Several Diagnostic Medical Sonography (DMS) faculty, Kate Wampler, Brandy Sundberg, Angela Ridenour, and Kim Michael, EdD, published an important article in the Journal of Diagnostic Medical Sonography.
“Standardizing Sonography Pre-clinical Instruction Utilizing Peyton’s 4-Step Approach,” is one of the first publications to discuss the use of Peyton’s 4-step approach for sonography pre-clinical lab instruction in an educational program. It is also one of the first to report its application in the synchronous virtual learning environment.
The aim of their project was to use Peyton’s 4-step approach to standardize sonography pre-clinical lab instruction between DMS educational sites and instructors. Peyton’s approach consists of four steps: demonstration, deconstruction, comprehension, and performance. In step 1, demonstration, the educator demonstrates the skill at normal pace without any commentary; in step 2, deconstruction, the educator repeats the procedure, this time describing all necessary steps; in step 3, comprehension, the learner explains the skill while the teacher follows the learner’s instructions; and in step four, performance, the learner performs the skill on their own and is provided feedback by the educator.
While the approach requires more initial planning and preparatory time than the traditional “see one do one” teaching method, DMS faculty found Peyton’s 4-step approach provided a structured sequence and order to the learning process, which students found helpful.