We have published a model of the GP consultation where biomedical and humanistic elements of the consultation are seen as complementary and where hermeneutics, the discovery and creation of meaning, plays an integral role in enriching the conversation between clinicians and patients. The relationship between teachers and learners shows strong parallels with the relationship between practitioners and patients. We therefore explore how a similar analysis can enhance the relationship between teachers and learners and propose that hermeneutics can be particularly powerful in exploring and making explicit elements of the hidden curriculum.
Keywords: Hermeneutic; appreciative assessment; consultation model; hidden curriculum; meaning.