Learning Styles and Student Nurses

Teaching-learning session is almost the same to the nursing process that is used in clinical settings (Habel,2006). In the learning process, the initial step is assessment of the learners understanding towards their health condition, which is then followed by the questions what do they need to learn and what will be the appropriate approach to teach them (Habel, 2006).

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.

Carper’s ways of knowing provide a fundamental source of information regarding nursing knowledge and practice. Any professional field is built around a variety of knowledge tenets, which help to organize ideas, test those ideas, and then apply them. Carper’s ways of knowing outline fundamental patterns of deriving knowledge and building experience as far as teaching and the practice of nursing are concerned (Zander, 2007). These patterns are used to explain or develop theory in the teaching of nursing, besides helping practitioners to build more knowledge and to enhance their practice. Carper’s ways of knowing identifies four different patterns of knowledge, which are analyzed in this case within their syntactical and conceptual frameworks. They include empirical, personal, ethical, and aesthetic.

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

Carper’s ways of knowing provide a fundamental source of information regarding nursing knowledge and practice. Any professional field is built around a variety of knowledge tenets, which help to organize ideas, test those ideas, and then apply them. Carper’s ways of knowing outline fundamental patterns of deriving knowledge and building experience as far as teaching and the practice of nursing are concerned (Zander, 2007). These patterns are used to explain or develop theory in the teaching of nursing, besides helping practitioners to build more knowledge and to enhance their practice. Carper’s ways of knowing identifies four different patterns of knowledge, which are analyzed in this case within their syntactical and conceptual frameworks. They include empirical, personal, ethical, and aesthetic.

There are many demanding professional adjustments when transitioning from student nurse to graduate nurse and the use of refection during this time is said to be a very important tool in guiding the learning process. It is common in the field of nursing to utilise reflection to critically analyse certain experiences and reflect on how they made them feel and react. This involves looking deeper into a particular experience and deciding what was good, what was bad and what would be a better course of action if they were to re encounter it in the future. However there may be potential barriers when trying to make judgements about a students inner most thoughts and personal experiences. The purpose of this essay is to critically analyse the concept of reflection and to find out if it is an essential component to nursing practise in the transition from student nurse to graduate registered nurse.

From an early age I found learning hard and in my early educational years I

According to Hall and Ross-Kerr (2006) teaching is an interactive process that promotes learning. Generally, teaching and learning begin when a person identifies a need for knowing or acquiring an ability to do something. A nurse, who embodies the role of a teacher provides information that prompts the client to engage in activities that lead to desired change. Teaching is most effective when it responds to the learner’s needs (Potter, Perry, Ross-Kerry, & Wood, 2006, p. 318). In this paper I will include an assessment of the learner, teacher, and resources with a teaching plan. I will provide evidence of implementation along with discussion of teaching material used in the presentation, including the rationale for its use. The paper will

Through personal student interviews, the phenomenon of undergraduate nursing students' experiences in the context of communicating the psychiatric patients was described. This pilot study suggests that one cannot fully understand the breadth and depth of this experience until one has lived the experience. This section reflects the findings of this pilot study in accordance with existing literature as previously reported. Practical implications for nursing within education and limitations will be discussed and will conclude with suggestions for future research.

The purpose of this paper is to discuss a learning theory with application to a teaching-learning situation in health care. This paper will focus on the social learning theory and its application to the teaching-learning process in nursing. I will explore a clear definition of the theory and present the main concepts. Lastly, I will apply my knowledge of the social learning theory by describing how I use it in a health care setting when educating student nurses during senior practicum.

The nurse should act as a facilitator, creating an environment conducive to learning that motivates individuals to want to learn and makes it possible for them to learn (Musinski, 1999). The assessment of learning needs, the designing of a teaching plan, the implementation of instructional methods and materials, and the evaluation of teaching and learning should include participation by both the educator and the learner. Thus, the emphasis should be on the facilitation of learning from a nondirective rather than a didactic teaching approach (Knowles, Holton, & Swanson, 1998; Musinski, 1999; Mangena & Chabeli, 2005; Donner et al., 2005).

The objective of this assignment is to critique the research article titled ‘Staff-student relationships and their impact on nursing students’ belongingness and learning’. Polit and Beck (2008) highlighted that there is expectancy on nurses to conduct research in order to base their practice on evidence which has emerged from research. Nurses are expected to use their research findings to make informed decisions and actions with patients. The ultimate goal of research is to develop and expand ones knowledge in any field. The development and use of knowledge is essential in improvement in patient care. Research enables the nurse to explain phenomena and the characteristics of certain situations that need to be considered when planning

“Passive recipients of face-to-face instructor designed and led classes” was how traditional education students were viewed (McGarry, Theobald, Lewis, & Coyer, 2015, p. 967). The researchers understood the challenges nurse educators faced in engaging students and cultivating new nursing graduates with skills benefitting societal and professional sustainability. The aim of this paper is to determine by integrative review whether active learning and student-centered teaching strategies improve motivation and performance among nursing students. Active learning strategies such as reflection, simulation, and feedback can increase motivation to learn in nursing students.

In today’s world, it is essential to incorporate nursing theory into practice. Patricia Benner, through her work, “has provided essential understanding of how knowledge and skills are acquired and directly applied to nursing practice, education, research and administration” (Altmann, 2007, p. 114). According to Benner’s model of skill acquisition, “the nurse passes through five stages of career development, novice, advanced beginner, competent, proficient and expert” (English, 1993, p.387). Specific patterns of behavior, thinking, and performance is present in each stage. The most experience is associated with the expert nurse and the least experience is possessed by the novice nurse (Benjamin, 2007). This model is based on ascending level of proficiency and the key concepts of this model are: competence, skill attainment, experience, clinical knowledge and practical knowledge