Incorporating Technology to Support Diverse Learners in Local Anesthesia Instruction

I designed a three-day local anesthesia unit for dental hygiene students that uses technology to support different learning styles and encourage thoughtful discussions about cultural differences in patient care.

Day 1: Visualizing Injection Success

The unit starts with labeled diagrams and color-coded anatomy charts to help students get a clear understanding of the landmarks. Then, students use an interactive anesthesia manikin to explore oral anatomy from different angles. This hands-on experience really helps visual and kinesthetic learners connect textbook knowledge to real-world practice. While the manikin itself doesn’t show anatomical variations, it sparked great conversations about how oral anatomy can differ among populations. Students finish the day by submitting reflection notes on what they observed and how they plan to apply it chairside.

Day 2: Talking Through the Technique

Students use audio recording tools to practice explaining injection steps clearly and in a patient-friendly way. This supports auditory learners and helps everyone improve their communication skills. The recordings also open up discussions on how to adjust explanations for patients with varying health literacy or different cultural expectations. Students share their recordings in small groups and use feedback forms to guide helpful critiques.

Day 3: Do, Demonstrate, Debrief

On the last day, students record themselves demonstrating injection techniques on iPads. Watching their own videos helps them notice posture, hand positioning, and communication habits. During the debrief, students talk about how body language, eye contact, and tone might be interpreted differently across cultures, encouraging empathy and professionalism. The videos are stored securely, and students complete peer reviews and a short reflection.

This unit shows how technology can help meet diverse learning needs while sparking meaningful conversations about cultural variations in care. Technology here supports learning in a practical way, helping students translate knowledge into care for diverse patients. 

American Dental Education Association (ADEA). (2017). ADEA core competencies for graduate dental hygiene education (as approved by the ADEA House of Delegates, March 2016). Journal of Dental Education, 81(7), 861–865. https://doi.org/10.1002/j.0022-0337.2017.81.7.tb06302.x.

American Dental Hygienists’ Association (ADHA). (2024). Scope of practice. https://www.adha.org/advocacy/scope-of-practice/.

Commission on Dental Accreditation (CODA). (2022). Accreditation standards for dental hygiene education programs. AmericanDental Association. https://coda.ada.org/standards.

Dentalez. (2025). Oral anesthesia manikin [Product image]. https://dentalez.com/product/oral-anesthesia-manikin/.

Reflecting on My First Time Teaching Ethics — and What I Want to Do Differently Next Time

This semester was my first time teaching ethics to dental hygiene students, and honestly, it was a good learning experience for all of us. We stuck mostly to lecture, group discussions, and an individual ethics project. The content was meaningful, but as I reflect on how it went, I can see room to improve how I support different learning styles and backgrounds in the classroom.

Next time around, I want to take a more intentional approach to differentiation. Ethical decision-making is a required competency in our curriculum and a major part of the ADHA Code of Ethics (ADHA, 2023). It is also outlined as a professional responsibility by CODA (Commission on Dental Accreditation, 2023). But beyond checking a box, I want students to feel confident applying these concepts in real clinical scenarios; not just writing about them in a paper.

The "ETHIC" flowchart from the ADA's New Dentist Blog provides a step-by-step guide for evaluating ethical dilemmas in dental practice. [Source: American Dental Association, 2018

I’ve been doing some research and found a few tools and strategies I think could make the content more accessible and a little more interactive. I’d like to use a mix of case-based learning and technology next time. Tools like Kahoot and Padlet can help students review vocabulary or reflect on gray-area scenarios in a more collaborative way. These platforms offer flexible ways for students to engage, whether they feel more comfortable posting anonymously or working as a team (Santori & Smith, 2018).

I also want to build in more formative assessment moments like a card sort to match ethical principles to real-world examples, or a short written reflection where students respond to a case study. Group discussions will still have a place, but I plan to include a visual like a flowchart to walk students through an ethical decision-making process. Adding an infographic of the ADHA Code of Ethics could also help visual learners see the connections between abstract principles and practical situations.

For assessment, I’m leaning toward offering options. Students could present their analysis of a case as a small group, write a reflection, or even create a video response. Giving them some choice in how they demonstrate understanding helps accommodate different strengths, and supports what we know about differentiated assessment practices (Kaur, Noman, & Awang-Hashim, 2018).

I’m excited to bring more structure and variety into this lesson next time. Ethics is not just something we want students to understand, it’s something we want them to live out in practice. That means giving them real opportunities to wrestle with tough decisions, talk it out with their peers, and reflect on their values in a safe space. I think with some thoughtful changes, this unit can get a lot closer to that goal.

References:

American Dental Association. (2018, November 30). Navigating ethical dilemmas as a new dentist. New Dentist Blog. https://newdentistblog.ada.org/navigating-ethical-dilemmas-as-a-new-dentist/

American Dental Hygienists’ Association. (2024). Code of ethics for dental hygienists. https://www.adha.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/ADHA-Code-of-Ethics_FY24_10_18.pdf.

Commission on Dental Accreditation. (2025). Accreditation standards for dental hygiene education programs. American Dental Association. https://coda.ada.org/standards.

International Society for Technology in Education. (n.d.). 30 tools to support diverse learners. https://iste.org/blog/30-tools-for-diverse-learners.

Kaur, A., Noman, M., & Awang-Hashim, R. (2018). Exploring and evaluating differentiated assessment practices of in-service teachers for components of differentiation. Teaching Education, 30(2), 160–176. https://doi.org/10.1080/10476210.2018.1455084.

Santori, D., & Smith, C. A. (2018). Teaching and learning with iPads to support dialogic construction of multiliteracies. Middle School Journal, 49(1), 24–31. https://doi.org/10.1080/00940771.2018.1398944.

Using Learning Style Data to Differentiate in the Dental Hygiene Clinic

Gathering student data doesn’t always require standardized testing or spreadsheets. In my clinical teaching, something as simple as a learning style inventory provided helpful insight for tailoring instruction in ways that fit my students. Using the VAK model, visual, auditory, kinesthetic, I was able to see learning preferences that helped me rethink how I guide, demonstrate, and assess during clinical sessions.

Learning Style Profiles in My Small Group

After having my students complete the VAK inventory from the University of Arkansas (n.d.), I analyzed the results for my five-student group. Ava and Chelsea learned visual, Sarah was clearly auditory, and Jalen and Kenzie were both kinesthetic learners. These preferences aligned with what I’d already seen in their behavior and performance in clinic.

• Ava and Chelsea (Visual): They respond best to visual tools. Diagrams of nerve blocks, color-coded instrumentation charts, and laminated injection guides can help these two organize information and maintain independence during procedures. Both process visual instructions quickly, which supports their confidence in documentation.
• Sarah (Auditory): Sarah absorbs and retains spoken information. She tracks verbal feedback well during clinic and at conferences, as well as benefits from hearing expectations repeated. Her strong communication skills also translate to clear patient education, though she still benefits from auditory explanations to accompany written instructions.
• Jalen and Kenzie (Kinesthetic): These students need to move, touch, and practice. Jalen’s fine motor skills support strong instrumentation when given repeated opportunities to practice. Kenzie, although more reserved, gains confidence when allowed to observe and then try procedures herself. Both benefit from “learn by doing” strategies and hands-on tasks.

As Lucariello et al. (2016) note, students bring different cognitive strengths to learning tasks, and tailoring instruction based on these strengths supports their engagement and retention. In my experience, learning style data often matches what I already notice about how students interact, communicate, and complete tasks physically and emotionally in the operatory.

Applying Learning Styles in Clinic Planning

We don’t always think of clinic as a space for lesson planning, but the same principles apply. Using what I learned from the VAK survey, I can start making intentional adjustments:

• Visual (Ava & Chelsea): I could offer chairside diagrams and concept maps, especially for local anesthesia. They would also benefit from printed checklists and being shown where to look during assessments.
• Auditory (Sarah): I’ve started using more verbal walk-throughs of procedures. I’m considering Flip (formerly Flipgrid) for recording verbal reflections or peer feedback, especially since Sarah responds well to discussion and spoken direction.
• Kinesthetic (Jalen & Kenzie): These two need time to physically manipulate materials. I’ve made space for them to set up trays and explain their setup before starting. Asking them to demonstrate a technique back to me would be a useful formative assessment.

Murawski and Scott (2019) emphasize that Universal Design for Learning calls for varied paths to mastery. These small changes offer multiple means of representation and allow students to approach clinic tasks in ways that match their strengths.

Strengths, Interests, and Individual Growth

I also look at what each student already does well:

• Kenzie is quiet but notices visual details. She’s often the first to catch radiographic anomalies or subtle tissue changes. I could let her lead peer reviews of intraoral photos.
• Sarah is natural at patient education and case presentations but needs support writing complete treatment and procedure notes. She does better when we talk through her findings first.
• Ava and Chelsea like examples. I can share video clips or strong student samples from past cohorts to help them visualize expectations.
• Jalen gains confidence the more he practices. His kinesthetic learning style makes him fast and efficient once the muscle memory is in place, especially with ultrasonic instrumentation and sharpening.

Matching Assessments to Learning Preferences

In clinic, assessments aren’t always written tests, they’re often practical, verbal, or observational. I could vary how I assess depending on the student’s style:

• Visual learners can submit a photo log of patient progression or create a visual flowchart of a procedure, and we can review it during our clinic conferences.
• Auditory learners might record a brief audio reflection about what went well and what they’ll do differently next time.
• Kinesthetic learners can demonstrate task-based skills or teach a technique to a peer.

Offering choices, like through a simple choice board, helps each student show competence in a way that feels natural for them. As Cooper (2019) explains, digital tools can support personalization in instruction and feedback, especially when used intentionally in clinical education.

Using learning style data doesn’t mean locking students into a single mode of instruction, it just helps me offer more ways for them to succeed. In the dental hygiene clinic, where time is tight and patients are the focus, these small adjustments can make a real difference in student confidence, engagement, and performance.

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References

Cooper, L. F. (2019). Digital technology: Impact and opportunities in dental education. Journal of Dental Education. https://doi.org/10.21815/JDE.019.042.

Lucariello, J. M., Nastasi, B. K., Anderman, E. M., Dwyer, C., Ormiston, H., & Skiba, R. (2016). Science supports education: The behavioral research base for psychology’s top 20 principles for enhancing teaching and learning. Mind, Brain, and Education, 10(1), 55–67. https://doi.org/10.1111/mbe.12099.

Murawski, W. W., & Scott, K. L. (2019). What really works with Universal Design for Learning. Corwin.

University of Arkansas. (n.d.). Learning Styles Inventory (VAK). CLASS+ Student Success. https://success.uark.edu/_resources/downloads/study/tools/learningstylesinventory.pdf.

Funds of Knowlege

After reading more about funds of knowledge, I have learned that a student’s funds of knowledge absolutely shape how they learn and how I approach my teaching. I think of funds of knowledge not just as practical or cultural skills but also as personal identity, values, and lived experience. Students from rural communities, for example, often bring practical, hands-on experience that can enrich academic settings (Morales, 2019). That same idea applies to other aspects of identity as well.
Here is a fictional brochure that I created for my own role as a dental hygiene instructor:

References
Morales, A. R. (2019). Valuing Rural Dexterity: Experiential Funds of Knowledge, Science Education, and Rural Kids. Great Plains Research, 29(1), 33-40. https://dx.doi.org/10.1353/gpr.2019.0004.