Teaching - Learning
 

"By learning you will teach, by teaching you will learn."

                                                         ~Latin Proverb

    There are several different learning theories used in education.  These include:
 

    Behaviorist

    Cognitive
            - Constructivism

There are two major differences between these two models
        1.  whether knowledge can accurately reflect the external world
        2.  how knowledge is acquired or constructed

In constructivism knowledge does not necessarily reflect the external world as the knowledge is constructed based on previously constructed knowledge and an interpretation of that knowledge.  People make sense out of information based on their own experiences.  We can not know that what people perceive and believe they understand matches reality.

The following is an example of these point:
 
 
 

A fish swimming in a pond wants to find out more about the world beyond the pond.  He approaches a tadpole and asks him to tell him about the world.  The tadpole turns into a frog and leaves the pond.  He remembers his promise to the fish and one day returns to the pond and tells the fish about the things he has seen - people, birds and cows.  The fish pictures these wonders as forms of fish.  People are fish walking on their tail fins, birds are fish with wings and cows are fish with udders. Adapted from Fish is Fish by Leo Lionni (re-issued 1987)

    Social Learning Theory

    Humanistic

    Transformative 

    Novice to Expert
 

        Theory into Practice

        EmTech

        Learning Theories

        TIPS - The Theories

        Characteristics of Constructivist Learning and Teaching

Learning Styles

    There are a variety of learning styles.  It is important to determine the learning style for your client before starting your teaching.  The following tools may assist in determining the client's learning style.

    Productivity Environmental Preference Survey (PEPS) (look at the D&D model)

- this is a model developed by Dunn and Dunn
- looks at 5 stimuli (and their elements) that impact learning

- based  on the work of Carl Jung
- developed by Katherine Briggs and Isabel Briggs Myers
- there are 4 personality scales (extroversion vs. introversion, sensing vs. intuition, thinking vs. feeling, and judging vs. perceiving).
- these preferences combine to yield one of 16 particular types

    Brain Preference Indicator (BPI)

 Which Type of Learner Are You ?

 

LEFT (Analytic)	RIGHT (Global)
verbal (talking and writing)	visual (drawing and manipulating objects)
responds to word meaning	responds to tone of voice
sequential	random
processes information linearly	processes information in varied order
logical, critical thinking	creative, intuitive thinking
good organizational skills, neat	loose organizational skills, sloppy
recognizes/recalls people's names	recognizes/recalls people's faces
speaks with few gestures	gestures when speaking
punctual	less punctual
prefers formal study design	prefers sound/music background when studying, likes change
controls emotions	emotional

- developed by David Kolb
- look at the following

• concrete experience (CE) learn by personal involvement
• active experimentation (AE) learn by watching, listening
• reflective observation (RO) learn by thinking
• abstract conceptualization (AC) learn by doing

- these combine to form 4 separate learning styles

• diverger (CE RO)
• assimilator (AC RO)
• converger (AC AE)
• accommodator (CE AE)

- Kolb's work has been adapted by McCarthy to create the 4MAT System
McCarthy has included the right/left brain research into this system

 

Planning a Class

Sample Procedure for Presentation Design

1. Define the Ends in View	What do you want the class to learn
2. Introduction	Explain what you plan to cover and why this learning will be useful
3. Consider the group you are teaching	What do they know about the topic
4. Structure of the Class	-   How will you organize your topic  -   Small group work, regular class? -    Audio only, audio and visual, still, motion, colour? -   Class participation in the learning
5. Plan the presentation	-         Introduction (what you plan to do) -         Body -         Conclusion (what you did)
6. a) Select appropriate commercial products OR b) Produce your own	Assume that you will have problems with AV and have a back-up plan
7. Implement presentation	Use the selected audiovisuals as part of your presentation.
8. Evaluate presentation	How can you improve your presentation? Should more or fewer audiovisuals be used? Sequence changed? Alternate media considered?

    Another sample of a lesson plan has been developed by Education Department of Saskatchewan.

Print Materials

    To-days nurse is very busy and many agencies use print materials to help in educating clients.  These materials can be in the form of brochures (commercially or privately prepared), books, handouts or having the client and family read material from an internet site.

    Before information is given to the client the nurse needs to know the literacy level of the client (DON'T MAKE ASSUMPTIONS) and the readability of the material.  Simple methods to determine the readability include:   

• Flesch Readability Test
• S.M.O.G

    Other than readability the entire document must be reviewed to determine its suitability.  

• Readability    
• Hamilton Health Services - Patient Education Services
• Evaluating Web Information

Tips For Teaching

   There are a number of Web sites that offer tips on teaching.  The Teaching Resources and Continuing Education (Trace) site at the University of Waterloo offers a number of Tip Sheets that may be of value to you.  Another site that offers a plethora or information is the Teaching Tips Index at the Honolulu Community College Web site.