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Exercise Catalogue
Religious Puzzle — Religious, Spiritual and Cultural Practices Related to Health
Exercise #52
Religious Puzzle — Religious, Spiritual and Cultural Practices Related to Health
Authors: Dr Marzena Mikła (University of Murcia, Spain)
45
Description
An interactive matching exercise in which students connect religious and cultural terms with their definitions, building cultural competence for respectful and effective healthcare.
Methodological Guide
Objectives
Acquire religious and cultural vocabulary relevant to communication with patients.
Develop cultural skills applicable to clinical practice.
Encourage active and collaborative learning through individual and group dynamics.
Stimulate memory, conceptual understanding and the relationship with health.
Promote critical thinking about the influence of religious beliefs on healthcare decisions.
Develop cultural skills applicable to clinical practice.
Encourage active and collaborative learning through individual and group dynamics.
Stimulate memory, conceptual understanding and the relationship with health.
Promote critical thinking about the influence of religious beliefs on healthcare decisions.
Expected Outcomes
Consolidated knowledge: the student recognises and explains ≥20 religious or cultural terms.
Attitudes of respect: demonstrates sensitivity towards diverse expressions of faith, spirituality, and cultural practices related to health.
Collaborative work: actively participates in solving clues, relating definitions to terms, and discussing discrepancies.
Attitudes of respect: demonstrates sensitivity towards diverse expressions of faith, spirituality, and cultural practices related to health.
Collaborative work: actively participates in solving clues, relating definitions to terms, and discussing discrepancies.
Exercise Procedure
1. Review each term and its definition carefully.
2. Click a term on the left to select it (it will highlight).
3. Click the matching definition on the right to create a connection.
4. Repeat until all 23 pairs are connected.
5. Click ‘Check Answers’ — correct pairs turn green, incorrect pairs turn red and disconnect.
6. Re-connect any incorrect pairs and check again until all are correct.
2. Click a term on the left to select it (it will highlight).
3. Click the matching definition on the right to create a connection.
4. Repeat until all 23 pairs are connected.
5. Click ‘Check Answers’ — correct pairs turn green, incorrect pairs turn red and disconnect.
6. Re-connect any incorrect pairs and check again until all are correct.
Mode of Implementation
Individual stage – Initial exploration (5 min): each student reviews the cards and tries to mentally relate definitions and terms.
Group stage – Collaborative puzzle solving (15–20 min): in groups, students match cards, justify their choices, and discuss any discrepancies while the teacher supervises.
Sharing (10–15 min): each group shares difficult or interesting terms; the teacher clarifies concepts and connects them to clinical situations.
Final reflection (5–10 min): students complete self-reflection questions and participate in a discussion on religious diversity, cultural sensitivity, and applications in healthcare.
Group stage – Collaborative puzzle solving (15–20 min): in groups, students match cards, justify their choices, and discuss any discrepancies while the teacher supervises.
Sharing (10–15 min): each group shares difficult or interesting terms; the teacher clarifies concepts and connects them to clinical situations.
Final reflection (5–10 min): students complete self-reflection questions and participate in a discussion on religious diversity, cultural sensitivity, and applications in healthcare.
Role of the Teacher
Introduce and contextualise the exercise; facilitate without directing; moderate the discussion; connect concepts to professional practice; guide self-reflection; close with constructive feedback.
Theoretical Basis
The Religious Puzzle is based primarily on experiential learning and social constructivism, integrating elements of gamification. The game allows students to learn by doing, manipulating cards, making group decisions and comparing their choices. Learning arises from the cycle of experience → reflection → conceptualisation → application. Group dynamics encourage the joint construction of knowledge. Social interaction acts as scaffolding, allowing each student to advance within their zone of proximal development.
Practical Application
The Religious Puzzle connects directly to real situations that students will face in healthcare settings, where cultural competence is essential for safe, respectful, and effective care. It improves clinical communication with patients from diverse backgrounds, facilitates clinical decision-making tailored to the patient, promotes interdisciplinary work in healthcare, reduces bias and promotes inclusive care, and develops cross-cutting skills useful in any context.
Knowledge Transfer
The lessons learned through the Religious Puzzle are directly transferable to multiple real-life situations in the healthcare and education fields: effective communication with patients of different religions, adapting care plans to religious beliefs, improvement of cultural competence in interprofessional teams, application in academic work and critical analysis, and development of cross-cutting cognitive skills.
Reinforcement & Reflection
Connection with professional practice: point out how certain terms may appear in medical history, care, diet, adherence, or clinical communication. Shows how religious sensitivity can improve the therapeutic relationship.
Required Resources
Cards printed on card stock: one card with the definition and another card with the corresponding word. Scissors, envelopes or small bags to store the cards. Blackboard or flipchart to share conclusions. Optional: stopwatch if playing in competition mode.
Assessment / Evaluation
Self-assessment: can the student correctly recognise and define at least 15–20 religious terms?
Application: can the student explain at least three ways in which a religious practice or concept can influence healthcare or clinical decision-making?
Collaborative work: did the student demonstrate effective teamwork in solving the puzzle and justifying group decisions?
Application: can the student explain at least three ways in which a religious practice or concept can influence healthcare or clinical decision-making?
Collaborative work: did the student demonstrate effective teamwork in solving the puzzle and justifying group decisions?
Practical Tips
Print definitions in blue and terms in green. Use numbering for the back: Definitions → D1, D2, D3…; Terms → T1, T2, T3… This allows the teacher to quickly check pairings without showing the answers.
Discussion Topics
What religious concepts or practices discovered today could influence the clinical care of a patient?
How do our own beliefs or prior knowledge influence our interpretation of the cultural or religious practices of others?
What strategies can we apply to ensure that patients feel heard and respected with regard to their religious or spiritual beliefs?
What ethical challenges might arise in professional practice when caring for people of different religions?
How do our own beliefs or prior knowledge influence our interpretation of the cultural or religious practices of others?
What strategies can we apply to ensure that patients feel heard and respected with regard to their religious or spiritual beliefs?
What ethical challenges might arise in professional practice when caring for people of different religions?
Further Resources
Book: Multicultural Education for Medical and Health Science Students. Chapter: Religious, Spiritual, and Cultural Practices Related to Health. Author: Marzena Mikła. MultiCultiMed Project, online version at www.multicultimed.pl
Additional Remarks
Proper nouns (Luther, Joseph Smith, Siddhartha Gautama) and loanwords (Wudu, Salat, Hanukkah, Yom Kippur, Stupa, Vedas, Holi, Karma) remain in their original form across all locales.