Learning About Asthma

Learning asthma, teaching about asthma, I thought I’d share some ideas today, on World Asthma Day 6 May, 2014.

Inspired by the comic by Marek Bennett for learning styles, called Multiple Intelligences which illustrates the different ways we retain information. I’ve written a list to match up against his suggested learning styles, relating to asthma.:

Linguistic
Read – Books, websites, brochures, read your asthma plan (as well as use it)
Write – Write an essay about how asthma makes you feel, keep a blog, keep a journal (keep a log book of your own health events for your doctor – I make log books , write a book – help yourself, by helping others.
Talk – Talk to your doctor, talk to your pharmacist, talk to your parents, your children, your friends, give a talk to a group of people so that they can understand your experience with asthma, talk to those that help us understand asthma – such as asthma educators and nurses – they can help clarify if you are on track or fill in the gaps of your knowledge.
Listen – Podcasts, audio books, listen to your doctor. If managing a child’s asthma – listen to their chest, notice the sounds of asthma.

Logical – mathematical

Quantify – Observe events, write them down. Understand the pattern.  Create a sense of understanding from doing that.  Look at the statistics of asthma.  The patterns those statistics show.
Think Critically – Look at facts and think through logically how to move forward.  Use an asthma plan.
Reason – Think how you would act or should act and why. Why do you believe the things you do.  Do you take asthma seriously? Do others take asthma seriously?  Why?  Why does asthma even happen?  What triggers asthma, and why?  Helping to understand asthma by making sense of it.
Experiment – Using cause-and-effect to understand a little of the nature of asthma.

Visual – Spatial

See – Pictures, graphics, movies, social media – YouTube, Pinterest, Instagram!
Draw – Create art and share it, or keep it private.
Visualize – See in your mind the positive things you can do when well.
Colour – Use colour to brighten your world, when well or not.  Colour on the asthma plan – remember it to help you stay on track.
Map – Asthma Plans.  Chart where you are today and where you would like to be.

Bodily – Kinesthetic

Build – A strong mind, think positively, eat well, and build a healthy body.
Act –  Act out a story, share the story. Act with confidence towards what you want to achieve.
Touch – Learn how to hold asthma medication and spacers correctly. Hug those you care for.
Move – Exercise – keep moving when you can.  Move a little, rather than not at all. Learn what you can do for exercise at different times – the best choice of exercise.
Dance – If it makes you happy – dance. Create a dance to share a story.

Musical

Sing – Does it help your breathing to sing when well?  Does it make you feel better? Happier?   Put on the radio, play Pandora!  Sing alone or for the world.   Are there any songs about asthma?
Rap – Write a rap song about asthma!
Drum – Rhythm of the breath – the beat of a drum.
Play – Be involved with a group, or play alone.

Interpersonal

Share – Talk about it.  Talk on a forum, talk to friends, talk to family. Listen to their stories as well.
Teach – To teach, is to learn twice.
Collaborate – Incredible what can be achieved when people work together.
Interact – Be involved!  Support and encourage health education at school, at work – in first aid.

Intrapersonal

Connect to Self – How do you feel?  Spend some time to reflect, to notice.
Make Autentic Choices – Are you doing the right thing for yourself? Or for another?  Listen to what makes you feel good and go with the best feeling idea, that harms no one, especially yourself.  Teach others that is how you expect to be treated.  Do what is best for your health.
Reflection – Find time to quiet the mind.  Start each day as what it is, a new day.  Let what didn’t work go, and focus on what does.  What did work?  What do you want to change?  Move forward.

Naturalist

Experience –  Notice how you feel when well.  Notice how you feel when not well. Experience, creates understanding.
Connect to living things – Go outside, notice nature.  Feel happy – own and care for a pet. Meeting the needs of a pet, may help you regularly care for your own needs, e.g. going for a walk, eating regularly, company.
Care for – Yourself.  Care for those than need your support.  Learn and noticing what is happening.
Explore –  Go outside, breathe in the sea air, the mountain air.  Explore the world and do the things you can do.

You can learn by noticing what works, and what doesn’t.  What you want and what you don’t.

Thank you Marek, for permission to use the comic for this post, Learning About Asthma.  To see more of Marek’s work visit his site or to see more resources in relation to comics in medicine here.