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The Ambush Teaching Method: A Novel Teaching Approach Through Subversion of Expectations and Anonymous Peer Review
1Department of Neurosurgery, Christchurch Hospital, Christchurch, New Zealand.
Objective:
The Ambush Teaching Method (ATM) is a novel educational approach designed to enhance clinical decision-making skills among junior doctors (postgraduate years 1 and 2) by leveraging subversion of expectations and anonymous peer review.
Setting:
The method has been implemented during junior doctor training lectures run by neurosurgery between 2020-2024 in Christchurch, New Zealand, focusing on unique challenges in managing neurosurgical patients after-hours.
Results:
The ATM engages participants through unexpected shifts in the teaching process. Rapid-fire clinical scenarios simulate real-world clinical pressures, while anonymized answer-sharing fosters a safe environment for open discussion and reflection. An innovative use of peer responses enables attendees to evaluate their decision-making skills without fear of social or professional repercussions, promoting confident participation. The learning experience culminates with lecturer-led discussions of the correct answers, offering a robust self-evaluation framework.
Conclusion:
Overall, the method instils a germane cognitive load to enhance the educational experience for junior doctors as lecture attendees. When paired with scenarios which allow them to hear their peers' responses anonymously this can broaden their understanding further still. This article describes a novel, practical teaching method which has great potential to engage attendees while also integrating educational theory.
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