Learning Tissues Bird by Bird

What?!  Bird by bird?

Yep—that's the best way to begin learning how to distinguish the various tissue types of the body.

The bird-by-bird approach to learning anatomy is based on two major concepts, described here.

Chunk the List

The first was described by author Anne Lamott in her book Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life:

"Thirty years ago my older brother, who was ten years old at the time, was trying to get a report on birds written that he'd had three months to write. It was due the next day. We were out at our family cabin in Bolinas, and he was at the kitchen table close to tears, surrounded by binder paper and pencils and unopened books on birds, immobilized by the hugeness of the task ahead. Then my father sat down beside him, put his arm around my  brother's shoulder, and said, 'Bird by bird, buddy.  Just take it bird by bird.'"

Wow—doesn't that sound just like the feeling you have when you are given a list of human tissues to learn in your A&P course?  With crazy names like nonkeratinized stratified squamous epithelium, specimens that look like the abstract art exhibit at the art museum, and an insanely short time frame to master them all, of course it feels overwhelming.

Really, that's the best way to tackle the tissues.  Just get started!  And take them one by one, rather than thinking about the whole long list of them facing you.  You'll find that by chunking the list this way, it's not so paralyzing.  It sounds overly simple—perhaps even a bit silly—but it really works!

Focus on Unique Characteristics

A while back, I wrote a post called Trouble with Tissues? in which I briefly described a method for learning tissues based on how birders learn how to tell one bird from another when out birdwatching:

The introduction to my Field Guide to the Body at the Lion Den website compares studying tissues to what birders do when they identify wildlife in the field. Take a look at that brief analogy, including examples of how to apply it to histology, for helpful tips on making this topic easier. If you're using any of my lab manuals in your A&P course, you can apply this technique directly by looking at the Landmark Characteristics boxes scattered throughout the tissue exercises.

To summarize this method, you simply look at what makes each tissue different from other tissues just as you would when learning the many different types of sparrows live in the state park:

• Field marks—physical characteristics that distinguish one type from another.  All sparrows are LBJs (little brown jobs), but each species has a unique characteristic such as a beak color or streak on the cheek that sets it apart from the others.  Likewise, each tissue type has one or more physical characteristics—such as cell shape or fiber type or cell arrangement—that make it stand out from all other similar tissues.


• Range—if I look out my window and see a penguin, I know I need my eyes examined.  Because I live in Missouri, where penguins live in only in zoos.  So I can identify birds in part by which birds live in or visit my region.  Bird guides list ranges for this reason—to help you figure out which bird the one in your yard could be.  If you learn the locations of tissues, that helps you figure out where to look for them.  For example, look for most epithelial tissues on surfaces, look for cardiac muscle in the heart.  If you are looking at a tissue sample from the arm, then don't expect that muscle tissue to be cardiac muscle—it's instead likely to be skeletal muscle tissue,


• Habitat—Besides knowing which region a bird is likely to be found, it also helps to know what kind of habitat it prefers.  Look for forest birds in the forest and look for shore birds, well, along the shore.  With tissues, if you know that if you are looking for irregular fibrous tissue, look under epithelium—there's always some there.


• Behavior—Behavior is function.  When identifying birds, it helps to know how they fly (do they soar like vultures or hover like hummingbirds?).  When identifying tissues, it helps to know their functions.  If you know that fibrous connective tissues are often supportive in function, that will help you find them.  If you know that smooth muscle tissue compresses the hollow part of hollow organs, you know where to find them—within the walls of hollow organs such as digestive organs.

Not Just for Tissues

This method also works well for learning bones and bone features, muscles of the body, nerves, digestive organs, and more—any of the "birds" of the body!

Want to know more?

Trouble with Tissues?

• Kevin Patton.  The A&P Student. 28 September 2010.
• Outlines tips for studying tissues in the A&P course.
• my-ap.us/14OoEVR

Field Guide to the Human Body

• Kevin Patton. Lion Den. Accessed 7 September 2014.
• From my study tips website, this page introduces the "birding" analogy to studying human structures.
• my-ap.us/1AokMsw

Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life

• Anne Lamott. Anchor. First published 1 January 1994.
• Great book.  Great author. That is all.
• my-ap.us/Yon5jT

Survival Guide for Anatomy & Physiology

• Kevin Patton. Elsevier. Oct 18, 2013.
• Tips and techniques for studying A&P, including tissues, mentions the birding analogy.
• my-ap.us/16aa5zg

Getting a Good Start in your Anatomy & Physiology Course

For those entering the health professions, the human anatomy and physiology course is the arguably the most important—and most difficult—step in their schooling.

To get a good, solid start in A&P, I've pulled together some advice to share with you—things you need to know as you start, so you won't get into trouble you can't get yourself out of.

Learn how to read and raid your textbook

• You can't just sit down and read an A&P textbook. It's not meant to be read like a novel or magazine. There are steps you need to take to really comprehend the contents, and if you don't take those steps, then you'll be wasting your time.
• You also need to learn how to raid your A&P textbook.  That means knowing how and where to find information in your book when you need it to solve a problem or clarify something from your class discussion or lab activity.
• You need to actually use your book.  Many students just set it aside (it looks so big and scary, after all) and never use it to supplement and complement what's going on in other parts of the course.  They often exclaim, "why did I have to buy that thing, when I didn't even use it!"  Yet, by not using it on their own, they are making it much more difficult—and time-consuming—to succeed in their A&P course.  
• To learn more about how to read and raid your textbook, check out Read and Raid Your Textbook.

Brush up on your study skills

• Prior to their A&P course, I've found that many students have been successful (or not so successful) in their high-school and college courses by just "winging it." Or by simply taking a few notes in class and reviewing them before a test or exam.  That won't cut it in A&P—no matter how brilliant you are.
• You need to employ a set of study strategies to be successful.  I've listed just a few of them here, so you have an idea of what I'm saying.  Click on any of the links to find out more.
• You'll be learning a new language, the language of science and medicine, so learn some basic principles of how that language works.
• Use flash cards to help you learn new terms right away.  This is a first step before you can master the deep meaning of science concepts.
• Use concept maps to sketch out the new sets of facts, theories, and principles that you are learning.  By drawing it out, you learn what aspects you've already mastered—and you reveal your weak spots and get them corrected.
• Use concept lists to help you see connections between concepts you've learned and build a framework for seeing the "big picture" of human structure and function.
• Manage your time by scheduling several short study sessions every single day. Cramming at the end does not work—and certainly won't prepare you for your later courses, nor your career, both of which rely on a deep understanding of A&P.
• Study in a group.  Regularly.  Research shows that this is one of the most efficient (time-saving) and effective ways to study pretty much any subject.
• Take good notes.  If your course involves lectures or online presentations, then take notes.  In lab, take notes.  Reading or raiding your textbook?  Take notes.  Take notes. Take notes.
• Practice. Practice. Practice.
• Spend a little time and effort learning effective study strategies. Here are some ways to get started:
• Ask past A&P students what worked for them.
• Explore the study tips I've mapped out over time in this blog. 
• Sign up for the newsletter to keep new tips coming directly to you!
• Check out the Lion Den Study Tips & Tools resources.
• Check out the Survival Guide for A&P and the Handbook of A&P.
• Subscribe to my YouTube channel, which features study tips for A&P
• Talk to your A&P teacher during their office hours to get their advice.

Take A&P seriously

An awful lot of students look at the A&P course simply as a hoop that needs to be jumped through—a credential to get down on paper—before getting a degree or certificate needed to start a career.  A more realistic view sees the A&P course as a "first year on the job" experience.  Where you learn most of what you'll need to survive the first day, the next day, and the last day working in your health career.

So, how does one get serious about A&P?  Here are a few tips, with links to more information.

• Develop habits of professional ethics by acting with academic integrity.
• Realize that you've really got to learn it all, and learn it correctly.  And yes, spelling is important.
• Exhibit professional responsibility by working regularly, attending class activities, and  honoring deadlines. 
• Get others in your life on board with your plan.  A&P—then your later courses and clinical experiences—are going to temporarily take you away from some of the other responsibilities in your life.  If your friends and family don't realize what you need from them, it'll cause a lot of problems.  So have that discussion now and clarify things.  Need help?  Check out Help Significant Others Help You.

Learning bones & skeletal features

Wow, not only must I learn all the bones of the skeleton, but also a humongous list of bone features?!

Beginning the study of the skeleton can be intimidating, for a number of reasons.  Not the least of which is that the names of the bones and bone features seem to be very odd—sometimes almost unpronounceable.

There's a reason the names are so odd.  They're based on a foreign language!  They're all based on Latin, with a lot of Greek word parts mixed in there. Once you realize that you're learning a new language along with learning new structures, the task ahead will be clearer to you.  And hopefully, a  bit less intimidating.

It turns out that if you actually focus on the fact that these are terms from a foreign language and try to translate them, then learning skeletal anatomy is far easier—and takes far less time and effort—than if you ignore the meanings of bone names.

To help you get started on this road, I've produced a couple of very brief videos that outline a proven method to quickly and easily learn your entire assigned list of bones and bone features.  Watch them both to get the greatest benefit.

In the videos, I mention a couple of lists of translations (and pronunciations) that will help you engage the method I'm recommending.  Links to those lists are found below.

Bone Names Have Meaning - Part 1 - Get Started

Bone Names Have Meaning - Part 2 - Types of Bone Markings

Want to know more?

List of bone marking types

• Translation of each term
• Pronunciation of each term
• Brief description of each term
• my-ap.us/16PNh3K

List of bones and bone markings of the human skeleton

• Translation of each term
• Pronunciation of each term
• Use with your textbook or Survival Guide for A&P (below), which has a description of each structure
• my-ap.us/15zZYom

Field Guide to the Human Body:  Bone Names

• Part of the Lion Den Study Tips & Tools series for A&P students
• Includes the videos and lists mentioned above
• my-ap.us/13ihrPs

Survival Guide for Anatomy & Physiology

• Many time-saving, effort-saving, and frustration-saving tips and shortcuts
• my-ap.us/16aa5zg

Learning A&P Terminology

• Brief introduction to the scientific terminology used in A&P
• You might want to look at this FIRST if you haven't seen it yet
• Includes short, helpful videos
• my-ap.us/14PncUV

More Tips on Learning the Human Skeleton

• Additional blog posts (including this one) focusing on bones
• my-ap.us/JJEEMF

Edraw Mindmap

Making concept maps or "mind maps" is a great way to learn A&P.  It's also a great way to study for your midterm or final exam!

As I've stated frequently in previous posts, a concept map is simply a drawing of a concept.  The simpler the better, so there's no need for artistic skills.

One of my students recently make me aware of another FREE tool you can use to make your own concept maps quickly and easily.  It's called Edraw Mindmap.

If you want to see how it works, check out the Edraw video Make an Effective Mind Map.  This video has a funky robotic narration, but it gives you a quick rundown on how easy the software is to use.  Maybe you should turn off the sound and play your favorite music (the narration simply speaks tips that clearly printed in the video).

Want to know more?

• Previous posts on how to use Concept Maps my-ap.us/MExHCf

• Kevin's video explaining Concept Mapping my-ap.us/SFMkEA

• Lion Den Tips & Tools tutorial on Concept Maps my-ap.us/3eSlIj

Homeostasis: life on the wire

A couple of weeks ago, I watched the live broadcast of Nik Wallenda's walk across a high wire suspended above Niagara Falls.  I've been a fan of the famous Wallenda family ever since I saw Karl Wallenda cross a high wire suspended above the baseball stadium in St. Louis. In my A&P classes, we often use the image of a Wallenda on a high wire as a model to help us understand a central concept of physiology . . . homeostasis.

This "Wallenda model" of homeostasis teaches us that to stay alive and well, our body must remain in "balance."  That is, our internal environment is at risk every moment . . . risk of losing the delicate balance of "just right" conditions inside our body that keep us functioning.  If we lose that balance, as Karl Wallenda (Nick's great grandfather) did in the late 1978, then we die.

Like a Wallenda's position on the wire, any physiological variable (any condition in our body that may change) has an ideal range called the set point. The oxygen content of our blood has an ideal range that keeps us healthy, just as the position of a wire walker's center of gravity must remain within a narrow range to stay on the wire (and thus alive).

When a wire walker is affected by wind, rain, distraction--as was Nik during his recent wire walk--this pushes the variable (body position) away from the set point.  If the wire walker reverses the shift by moving left when the body starts to fall to the right, then the set point position is recovered and all is well.  Likewise, when exercise causes a fall in blood oxygen content, the set point can be recovered by an increase in breathing rate . . . thus reversing the fall in blood oxygen content.

Such recovery by sensing a shift away from set point, then responding to the shift by reversing the direction of a disturbance, is called negative feedback.  This is a basic principle of how the body's organs function to keep us alive . . . they continually work to reverse disturbances to the balance of the body.

If you want to learn more about how to use my Wallenda model of homeostasis to understand the balance of the body, check out these resources:

Survival Guide Anatomy & Physiology: Tip, Techniques, and Shortcuts
Kevin Patton
Elsevier Publishing
[Includes a complete rundown of the Wallenda Model of Homeostasis]
my-ap.us/OQ2P3P

Mini Lesson: Homeostasis
Kevin Patton
Lion Den
[Outline summarizing homeostasis.  Includes three different models to help in understanding the balance of the body, including the Wallenda Model.]
my-ap.us/rs3KqV

Wallenda Model
Kevin Patton
Lion Den Slide Collection
[Animated PowerPoint-compatible slide summarizing some points of the Wallenda Model.]
my-ap.us/Mh9ylU

"Life is always on the wire.  The rest is just waiting."

Karl Wallenda

Photo (c) dpape

Trouble with tissues?

I don't think I've ever met a person who could identify tissues of the body on sight on their first day of trying. And yet many A&P students get frustrated just because they can't "get it" after only one day of trying. Identifying tissue types by sight is difficult for everyone, at first—for  several reasons.

First, each example is unique. No two examples look exactly alike, just like no two fingerprints look exactly alike.So you have to learn to look for patterns. And you can't do that until you've looked at a lot of examples. And that takes time—and a lot of practice.

Second, not all examples are stained in exactly the same way. Even when the same general type of staining is used, a lot depends on the quality of the sample, the quality of the stain used, and how well the preparer did their job. So again, you have to look for patterns. For example, stratified squamous epithelium can be found in wildly different colors, depending upon which type of staining technique is used. But no matter what the color, the pattern of flattened cells near the free edge, progressing to cuboidal and perhaps even column-shaped cells further away from the free edge, will still be present.

Third, when you look for patterns you have to remember what part of the pattern is important. You also have to remember that many patterns are very similar, so you have to remember how to tell them apart. For example, dense fibrous connective tissue can look a lot like fibrocartilage at first glance. You have to learn to look for the little white halos around the cells in fibrocartilage that tell you that the cells are within lacunae (spaces).

Oh, did I mention that practice, practice, practice is important?

Tissue identification really isn't as hard as it first seems. It really is mainly just a matter of putting the time into practicing.

Here are some tips for getting the most practice time in during the short time you have studied tissues:

• Spend as much time in the lab as possible. If there are open lab times available, by all means take advantage of it.
  
  
• If there is a learning center available with tissue specimens spend as much time as you can with them.
  
  
• Use the examples published in your textbook and lab manual, or any other resource (such as a Brief Atlas of the Body),to practice identifying tissues. Cover up the labels and see if you can identify them. Make a photocopy of the images, cutaway or cover-up the labels, and test yourself.
  
  
• Ask your instructor for other sources of practice images. Sometimes, someone will have taken photographs of the specimens used in your class. This is a good resource for practicing.
  
  
• There are a lot of online resources for practicing tissue identification. Here are a few of my favorites – you can find many more by searching the web using key terms such as "tissues," "histology," and similar terms.
  
  
• LUMEN
  [Loyola University's famous histology site; includes lessons on histology]
  
  
• Blue Histology
  [Histology site at School of Anatomy and Human Biology, University of Western Australia]
  
  
• Dr. Stephen Larsen's Channel (YouTube)
  [Dr. Larsen walks you through a variety of specimens as they are seen under the microscope.]
  
  
• The A&P Professor Free Image Library
  [My site for A&P teachers includes links to free images of tissues that you can use to practice histology.]
  
  
• Use flash cards (study cards) with photocopies of tissue specimens or printouts of digital images. See my recent blog article for a video on how to use flash cards in this manner.  Mosby's Anatomy & Physiology Study and Review Cards includes some histology cards along with all other topics in A&P.
  
  
• Try to study a little bit several times each day, rather than a few long sessions several days apart. Constant practice is what works best.

The introduction to my Field Guide to the Body at the Lion Den website compares studying tissues to what birders do when they identify wildlife in the field. Take a look at that brief analogy, including examples of how to apply it to histology, for helpful tips on making this topic easier. If you're using any of my lab manuals in your A&P course, you can apply this technique directly by looking at the "Landmark Characteristics" boxes scattered throughout the tissue exercises.

Selling your textbook?

I hope I didn't catch you too late!  It's time for my annual warning to NOT sell your textbook.

This is the time of year when many A&P students think about selling their textbook back to the bookstore or textbook co-op.  Some sell them directly to other students on campus or through an online platform.  DON'T DO IT!

Why not?  Because you still need it!

Just because your A&P course is over, your use of your A&P textbook is far from over.  Here are just a few of the many reasons you should keep your A&P materials, including the textbook:

• You'll need to review your A&P at the start of nearly every topic in your professional / clinical courses.  Many nursing, medical, and allied health textbooks include a brief review of A&P . . . but you'll do better with a quick skim of your fully illustrated A&P textbook.
  
  
• Your A&P textbook will get you out of a jam.  There will be occasional moments when you "blank out" on some essential bit of A&P . . . something you need to "get it" in a later course.  Your trusty A&P textbook will come to your rescue by providing refreshing your understanding of that tricky concept . . . in a way that is already familiar and comfortable for you.
  
  
• You need to start a professional library.  So many health professionals begin their careers regretting that they sold off many of the essential reference tools they need to get started in a successful professional career.  Your A&P textbook is the core around which you should begin building your professional library of resources. 
  
  
• When you're out there in the "real world" you'll need some tools to help you cope with new situations.  It's a great comfort to have your A&P book there to help you review basic concepts that you haven't run across in a while.  When you're pulled to a different department, start a job in a new specialty, or struggle through a professional continuing education course, you'll find your old A&P book is a great place to dig out all those things you know you know . . . but with which you need some brushing up.
  

I can't tell you how many times I've bumped into former students of mine who ask me, "hey, you don't happen to have an old A&P book laying around your office I could have?" 

I just smile and reply, "you sold off yours after our course ended, didn't you?" 

The sheepish reply then comes, "yeah, I know you told us to hold on to it but I didn't think I'd really need it.  Now I REALLY need it to help me in my nursing course!"

[FYI, we A&P professors really do NOT have a pile of old A&P books laying around to give away.]

Considering that you rarely get much of a return on selling a used textbook, it really isn't much of a hardship to keep your A&P textbook.  You'll be really glad that you did!

Also see my Study Tip Your Professional Library in the Lion Den.

Learn from your mistakes!

OK, you know you're supposed to "go over" your test or exam after its over. But HOW do you do that . . . WHY should you do that . . . and WHAT SHOULD YOU BE GETTING OUT OF IT?

The reason you should do it is so that you can learn from your mistakes. Not only will you need those concepts you missed when you take the final exam, you'll need them to understand the rest of the course.

Besides, you're going to have to identify and fix any problems with your test-taking skills.

If you just casually scan your test, then you may not get much out of it. You need to take a more organized, focused approach.

Here's a brief video running down how this works.



Want a FREE sample Test Analysis Chart?  More information on how to analyze your test?  Then go to lionden.com/testreview.htm

No dummy!

There are many books out there that may help you learn your A&P faster and easier.

Each student has their own unique learning style, lifestyle, and particular likes and dislikes . . . so it's a good thing there are a lot of options to choose from!

I'll be sharing a lot of my favorites on this blog, of course.

The first one out of the chute is not only a good support for many A&P students . . . the authors actually recommend my Lion Den website as one of the best online sources of help. So that tells me these authors must be absolutely brilliant! Or something like that . . .

See their their recommendation of the Lion Den. You may have to scroll to Chapter 18, p. 287 to find it.

The book is called
Anatomy & Physiology Workbook For Dummies

So don't be a dummy, check it out!

Besides learning tips, it has a lot of exercises that help you grasp the material. So if you can't think of a good way to practice what you know (and my friends in the circus will tell you . . . practice is the only thing that works) this book may be just what you need.

Anyway, if you click on the link below (go to The A&P Student blog if the link does not appear in your feed or newsletter . . . or use the text link above) and click on "Look inside" to browse the workbook to see if it's for you.

Between terms

Many of you are now relishing your "time off" between last term and the next one.

Some of you are waiting for your A&P 2 course to start and some are getting ready for their A&P 1 course.

Simply taking time to relax and enjoy your friends and family is a good thing. It's one of the key study tips that I give my own students . . . have fun when you can!

If you've survived A&P 1, or heard from someone who has, then you know that it's also not a bad idea to start to get ready for the new semester. While you have the time, you might want to get yourself organized so that you can hit the road running when your new course starts.

One thing you can start with is learning about about your own learning style. Do you learn best by reading . . . or by listening . . . or by doing . . . . or by seeing? Knowing which strategies work best for you will help you get started on the right track when things do crank up.

How do you do that? It's easy! Just visit Learning Styles in the Lion Den section on study tips and tools. There, you'll learn how to figure out what your learning styles are and how to use that knowledge as you begin your new course.

The Lion Den?!

What is this Lion Den, anyway?

The Lion Den website is over ten years old. Back in the days it began, the web was just starting to be used by professors for their students' benefit. Our college, like most others at the time, was not prepared for extensive web publication by faculty. So instead of waiting for the college's IT department to catch up to me, I decided to just create my own website.

Because I was a lion tamer in my youth, before I became an A&P professor, I thought a good name for my website would be related to big cats. LionDen.com was available, so I used that one. You'll notice that there is a section related to circus wild-animal training at the website.

But mainly, that's where I put the learning outlines that my students needed in their A&P courses. Then, I started adding study tips. Then PowerPoint slides. Then all kinds of help for my own students.

But as the years rolled on, I found that many students from all over the world were using the material at my LionDen.com website. So now I've begun posting resources that any A&P student might be able to use. Part of my goal of starting this The A&P Student blog is to help students find those resources . . . and many others . . . so that they can learn A&P more easily.

So that's why my website for students (and circus fans) is called LionDen.com!

Go check it out . . . and comment here about what you like, what you don't like, and what else you'd like to see added!

. . . and stay tuned for a major redesign of LionDen.com coming this summer!