Foreword

When I was first asked to write the foreword for this fifth volume of Education Theory Made Practical, I jumped at the opportunity to share my thoughts about the importance of theory in medical education. As a residency program director, educator, researcher, and clinician, I find huge value in the interweaving of educational theory into all elements of my job, and I anticipated a relatively easy task of communicating this value and providing a meaningful opening for the book. 

And then I received the list of topics. While a few theories—such as Sociocultural Theory and Situated Cognition—are familiar to me, most are not.  My complete lack of awareness of Banking Theory, Ausubel’s Meaningful Learning Theory, and Constructive Alignment, among others, suddenly made me wonder if I was the right person to write this foreword. As imposterism bubbled inside me, I realized that my unfamiliarity with most of these theories is, in and of itself, why this text is so valuable.

First, it brings to our attention diverse theories likely to otherwise to remain off our pedagogical and academic radars. Indeed, a theory is only as useful as our knowledge of its existence. For most busy medical educators, sourcing meaningful theories from the seemingly infinite sea of literature—from sociology and anthropology to psychology, education, and beyond— is simply not feasible. And, thanks to books like this one, it’s not necessary: the authors and editors have done it for us. In reviewing the theories presented in this and previous volumes, I am struck by the breadth and diversity of areas covered, and I find myself wondering: how would I have become aware of all these theories without this series? 

Second, this book takes complicated, complex, and rich theories and presents them in high-yield, digestible fashion. For example, in her Theory of Sociomaterialism, Wanda Orlikowski examines complex organizational dynamics by focusing on how social and material elements of technology and organization are enmeshed within the workplace. As a theory that grew from decades of work and numerous existing theories, one could spend hours attempting to elucidate, conceptualize, and understand its key elements. This level of inquisition simply isn’t feasible among the day-to-day demands of teaching and practicing clinical medicine, and here again, this book shines. For each theory, the authors define key terms, summarize conceptual origins, highlight modern advances, and review—in annotated fashion—critical accompanying references. The net sum of this gift to the reader is a high-level, contemporary overview that distills out the key aspects of a given theory and provides a roadmap for readers wanting to learn more. 

Finally, what makes this book especially valuable is the extent to which the authors link the chosen theories to real-world scenarios in medical education. Notably, these real-world scenarios are at the beginning and the end of each chapter, situating the diverse range of theories in a practical context and transforming them into tools that serve the educator, the learner, and—ultimately—the patient. 

Does a given theory provide the best or only way to navigate the scenario presented? Of course not. But it does provide an approach, grounded in science, from which an educator may begin this navigation and through which they may refine the theory’s utility—or find an alternate theory that provides a better fit. 

As we leverage the power of theory to navigate this path, we can only hope for multiple more editions of Education Theory Made Practical to come. 

Will Bynum, MD

Associate Professor of Family Medicine

Duke University School of Medicine