Effective Learning Theories

With reference to chosen theory of learning (behaviourist, social learning) discuss its application to patient education in context of general nursing.

The Humanistic Perspective focuses on how people can achieve their fullest potential as individuals who make choices and who take control of responsibility for their mental, social, and personal experiences.   It also emphasizes free will and individuals' control of their own behavior. Andrea fulfilled her dreams when in high school by being valedictorian. She also had a home to shelter with her family. She was loved very much by her kid’s husband, and parents.

Several learning theories have been put forward to explain how learning takes place in individuals. These theories have found application in formal learning situations including nursing education and training. In addition, a number of nursing theories also aim to prescribe the best approach to the practice of nursing in a professional environment. Of the learning theories, social learning theory takes into account the role of the environment in shaping responses through interaction with the cognitive skills of the learner. The deliberate nursing process theory also emphasizes the importance of responding to the real environment instead of blindly implementing prescribed solutions. This essay discusses the responses of a nursing professional in a real-life learning environment in the light of social learning theory and deliberative nursing process theory.

As the demand for nursing education grows and with the rapidly advancing roles of nursing, educators need to stay up-to-date. “Theory-based practice provides nurses with a perspective” (Parker, 2006, p.28). With the comprehension and use of educational theories, nursing educators can support student knowledge and development into practice. These theories are outlines of cohesive concepts and principals that describe, explain, or predict how people learn. Every one learns differently and as an educator you need to be familiarized with and open to the use of one or more combinations of theories to successfully teach adult learners in this ever changing health care system. This paper will highlight the use of Constructivist Learning Theory and its application to nursing practice.

Humanistic theories emerged in 1950s. We have two types of humanistic theories, the first one is Person-centred theory by Carl Rogers which is based on how people see them-selves in relation to their personal experience and the second theory is Self-actualisation by Abraham Maslow which is based on the needs that motivate people. In this paper both theories will be described in detail and also they will be evaluated.

Nursing students today are diverse with different learning styles. Nursing educators must shape students to become critical thinkers and there are a host of approaches for instructors to develop needed teaching skills (Kostovich et al., 2007). There are many models of education styles; one to fashion teaching after is from Kolb’s model in 1985 which suggests matching learning methods to teaching approaches. However, educators need to become proficient in identifying individual student learning styles. Nursing educators should also recognize their own teaching style and the effect it has on learner development and socialization (National League for Nursing, 2007). The National League for Nursing (NLN) has developed eight core

Humanistic perspective is a psychological perspective popularized by Carlo Rogers and Abraham Maslow that emphasizes the human capacity for choice and growth. This perspective offers a very positive viewpoint of human nature and potential. It suggests that we are each responsible for our own happiness and well-being as humans. “The humanistic approach emphasizes the personal worth of the individual, the centrality of human

There are many different theories of how people learn and in considering their application to how students learn and how teachers teach; educational programmes must be of holistic value. Learning according to the humanistic theory speaks to the holistic value that must be communicated through the process of acquiring new

This perspective assumes that we all thrive for personality growth, through mental processes and behaviors.. This perspective is different in its methodology compare to the biological approach, and the psychodynamic approach. Both these perspectives assume that human beings are controlled by internal or external forces. There are deterministic in nature. The humanistic perspective, promotes free will, and people can be, whatever, they envision themselves. This perspective was influence by humanists such as Carl Rogers and Abraham Maslow, who emphasizes on the importance of individual potentials.

The humanistic perspective on personality deals exclusively with human behavior. Humanistic psychologists believe that human nature includes a natural drive towards personal growth, that humans have the freedom to choose what they do regardless of environmental factors, and humans are mostly conscious beings and are not controlled by unconscious needs and conflicts. They also believe that a person's subjective view of the world is more important than objective reality. Two of the humanistic theorists that have made an impact of humanism are Carl Rogers and Abraham Maslow.

Humanists believe that people are influenced by their self-perceptions and personal meanings attached to their experiences. The humanist theory helps to develop critical thinking, judgment, and creativity. They encourage to empower and take control over their learning processes not be just concentrating on the reward at the end They encourage people to look into themselves for the answers to their questions. Behaviorists believe the exact opposite. They believe we are solely the product of our environment, and by controlling rewards and punishments you can shape the behavior of another person. Humanists also believe in stimulating people though asking question to help them draw on their past experiences to extract lessons (DeMar, 2007).

The humanistic-existential perspective is both a reaction to and an outgrowth of the psychodynamic perspective. These thinkers refer to psychodynamic theory as inadequate, many were repulsed with its tendency to break down the "whole" person into discrete components, and, the idea of adapting to one's society, however questionable its values. Most importantly, they disagree that human action is beyond the individuals control, in fact they believe that if we could develop with out constraints, we would be rational and socialized. Humanists and existentialists also think psychology should be converted into a human science, different from psychological theories with more focus on natural science.

It is said that humanistic psychology was developed upon the limitations of behaviourism. The humanistic approach is often referred to as the “third force” in psychology coming after psychoanalysis and behaviourism; it is an alternative approach to psychology (Maslow, 1968). It offered a more wholesome approach to psychology at the time in comparison to behaviourism and psychoanalysis. This essay will compare and contrast behaviourism and humanistic psychology; it will focus on their contributions to psychological theory and their applications in the real world.

Constructivist approach explains the ways in which learners make their own personal sense of learning tasks, the environment, the teacher, and the actual process of learning. Constructivism has strong links with humanism, as both are concerned with the individual's search for personal meaning. Humanistic approaches emphasize the importance of inner world of learner and place the individuals at the forefront of all human development. Each learner is seen as a whole person. He assumes his inner world of thought and feeling in relation to others in a personalized learning to become a more active, successful, and well-rounded individual while interacting and cooperating with other learners. Humanistic approach stresses on the affective and cognitive involvement of learners in the process of learning. Teachers' and learners' beliefs, attitudes, and perceptions to the learning and teaching are brought into interaction to generate a consolidating environment for the class to be highly productive. Learners' response to a task is assessed by teacher to

It all begins with the central idea of phenomenology and the idea that all people have free will (Funder, 2012). Another assumption is that all people are basically good. They have an innate need to make the world and themselves better. This lends itself to the idea that the approach is optimistic and is routed on the human capacity to persevere. Rogers and Maslow viewed personal growth and life fulfillment as the basic human motive. Which can be reduced down to the notion that each and every person seeks to grow and enhance themselves, psychologically.