The Benefits Of Active Learning And Student Centered Teaching Strategies Improve Motivation And Performance Among Nursing Students

It wasn’t that long ago that I had those new graduate nurse’s hopeless feelings of fear and despair, as whether or not I was ever going to be a competent nurse. Wondering whether I was ever going to feel like I know exactly what I am doing and why. Was I ever going to stop being nervous when starting an IV or inserting a Foley catheter. Was I ever going to handle a full assignment of four patients, in busy Emergency Room (ER), without the help of a preceptor. As fast as those feelings overwhelmed me, they have disappeared. These days, the feelings of fear and despair aren’t as noticeable. “Goal setting plays a prominent role in social-cognitive learning

“While you may not realize it, you are helping to exemplify many of the reasons that we are going back to school for our BSN’s. Because higher learning really does improve our nursing practice and cultivate the learning culture of nurses in our institutions.

As a first semester nursing student my journey into developing nursing skills has just begun,

While a simulated nursing experience (SLE) does not completely replace working with clinical patients, research shows that students often perceive it as a valuable and realistic learning experience that develops self-confidence, promotes awareness, and assists

I have equally high expectations for all of the students in my charge. If a teaching strategy fails to work for a student in my room, I will find an alternative method. After all, I want each student to succeed, no matter what kind of effort I must put forth” (Brennan).

Learning can be defined as the process of acquiring knowledge or skills through experience, independent or collaborative study, and teachings under guided instruction (Fisher & Frey, 2008). One of the most efficient processes of learning that promotes progressive knowledge and skill development is a process that focusses on learning styles (Weaver, 2010). √ The key term ‘learning style’ can be described as the preferential mode a learner adopts when gain knowledge or skills (Honey, 2006). There are a number of different versions of models and frameworks that can be used to help a student nurse to identify their own personal learning needs (Sherwin &Stevenson, 2011).√ These include Kolb’s (1984) Experiential Learning Cycle, Gibbs' Reflective Cycle (Gibbs, 1988), and Johns’ and Carper’s model of structured reflection (Johns, 2009). √By using these tools a student nurse can identify their learning needs and may consider it beneficial for the student to undertake further methods of analysis such as Honey’s (2006) The Learning Styles Questionnaire which is based on Honey and Mumford’s Learning Inventory (Honey, 1982). The Honey and Mumford inventory is a compilation of descriptions used to categorise learners based upon behaviours and attitudes. These categories include activist; reflector; theorist; and pragmatist (Honey, 2006). √ An understanding of learning

of Canberra, found that because first year nursing students are opportunistic learners, they are more likely to reflect upon valuable, long-lasting lessons when they feel actively engaged in both positive and negative experiences in their clinical practice. These authors acknowledge three learning triggers which they found enhance the student’s clinical education: active participation in care, emotional confrontation within themselves, and interacting with registered nurses who caused them to contemplate how they would present themselves as professional nurses. Grealich and Ranse suggest further research using a larger scale of second and third year nursing students who attend various institutions as they recognize the limited number of participants from a single institution as a weakness in their study; they also,

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

within my clinical environment. I will address the questions that I encountered due to this experience and how my current nursing classes helped me deepen my understanding of what I have learned this semester. I will also discuss two nursing BNURs and how they are related to this experience and analysis how this event has helped me grow as a student nurse.

Issues such as staff shortage, increased workload, staff feeling threatened by the student nurses, and poor teaching skills can contribute to students not feeling supported (Burns and Paterson, 2005). Nursing students had identified that anxiety as their main concern in the research done by Masoumi and Sharif (2005). The unfamiliarity of tending for patients and worrying of making mistakes during the clinical attachment are the factors that students feel anxious. Mentor can diminish anxiety by utilizing simulation, where genuine case studies and scenarios are being simulated and roles and responsibilities of student nurse are being discussed (Burns and Paterson, 2005).Gradual encouragement in helping student nurse to gain control over their own learning may aid to construct their confidence which will reduce their

265). Incorporating how students would like to receive instruction matched to their learning styles and strengths will increase student motivation to succeed. It is important for me as the teacher to know what instructional strategies work with each student. When students are presented with information in a manner they feel comfortable with they will be less likely to misbehave during class time.

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.

In addition to other learning theories and teaching strategies, Schӧn’s reflection model would be helpful in integrating theory into practice. When I developed and conducted my teaching plan based on reflection, it became profitable for the development of my career as a nurse educator and for the quality of my teaching. Schӧn’s reflection model is not only a useful tool for my personal development, it is also a process for changing the way I teach and learn, through examining practice in a critical and analytical way. The key to effective teaching and learning is through reflection in and on action. To conduct an effective teaching plan, I ought to have the capacity for self-reflection, critical and analytical thinking

I am not new to the role of nurse or educator, but to the role of nursing educator. My motivation to teach future generations of nurses prompted my transition from a clinical nurse to an academic nurse educator. My interest in teaching comes from my own positive experiences as an undergraduate student and from a love of learning. My educational philosophy is a work in progress as I continue to grow as a nurse, educator, and scholar of nursing education. As a novice nursing educator today, I plan on progressing to the path of an expert. The purpose of this paper is to express my educational philosophy in terms of teaching and learning, teaching and learning strategies, student learning goals, and the learning environment.

Through my grades and persistence, I have proven that academic excellence is a pivotal part of my education. I believe that I have achieved outstanding academic achievement through my ongoing evolution as a student, my motivation to better myself, and my desire for success. From freshman year to junior year, I have evolved and changed in order to learn more effectively and perform better inside and outside of the classroom. The dynamics of college classes are far different from what I had experienced in high school. This required me to adapt to the higher level of thinking that was expected from me. Since freshman year of college, I have actively sought out new study methods in order to understand classroom material. I realized that simply memorizing the material for one test would not be beneficial to me in my future career of nursing, so I began to actively understand the material. Adapting to the higher level of education I have received in college has helped me become a more