N322 Week 5 Lecture (Patterson Winter 2025)

N322: Leadership in Education and Care

  • Instructor: Michelle Patterson (She/her), RN, BSN, MN

  • Position: Lecturer, College of Nursing, USASK

  • Date: February 2025

Course Objectives

  • Upon completion of this lecture and activities, students will:

    • Explore theoretical perspectives affecting the teaching-learning process.

    • Complete needs assessments.

    • Distinguish the mechanics of motor learning.

    • Apply evidence-based teaching strategies according to developmental stage.

    • Apply principles of growth and development to health education planning.

The Educator's Role in Learning

  • Responsibilities include:

    • Assessing Problems/Deficits: Identifying learner needs.

    • Providing Information: Tailoring methods to diverse learners.

    • Identifying Progress: Monitoring learners’ development.

    • Giving Feedback and Follow-Up: Continuous support and learning enhancement.

    • Reinforcing Learning: Encouragement and support.

    • Evaluating Learners’ Abilities: Assessing understanding and skills.

Assessing the Learner

  • First step in instructional design:

    • Necessity of assessing learner needs, readiness, and styles.

    • Often overlooked step in healthcare education.

Importance of Assessment in Education

  • Nurses recognize the need for assessment before interventions, which parallels the educational process.

Benefits of Individualized Teaching

  • Individualized approaches lead to:

    • Improved outcomes.

    • Increased patient satisfaction.

    • Decreased anxiety and stress for learners.

    • Prevention of repetition in teaching content.

    • Optimized use of time and energy.

    • Enhanced communication.

    • Increased motivation among learners.

Determinants of Learning

  1. Learning Needs: What the learner wants and needs to learn.

  2. Readiness to Learn: The learner's receptiveness at the moment of instruction.

  3. Learning Style: Individual preferences for absorbing and processing information.

    • Critical for nurses to assess these determinants due to time constraints.

Learning Needs Assessment

  • Defined as gaps between desired and actual performance levels.

    • Assessment should cover:

      • Cognitive Domain: Knowledge-based skills.

      • Affective Domain: Emotional aspects of learning.

      • Psychomotor Domain: Physical skill development.

    • Nurses should support patients in identifying and prioritizing their learning needs.

Methodology for Assessing Learning Needs

  1. Identify the learner.

  2. Choose an appropriate setting.

  3. Collect diverse data about the learner.

  4. Gather learner's input directly.

  5. Collaborate with the healthcare team.

  6. Prioritize identified needs.

  7. Offer only the most relevant information.

  8. Evaluate available educational resources.

  9. Consider organizational demands.

  10. Factor in time management.

Methods to Assess Learning Needs

  • Utilize various approaches:

    • Informal conversations

    • Structured interviews

    • Focus groups

    • Questionnaires

    • Tests

    • Observations

    • Documentation

Readiness to Learn

  • Defined as the learner's interest in acquiring necessary information to achieve optimal health or skill improvement.

    • Key Points:

      • Learning cannot occur without readiness.

      • Timing impacts absorption of new information.

PEEK: Readiness to Learn Model

  • Physical Readiness: Ability, task complexity, environmental factors, health status, gender.

  • Emotional Readiness: Anxiety levels, support systems, motivation, risk behavior, frame of mind, developmental stage.

  • Experiential Readiness: Aspiration levels, past coping strategies, cultural background, locus of control.

  • Knowledge Readiness: Existing knowledge, cognitive abilities, learning disabilities, preferred learning styles.

Learning Styles Overview

  • Defined as methods learners use for processing and recalling information most effectively.

Kolb’s Experiential Learning Model

  • Learning is influenced by past experiences and current demands. Includes:

    • Concrete Experience (CE): Emphasizes feeling and interacting.

    • Reflective Observation (RO): Learning by watching and listening.

    • Abstract Conceptualization (AC): Emphasizes logical thinking.

    • Active Experimentation (AE): Focuses on hands-on practice.

Characteristics of Learning Styles

  • Learning styles classified in Kolb’s model:

    • Accommodator: Active and hands-on learners.

    • Diverger: Learn by feeling and observing.

    • Converger: Logical thinkers preferring hands-on experience.

    • Assimilator: Theoretical learners.

Developmental Theories Impacting Learning

  • Consideration of cognitive, psychosocial, and physical maturation is essential:

    • Piaget's Stages:

      1. Sensorimotor (0-2 yrs): Learning through senses.

      2. Preoperational (2-7 yrs): Language and imagery as learning tools.

      3. Concrete Operational (7-12 yrs): Logical thinking without abstraction.

      4. Formal Operational (12+ yrs): Hypothetical and scientific reasoning.

Erikson's Stages of Development

  • Covers psychosocial development from trust vs. mistrust in infants to integrity vs. despair in older adults.

Educational Strategies Across Age Groups

  • Infants (0-2): Focus on caregiver education, sensory engagement, repetition, and emotional security.

  • Early Childhood (3-5): Build trust, use repetition, and activities that stimulate senses.

  • Middle Childhood (6-11): Encourage independence, logical explanations, and use play as a learning tool.

  • Adolescents (12-19): Foster trust, involve in care planning, use peer support, and ensure confidentiality.

  • Adults: Support self-directed learning, respect past experiences, and accommodate individual agency.

Teaching Strategies for Specific Age Groups

  • Effective methods for various populations:

    • Adjust teaching techniques based on development stages:

      • Young adulthood: Focus on problem-centered learning.

      • Middle-aged: Encourage independence, address life concerns.

      • Older adulthood: Utilize clear, concrete examples and ensure comfortable learning environments.

Family Involvement in Patient Education

  • The role of family is crucial for successful patient outcomes.

    • Engagement of family can lead to better care and adherence to educational content.

Summary

  • Understanding learning rates, capacity, and emotional barriers varies across developmental stages is vital.

    • Individual focus enhances teaching effectiveness and improves client learning outcomes.

Motor Learning Concepts

  • Motor Learning: Processes leading to permanent movement changes through practice.

  • Motor Performance: Initial acquisition of skills without assured retention.

Key Variables in Motor Learning

  • Factors influencing learning a new skill:

    • Complexity of skill, individual motivation, history of past experiences, and health status.

Stages of Motor Learning

  1. Cognitive Stage: Initial understanding and focus on the skill.

  2. Associative Stage: More consistent performance; feedback becomes crucial.

  3. Autonomous Stage: Minimal attention needed for skill execution.

Strategies for Different Stages of Motor Learning

  • Cognitive Stage:

    • Emphasize skill purpose, minimize distractions, clear instructions, use feedback.

  • Associative Stage:

    • Increase skill complexity, encourage independence, maintain feedback.

Feedback in Motor Learning

  • Critical for promoting retention and development of motor skills. Key types include:

    • Intrinsic Feedback: Self-evaluated sensory input.

    • Extrinsic Feedback: Provided by external sources.

Importance of Feedback

  • Immediate and constructive feedback fosters learning:

    • Should be private and related to improvements.

    • Gradually reduce feedback to promote self-correction and independence.

Conclusion

  • Constant evaluation and adjustment of educational strategies are essential for effective learning and health education outcomes.