast class:

The symptoms of the typical chronic cholecystitis include the intermittent upper abdominal pains or the right upper abdominal pains, and are easily accessible; the pains or cramps can be continuous several hours. Sometimes, there may be fever, red-yellow urine, and yellow pimple to be accompanied, as well as the obstruction of the hydroncus or the normal bile ducts.

Experiment class:

The typical chronic cholecystitis is often accompanied by the intermittent upper abdominal pains or the right upper abdominal continuous pain or cramp. There is a sense of pain when there is palpation, and the symptoms will last for several hours.

When there is an attack by the inflammation, it may give rise to the bile duct obstruction due to the existence of the hydroncus or the stones, and subsequently there are the occurrences of ever, dark urine, and jaundice and so on.

Experts:

When there is an attack by the typical chronic cholecystitis, there are the upper abdominal or right upper abdominal continuous pains, cramps or tenderness for several hours, and there are the accompanied fever, dark urine, and jaundice and so on. This shows that there is a common bile duct obstruction, and the reason for this obstruction is the hydroncus or gallstone, or there are both of them.

Through the comparison on the translations, it has to admit that the exact application of the medical English vocabularies is the key for the reading and translation of the medical articles in addition to the factors of applying English language itself and the understanding of the information, knowledge and specialized vocabularies out of the language.

3.5.Translation case 5

Roentgenography of the gallbladder and biliary tract is the main means of diagnosis of cholecystitis. Calculi may be apparent on a flat film of the abdomen or by cholecystography with iodopanoic acid, and sometimes even by intravenous cholangiography. With careful and proper evaluation, chronic cholecystitis and cholelithiasis may be accurately diagnosed in more than 95 percent of the patients. Chronic cholecystitis without cholelithiasis may be more difficult to diagnose.

Contrast class:

The X-ray photography of gallbladder and the bile system is the most important diagnostic method for the cholecystitis. The stones may occur in the flat film of the upper abdomen or by cholecystography with iodopanoic acid, and appear by the intravenous cholangiography sometimes. Through the careful and appropriate inspection, more than 95% of the patients attacked by the chronic cholecystitis and cholelithiasis can receive an accurate diagnosis. It is more difficult to make a diagnosis on the chronic cholecystitis without the cholelithiasis.

Experiment class:

The X-ray photography of the gallbladder and biliary tract are the main method for the diagnosis of cholecystitis. The stones may be expressed by the flat film of the abdomen or by cholecystography with iodopanoic acid or by the intravenous cholangiography sometimes. By the dedicated and appropriate examination, over 95% of the patients with the chronic cholecystitis and cholelithiasis can be accurately diagnosed. The chronic cholecystitis without stones may be more difficult to be diagnosed.

Expert:

The X-ray photography of the gallbladder and biliary tract is the major way to make a diagnosis on cholecystitis. The stones can be shown by using the flat film of the abdomen, cholecystography with iodopanoic acid. Sometimes it is necessary to make use of the intravenous bile duct cholangiography. Through the careful studies, in over 95% of the patients who are the chronic cholecystitis and cholelithiasis, it is difficult to make a diagnosis on the chronic cholecystitis of non-stones.

In this translation of this text, the students in the contrast groups have forgotten the biliary tract that they have learnt in the previous text apparently. As for the medical term (a flat film of the abdomen), the translation is not very accurate and also not professional.

For the X-ray photography of the iodopanoic acid, they do not get an understanding as well. Thus, there are a lot of mistakes in translation, and hence the translations are difficult to be fluent.

4.Conclusion

By contrast, the PBL teaching method can more accurately stimulate students to generate enthusiasm for learning in the reading and translation of the medical articles than the traditional teaching method, and can make en enhancement to the initiative of the students to participate in the teaching and learning, and increase the quality of teaching.

Thus, it is worth trying. In the process of trying to make a reform, it is necessary to improve the methods and continuously enhance the quality of teaching.

5.References

[1]Dahua Xiong. Exploration of PBL Theory and Its Application [J]. Journal of Educational Institute of Jilin Province, 2010, 26 (12): 132-133.

[2]Guoquan Liu. Medical English. The People's Health publishing House, 2003, 1.