131questions that invited discussion of the women’s cultural beliefs and values and how
they apply to health-care decisions and coping with medical concerns. The ques-
tions addressed three aspects of worldviews common in the African American com-
munity—communalism, spirituality, and a flexible temporal worldview.
Next, assign dyads or small groups of students a specific cultural group. Task
them with generating a series of questions aimed at exploring common worldviews
of their assigned cultural group and how members of that cultural group might
apply those worldviews to their health-care concerns and decision-making. Next
have each dyad or small group present their list of questions to the class. Then lead
the class in a discussion of the similarities and differences in their lists.
Estimated time: 60 min.
Instructor Note
- For this activity to be effective, students must first investigate common world-
views of specific cultures. For example, they could be assigned one or more
readings on their cultural group in advance of this activity. - This activity could be done individually as a written exercise for one or more
cultural groups. - Students could use the lists as prompts for the “counselors” in subsequent role-
plays with “patients” representing members of the various cultural groups.
Activity 5a: Low-Level Questioning Skills Model
Instructor and a volunteer genetic counseling patient engage in a role-play in which
the counselor demonstrates poor questioning skills (e.g., closed questions, why
questions, strings several questions into one response, repeats questions unnecessar-
ily, implies an opinion or advice—“Don’t you think that you should...”). Students
should observe and take notes of examples of poor questioning.
Estimated time: 10 min.
Process
Students share their examples of poor questioning skills. Then they discuss the
impact of the counselor’s poor skills on the patient.
Estimated time: 10–15 min.
Activity 5b: High-Level Questioning Skills Model
Instructor and a volunteer genetic counseling patient engage in the same role-play,
but this time the counselor demonstrates good questioning skills, as well as good
empathy and attending. Students should observe and take notes of examples of good
questioning, empathy, and attending.
Estimated time: 10 min.
5.5 Class Activities