first aid module 2- using the course book.doc

7/30/2019 First Aid Module 2- Using the course book.doc

1/8

Fa Module 2 Using the course book

PAGE 2:1

Using the contents and indexUse of the training manual is a major element in developing First Aid knowledge. However, course books and manuals are

best used by reading or revising particular sections, so learners need to develop the skills required to locate the one(s)

relevant to them at any given time. An essential part of navigating the course book effectively is use of the contents and

index, through the development of scanning skills.

MaterialsFlipchart

Learning outcomes (objectives)1 To use a contents and index page to find information.

2 To practise scanning for particular information.

3 To practise using alphabetical order (1st and 2nd placed letters in a word) in order to find particular entries in an index.

Suggested teaching activities Go through the information on the learner page about what the contents is. Look at the information boxes explaining

how to find a particular entry. Ask learners to find Workbook in the contents, using this method. Ask how they found it how many words did

they actually read? Did they read every word from the start? Or did they just look for the one word?

Explain that this is a useful technique which makes reading for information of this kind much quicker. Present another

example: you are going to be an Appointed Person for First Aid in your organisation, but you are not quite sure what

being an Appointed Person involves. Which page of the manual will you read? (Answer: section 3 page 16.)

Ask learners to time themselves how long it takes them to find the answer, and say when they have found it. Ask the

ones who did so fastest to try to explain as exactly as possible how they did so. (One suggestion may be to run your

finger down the page quickly until you come to the key word you are looking for. This may reduce getting distracted

by other words.)

Explain that this is a well-known reading method called scanning used for finding a particular piece of information,

and that you become quicker at it with practice.

Move on to the index box ask learners what they notice first (list in alphabetical order). Ask them to check if the

same phrase (Appointed Person) is also in the index. (Where will they find it?)

Explain that there are many entries under A, so we have to look for the second letter as well in order to find it. For

further practice hand out a jumbled list of all the entries under A. Ask learners to put them in the correct order, and

then check with their index extract.

Ask learners to compare the entries in the index and the contents are they the same or different? (There are more

entries in the index.) What about the page numbers? (There is often more than one page number for the same entry).

Extend practice to other topics, ideally ones suggested by the learners, and using the full index in their manual, rather

than the extract (e.g. finding out what First Aid to give to someone who is unconscious, has suffered a deep cut, etc.).

Suggestions for learners who are having difficulties Check learners knowledge of alphabetical order. If necessary break the alphabet down into groups of letters, and get

learners to put them in order.

Dyslexic learners and others with visual processing difficulties will not be able to read quickly and may not be able to

scan efficiently. Encourage the use of a finger or pencil to keep their place in the text as they move their eyes slowly

down a list of words. ESOL learners may not know the order of the English alphabet. Practise these skills using Yellow Pages or other

telephone directories (Thomson guides are ideal as they have a colour coded alphabet strip on every page).

Suggestions for advanced learnersNote that more advanced learners will not necessarily have used scanning, and if so, it is an important addition to their

reading strategies. They could however equally apply these skills to material more challenging to them.

47

Curr ref Key Skills

Rw/E3.4Rt/L1.4Rt/L1.5Rt/E3.7


2/8


Using the contents and index 2:1

You will probably be using a First Aid manual on your course. This will have a contents page

and an index. These pages can help you quickly find the part of the book you want to read.

48

List of contentsCourse Briefing 5Workbook Introduction 6

Section 1: Reception 7Section 2: First Aid in the Workplace 9Section 3: What is expected of an Appointed Person? 16Section 4: Emergency Aid: Incident Management 17Section 5: Casualty Management 21

Life-Threatening Conditions

Section 11: Casualty Management 42Disorders of circulation: shock

Section 12: Casualty Management 45Disorders of circulation: external bleeding

Section 13: Revision 48Section 14: Quick Reference and Answers 52

Index 78

If you want to findout how to use thetrainee workbook,you can look in thecontents for asection that mayexplain this. You donot need to readevery word on the

contents page. Youcan scan the page tofind the informationyou need. Scanningis reading to find outone piece ofinformation only; forexample, readingyour phone manualto see what aparticular displaysymbol stands for.

Look quickly for theword Workbook.Look for no otherword.

The contents page is usually at the beginning ofthe manual. It tells you what information iscovered in the book. This manual is divided into14 sections. The numbers on the right tell youon which page each section starts.

IndexA

ABC, 21, 23, 37, 45, 58, 72, 73, 76Accident Book, 13, 52, 54Action plan, 17, 20, 55, 74, 77Action plan to manage the incident, 19Aftermath, 20, 55, 74Appointed Person, 16

BBleeding, 42, 45, 46, 47, 71, 72, 73, 76

Entries in anindex are

always inalphabeticalorder.

Another way of finding information quickly is touse the index, usually at the back of the book.

You want tofind out aboutthe job of anAppointed

Person. Do notread everyword in theindex. Look forthe first letter ofthe word: A.(You may needto look for thefirst two letters:AP.)


3/8


PAGE 2:2

Using the layoutHaving used an index or contents page to locate specific pages (learner page 2:1) learners must then use headings,

lists and other textual features such as the use of emboldened or italic print to locate key information. Learners

should be aware of the purpose of these features.

MaterialsFlipchart, coloured pens, examples of different types of First Aid information and leaflets

Learning outcomes (objectives)1 To understand that the layout and format of text often varies according to purpose.

2 To practise using the format or organisational features of text to find information.

Suggestions for using this page Discuss with the group the importance of breaking information down into manageable and relevant chunks

(chapters or sections, subsections, etc.) and finding the part you need at any given moment on the course.

Ask learners to look at some First Aid materials. Ask what sort of information they can find (e.g. information,

instructions, advice, case studies). List these on the flipchart in a table.

Are there differences in the way these texts are presented? Discuss the different formats and write up in the

table, e.g. instructions are often presented as a numbered list, an information leaflet might use bullets to list keypoints, case studies might use subheadings and paragraphs, advice might use a flow chart. Obviously there will

be overlaps bullets, for example, are used in many types of texts.

Hand out the learner page and discuss the featured layouts in turn. Are the featured layouts easier to read than a

single solid block of text?

For each layout ask learners to try to find other similar examples in their First Aid manual.

Recap scanning (see teachers notes for learner page 2:1). Discuss how scanning is made easier when text is also

well laid out.

Draw attention to other features not previously mentioned such as capital letters, bold text, symbols, etc. Pointout that these are used to signpost information and to help us find our way around.

Draw now on the text features of the page to make sure learners understand the role of an Appointed Person.

Ask them to pick out key words (e.g. cope and support in the subheadings).

Source pageAlthough there is no specific Source page related to this learner page, you can make extensive use of previous

Source pages. Discuss the idea of scanning headings to find relevant sections of a page. Practise with pages from the

course book. Use other Source pages as examples of different layouts, e.g. Source pages 0:01 and 0:02 make use of

bold print to show emphasised words, charts (TV screen 1) and speech bubbles.

Suggestions for learners who are having difficulties ESOL learners may need explicit definitions of words such as format and layout. Encourage use of a bilingual

dictionary or simple English thesaurus.

Copy pages from the course book or other First Aid documents. Ask learners to highlight headings and

subheadings with different coloured pens.

Provide copies of First Aid texts where the headings have been blanked out. Ask learners to supply suitable

titles for headings and subheadings.

Suggestions for advanced learners Extend discussion and practice to other features not included on the learner page, e.g. flow charts, timetables

and labelled diagrams.

Look at other pages of the manual. Talk about the overall house style of the book (i.e. same fonts used for

headings throughout, same colour font for activities, key words listed in margins, etc.) and yet a variety of

formats are still used on different pages to suit the purpose of each page or section.

49

Curr ref Key Skills

Rt/L1.4 n/a


4/8


Using the layout 2:2

The information in a course book is organised in many different formats, or layouts. This helps

you to find the information you need more quickly.

50

What is expected ofan Appointed Person?

The help of an Appointed Person is obviouslyneeded in emergencies involving accidentsand sudden illnesses.

Am I the right person for this?

You may be afraid of seeing blood, or severeinjuries; you may think someone else wouldbe able to cope better than you. Your groupdiscussions have probably shown you thatyou are not alone in these feelings.

Will I be able to cope?At the start of this course, it is important thatyou dont expect too much of yourself. In anysituation you can only do your best. Youare not expected to achieve miracles or totake personal risks. Remember that, as an

Appointed Person, your aim is simply to try to: preserve life limit the effects of the casualtys condition help the casualty recover, if possible.

What support will I get?You are only human, so AFTER ANINCIDENT IT IS NORMAL TO FEEL UPSETAND NEED SOMEONE TO TALK ITTHROUGH WITH; this happens even toexperienced emergency service personnel,so make sure that you are prepared for it.

Discuss with your colleagues how you cangive and receive help of this kind in yourworkplace after an incident.

The title of this page is in alarge, bold, coloured font. Thismakes the words stand out andcatch your eye. Under the titleand objective there is often anintroductory sentence; it tellsyou more about what is coming.

The subheading is the first ofthree questions. All of these arequestions. The use ofitalic font

shows their importance.The information that followsanswers the question.

This whole sentence is in bold.This means that this part of theanswer is very important. Theaims are shown in a shortbulleted list of examples.Bullets make a list clear andeasy to read quickly.

The most important part of theanswer is written in BLOCKCAPITALS. This makes surethat this very importantinformation catches the readerseye.Blank space is an importantpart of layout it makes a textmore readable. It also makesthe final suggestion stand outmore.


5/8


PAGE 2:3

First Aid at work whats it all about?It is not always necessary to read every word on the pages of the course manual. Learners can skim text in order to

get the general idea or gist about something. This page develops knowledge and offers practice in this important

reading strategy.

MaterialsFlipchart, selection of coloured pens

Learning outcomes (objectives)1 To skim read in order to get the gist of a text about First Aid provision in the workplace.

2 To skim text in order to decide the parts that need to be read in detail.

Suggested teaching activities Discuss the amount of information surrounding individuals at work/in daily life etc. and the impossibility of

reading it all in detail. Point out that readers often look over a text quickly to get the gist and decide whether it

warrants further detailed reading.

Explain that this is called skim reading and that you do not need to read every word when you skim.

Ask learners what questions they should be asking themselves as they skim or sift for information. Gather

ideas on whiteboard and discuss, e.g. Is this about the topic Im interested in? Is it worth going on to read this?Have I got enough information now? Do I now need to scan for certain words and then read in detail?

Hand out the learner page and immediately (i.e. without giving learners time for a detailed read) ask questions

that can be answered purely by skimming the upper half of the page, e.g. how many different items in a First

Aid box? (seven bullets seven different items); whats the title? (First Aid at work); whats the main topic

covered by the text? (First Aid kits/boxes); how many key words are explained? (one); which items should

never be kept in a kit? (medicines and tablets).

Talk through the list of text formats (headings, bold, italic, etc.) and how they give us clues and make words

stand out.

Ask learners to point out each of the text formats listed in the left hand box in the First Aid at work text. (Note:

for more on format and layout see learner page 2:2.)

Move on to the lower text box and explain that we may sometimes need to skim read a dense piece of text that haslittle or no clues. We do this by again moving our eyes over the text quickly, looking for key words and

remembering them.

Explain that having skimmed a text, more detailed reading may then be needed (see learner page 2:4).

Suggestions for learners who are having difficulties Note that many dyslexic learners will need a lot of practice with skimming. Looking for information on a

website can be a good way for these learners to practise all three reading skills. Explain that a) first you have a

quick look at, or skim read the home page to see if its interesting or relevant to you. b) Then you look quickly,

or scan, through the sections on the home page and decide where to look next. c) You repeat this process, page

by page, until you find the information you want to read. Then you read this information carefully.

ESOL learners may need explicit definitions of words such as qualified and adhesive. Encourage learners to

get clues from the surrounding text (see learner page 3:4) as well as using a bilingual dictionary.

If the lower text box is too challenging, use other texts from the course book and keep the focus on visual clues

such as the use of bold and italic fonts.

Suggestions for advanced learners Practise skimming with a range of relevant documents. (Give each learner a different page from the course

book/training manual.) Allow a few minutes to skim the document and then ask each learner to give a brief

outline of the document.

Extend discussion to the order of sentences within a paragraph (first sentence is often a topic sentence, last

sentence may summarise paragraph).

51

Curr ref Key Skills

Rt/L2.7 C2.2


6/8


First Aid at work whats it all about? 2:3

In order to get the general idea about a new topic you might be asked to read sections of the

course manual. Find the pages, or part of a page, that you want then skim your eyes across and

down the page.

52

When you read to get the general ideaorgist of what something is about, youreyes skim across and down the page.

You can use the layout orformat of apage to help you skim. All these cluescan help give you a general idea ofwhat a text is about.

Titlesheadingsitalics

sub headings bulletsCAPITAL

highlighted words dashes

bold words

First Aid at workFirst Aid is the first help given to someoneto prevent injury or illness from becomingworse.

First Aid kitsThe contents of a First Aid kit should belinked to the risks at the site. Extra items

may be needed where certain chemicalsare handled. Medicines or tablets mustnever be keptin a First Aid kit becauseonly qualified medical personnel candispense them.

Minimum contents of a First Aid box

guidance leaflet

4 triangular bandages

6 safety pins

2 sterile eye pads

1 pair disposable gloves

20 wrapped adhesive dressings 2 large and 6 medium sterile

unmedicated wound dressings

KEY WORDSFirst Aider someone trained to arecognised standard to administer First

Heading?

The numbers of Appointed Persons andFirst Aiders needed in the workplacedepend on factors such as risk, layout andnumber of employees. It is recommendedthat provision should also cover non-employees, such as customers.Sub heading?

An Appointed Person must be availablewhenever people are working. Theirresponsibilities include looking after First

Aid equipment, making sure it is alwaysavailable, taking control when somebody isinjured or ill and calling the emergency

services if needed. An Appointed Persondoes not have to be a trained First Aideralthough basic training is recommended.Sub heading?First Aiders must be specially trained andcertified by organisations approved by theHealth and Safety Executive. They shouldgive treatment only in the techniques theyhave been trained to carry out, otherwisethey could cause further injury. First Aidersmay need additional training where thereare special workplace hazards.

Sometimes a text may not have somany clues but you can still skim thetext for key words to help you get

the gist.Tip: useful key words are oftenfound in the first sentence of aparagraph.Task:Skim the text. The heading andsubheadings are missing.Skim each paragraph for key wordsand give each paragraph a suitableheading.


7/8


PAGE 2:4

Reading the detail

Health and safety materials are often expressed in formal, legal-sounding language and can be very difficult tounderstand. The text on this page contains information about health and safety legislation relevant to First Aiders

and Appointed Persons. It is written in simpler language than the authentic legislation but nevertheless provides agood starting point for development of detailed-reading strategies. These include reading each sentence several

times, splitting up longer sentences into shorter points, and looking up unknown or difficult words. (Note that the

last point is covered in more detail on learner pages 3.3 and 3.4.)

MaterialsFlipchart, highlighter pens (different colours and enough for one between every two learners), dictionaries

Learning outcomes (objectives)1 To extract precise information from a text.

2 To understand that long and difficult sentences can be read and understood more easily if they are broken down

into shorter points.3 To identify and practise a range of strategies for dealing with unfamiliar vocabulary.

Suggested teaching activities Ask learners for their experience (if any) of reading health and safety information. Did they understand it? How

do they find information in documents like this? (See learner pages 2:2 and 2:3 for information on skimming

and scanning.)

Discuss the need for understanding complex documents such as different pieces of health and safety legislation

or workplace policies and the difficulties associated with this. Acknowledge that these documents are often

difficult to understand, as they are expressed in legal or formal language.

Look at the example on the learner page about sentence length. Make sure that learners realise that the sentence

in the box with the dark border has the same meaning as the sentence in paragraph 2 about HASAWA.

Discuss how breaking up long sentences can help with understanding. Knowing about conjunctions, such as

and, or and but helps this. Look at the box about unfamiliar words and discuss each strategy mentioned along with other tips such as: using

the glossary/dictionary then explaining the meaning to a friend, substituting everyday words, asking someone

and recording this in a personal (dictionary) notebook. (Learner pages 3:33:4 have more on unfamiliar words

and technical vocabulary.)

Draw learners attention to the examples of difficult words highlighted in the text. Ask them to highlight any

other words they find difficult.

Also discuss whether they ask about or look up unfamiliar words the first time they come to them, or just mark

them in order to deal with them later when they have a better idea of the sentence or paragraph as a whole.(Sometimes learners may be able to guess the meaning from other words around them.)

Point out the task at the bottom of the page. Ask learners to first scan the text to look for the key words

Appointed Persons and then read that part of the information in detail to answer the question.

Suggestions for learners who are having difficultiesESOL learners will need a lot of help with difficult words and should be encouraged to use bilingual dictionaries or

the glossary.

Suggestions for advanced learners Ask learners to find the actual health and safety legislation referred to in the text. Learners should use the

strategies outlined on the learner page to read and understand the detail of the more complex legislation.

Ask learners to compose a written or oral quiz to check each others understanding of one of the pieces of

legislation identified.

53

Curr ref Key Skills

Rt/L1.5Rw/L1.1

C1.2

CS3.1.2


8/8


Reading the detail 2:4

Health and safety information can be difficult to understand. It can include long, complicated

sentences and unfamiliar words. Here are some tips to help you read this type of information.

54

Responsibilities in the Workplace

Employers, First Aiders, Appointed Persons, andemployees should be familiar with the health and safetylegislation as follows:

The Social Security Act 1975The reporting system within an organisation usuallyincludes an accident book recording all accidentscausing injury on the organisations premises. The

Appointed Person is often involved in completing therecord, but all employees need to be aware of their

responsibility to supply information or enter details ifthey are involved in an accident.

The Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 (HASAWA)Everybody at work should understand and comply withtheir responsibilities under HASAWA this includes aresponsibility to ensure their own health, safety andwelfare, as well as that of their colleagues;responsibilities of employers include making sure thatadequate training is given to all employees about health,safety and welfare.

Health and Safety (First Aid) Regulations 1981Employers and their First Aiders, or AppointedPersons, together should organise and provide First

Aid, according to the needs of the organisation. Thecurrent Approved Code of Practice is published by theHealth and Safety Executive.

The Reporting of Injuries, Diseases andDangerous Occurrences Regulations 1995(RIDDOR)Employers are responsible for reporting to theappropriate authority any serious accidents inconnection with the workplace (which includes anyresulting in more than three days absence from work),dangerous occurrences, and specified occupational

disease.

Control of Substances Hazardous to HealthRegulations 2005 (COSHH)Employers are responsible for assessing risks fromhazardous substances, and deciding on action toreduce them. All employees should follow safetyguidelines and take precautions identified by theiremployers. First Aiders and Appointed Persons shouldalso be familiar with appropriate First Aid actionaccording to the type of substance and level of risk intheir workplace.

Tips for reading long

sentences: Read the information

several times. Make notes try to sum up

the overall message.

Break long sentencesdown into shortersentences use thepunctuation or

connecting words(conjunctions) to helpyou.

Rewritten in fourshorter sentences

Everybody at work shouldunderstand their responsibilitiesunder HASAWA.

Everybody at work should complywith their responsibilities underHASAWA.Employees are responsible forensuring their own health, safetyand welfare.Employees are responsible forensuring the health, safety andwelfare of their colleagues.

Health and Safety informationmay include unfamiliar words.Try to work out what theymean from the rest of thesentence or look them up.

Read the information: whatdoes it say that AppointedPersons have to do?

first aid module 2- using the course book.doc

Documents