Many students have a difficult time grasping some of the concepts involved with human anatomy and physiology. These subjects must be taught in a manner in which the student can not only learn from the text, but also from experience.
It is important to incorporate actual movement of muscles so the student associates what is read in the book with how it works on the body. This holds true to the location, action and physiology of the muscle.
Muscle Origin and Insertion Points
One of the toughest parts of human anatomy is the memorization of the origin and insertion points of all the muscles. This can be made easier by teaching the students in a more interactive manner. Usually, the origin point will be located closer to the trunk of the body compared to the insertion point. Therefore, the muscle will pull the insertion point to the origin when the muscle is flexed.
To teach this dynamic, explain to the students the location of a specific muscle, for example, the bicep. Then explain the origin and insertion of this muscle, as well as the action. The bicep muscle originates in two different places on the scapula, then attaches to the radial tuberosity. By flexing the bicep, the forearm is pulled up toward the humerus, therefore drawing the insertion toward the origin of the muscle.
Muscle Physiology
Skeletal muscles are the only type of voluntary muscles in the body. The nervous system sends a message via the neuromuscular junctions to the muscles, telling them to contract.
The physiology of muscles can be taught in a physical manner. Have the class pair up. In each pair, have one student hold a stopwatch, while the other gets ready to perform a variety of muscular tasks. Have the student with the stopwatch ask the other to perform a task involving a single muscle and use the stopwatch to time how long it takes for the other student to perform the task. Though this isn't the most accurate way to measure the amount of time it takes a neuron to send the signal to the muscle, it will help transform what is learned in the text to an actual exercise with the muscle.
Another way to teach students muscle physiology in a more physical sense is to make models of the different fibers that make up a muscle. This will help the students see the normally microscopic parts of the muscle in a way more tangible to the students.
Using Multiple Muscles for One Action
It is important to understand that the muscles of the body have many different functions, but some work together to perform the same action on a specific body part.
This is one of the easier muscle phenomena to teach to students outside the text. For example, hip flexion is caused by a shortening of the quadriceps muscles and a lengthening of the hamstrings muscles. Because of the origin and insertion of both those muscle groups, the combination of the contraction and stretching of the muscles leads to the flexion of the hip joint.
Another way to understand how muscles work together to perform a single action is to perform a workout that requires slow movements, such as yoga. This allows the student to understand and really feel how the muscles are performing to move the body in a particular way.
Tags: human anatomy, insertion point, muscle Muscle, muscle will, muscles body, origin insertion, perform task