An Experiential-Learning Lesson to Encourage Teamwork and Healthy Practices

Many careers require individuals to work together as a team. However, group work or teamwork is often met with resistance in an academic setting, and students can struggle to learn the skills associated with collaboration. I present a lesson that has the overarching goal of helping students practice and learn to make healthy lifestyle choices in the context of experiential learning. Additional learning objectives are to help students understand the physiological processes related to heart disease, practice effective prevention of this medical ailment, and encourage teamwork. Students received a risk score calculated from a randomized combination of hypothetical lifestyle characteristics that affect heart disease risk. Students then spent time outside of class gaining points against their assigned risk score by engaging in specific healthy lifestyle choices outlined on their score sheet. In unannounced pretests and posttests, students showed significant learning gains related to the physiological mechanisms and preventative agents of heart disease. Practicing proper diet, physical activity, and teamwork during adolescence and early adulthood contributes to the integration of these essential healthy habits throughout adulthood. Many students reported that collaboration among the group was a key component in overcoming the challenges associated with completing heart disease prevention actions on their score sheets. The lesson promotes creativity and the building of a support network to lower their risk scores, and it provides them with the opportunity to synthesize information and evaluate their performance in the activity.