Faculty mentor/PI email address
jim010@aol.cm
Is your research Teaching and Learning based?
1
Keywords
Environmental Emergencies; Toxicological Emergencies, Emergency Medicine Education; Spatial Memory; Dual Coding; Cognitive Load Theory; Generative Learning; Embodied Cognition; Schema Formation; Psychological Safety; Method of Loci. Mind Palace, Memory Palace.
Date of Presentation
5-6-2026 12:00 AM
Poster Abstract
Background:
Most emergency medicine board domains inherit spatial scaffolding from foundational anatomy education (e.g., neuroanatomy, gastrointestinal tract, cardiopulmonary structures). Environmental emergencies lack an inherent anatomic anchor and are frequently taught as disconnected lists, increasing cognitive load and impairing schema formation. Similarly, toxicology crosses age, and specialty without an inherent anatomic structural anchor.
Objective:
To describe a scene-based, learner-generated landscape model designed to reintroduce spatial structure into environmental emergency education and to situate the model within contemporary neurobiology and learning science.
Educational Innovation:
Residents construct a large-format landscape diagram (sun–water–mountain schema) during live instruction. Environmental conditions are spatially anchored in ecologically congruent terrain. Learners draw, annotate, and integrate management pearls in real time using color and symbolic imagery, during the live lecture process. An outline of the floor plan imaginary Victorian pharmacy is provided for the toxicology ITE and Board review lecture. Residents fill in items on the shelves with related factoids during the live lecture.
Neurobiological Rationale:
The model leverages hippocampal spatial encoding, dual coding, embodied cognition, generative drawing, schema formation, and stress-responsive learning principles.
Conclusions:
When anatomy does not provide a natural cognitive map, intentionally constructed spatial scaffolds may enhance organization, consolidation, and retrieval under clinical pressure.
Disciplines
Emergency Medicine | Medical Education | Medicine and Health Sciences
Included in
From Lists to Landscapes and Locations: Spatial Memory and Schema Formation (Memory Palace Adaptation) as a Neurobiologically Informed Strategy for Teaching Environmental and Toxicology Emergencies ITE and Board Review in Emergency Medicine Residency
Background:
Most emergency medicine board domains inherit spatial scaffolding from foundational anatomy education (e.g., neuroanatomy, gastrointestinal tract, cardiopulmonary structures). Environmental emergencies lack an inherent anatomic anchor and are frequently taught as disconnected lists, increasing cognitive load and impairing schema formation. Similarly, toxicology crosses age, and specialty without an inherent anatomic structural anchor.
Objective:
To describe a scene-based, learner-generated landscape model designed to reintroduce spatial structure into environmental emergency education and to situate the model within contemporary neurobiology and learning science.
Educational Innovation:
Residents construct a large-format landscape diagram (sun–water–mountain schema) during live instruction. Environmental conditions are spatially anchored in ecologically congruent terrain. Learners draw, annotate, and integrate management pearls in real time using color and symbolic imagery, during the live lecture process. An outline of the floor plan imaginary Victorian pharmacy is provided for the toxicology ITE and Board review lecture. Residents fill in items on the shelves with related factoids during the live lecture.
Neurobiological Rationale:
The model leverages hippocampal spatial encoding, dual coding, embodied cognition, generative drawing, schema formation, and stress-responsive learning principles.
Conclusions:
When anatomy does not provide a natural cognitive map, intentionally constructed spatial scaffolds may enhance organization, consolidation, and retrieval under clinical pressure.