It's all great in theory ... but how?

Week 2 Reflections

The discussion this week focused on linking theories on teaching and learning with pedagogy. How do we take what we know about the theoretical frameworks of teaching and use them in the practice of teaching? I again reflected on my own experience as a teacher, what foundational principles to I adhere to? What has worked for me in my practice? Respect, valuing a nurses previous experience, and learning together all came to mind. Constructivist approaches value the prior knowledge of adult learners and assist learning through meaningful activities. My practical experience as a teacher in the clinical environment has consistently demonstrated to me the importance of fostering this respect with learners. Using a constructivist approach where I begin with identifying and communicating to learners the value of their previous experience helps to build trust and respect with learners. Tools traditional used in constructivist theory include mindmaps and role modeling. I identified role modeling as something I want to dive a little deeper to throughout this course. Throughout my studies the practice of role modeling has come up frequently, what can I learn about this practice and how it can be used with entry to practice nurses as identified in my learning goals? I've tabled that idea to explore more in my learning artifacts this course.

I challenged myself this week to participate in the photovoice learning exercise also. I usually shy away from these more emotive learning activities, preferring to stick to more concrete traditional writing. I ended up really benefitting not only from the research into my post, but in discussion with the class. Class discussion about the feelings we have as adult learners when we compare classroom to workplace learning was interesting. Several of us identifying the negative feelings associated with "school work" versus how energized we are gaining new skills at work. It sparked insightful discussion amongst the group about our own learning. This photovoice exercise also lead me to some interesting philosophical reading on reflection in clinical practice. The challenges of promoting reflection in practicing nurses and how to set them up for learning success, and avoid creating frustration. As teachers, we need to be aware of difference sometimes between the academic discussion of theory and the difficulties in implementing in practice. Beware the theory to practice gap exists for teachers too!