There are many different types of models used in teaching facilities. Often in middle and high school science classrooms and laboratories, there are basic models of the human skeleton and perhaps the major organs and systems. These may be used by the students or the teachers, but they are not typically advanced types of models.
In colleges, universities, teaching hospitals and even in doctors’ offices and research facilities, more advanced types of models are used. In physical therapy and rehabilitation training programs, medical classes, anatomy lectures and in specialized programs, muscle models of the human body are often added to provide teaching and learning aids.
Quality Factors
In these advanced types of educational settings, quality muscle models are most often seen in the facilities. These models are designed for accuracy and anatomical correctness.
They may be designed and manufactured to scale, which means they are life-size and a perfect replica of the entire human body or a specific part of the body. It is not uncommon for muscle models to have removable components, allowing students to see both the muscle structure as well as the underlying tissues, organs, and skeletal features.
The best quality models used in these types of advanced programs are vastly different from general educational models. The best of the models are hand painted and crafted under the guidance of physicians, providing a complete and extremely lifelike representation of the layers of muscle, tissue, and organs. Hand painting allows for shadowing and developing an accurate look to the model that is essential for quality teaching and learning.
Some of these models highlight the muscles over the entire human body. They may be color coordinated and highlighted to provide easy visibility of both the individual muscle group as well as the relationship to the rest of the muscles and the body systems.