Creating a Positive Learning Environment

Objectives Integrate active learning best practices to: Facilitate students’ critical thinking Stimulate learning Create a positive learning environment

Active Learning Strategies to Consider Stories and Cases Using Questions Building on Reflection Writing to Learn Using Technology Tools Affirming and Challenging (Feedback)

Model as Initial Coaching Guide Social Significance, naming your product Ultimacy, using best practices Collegiality, using your resources (Who are you going to call when you don’t know what to do?)

Measures to Facilitate Critical Thinking & Clinical Reasoning What do we already know? What do we need to know about critical thinking and clinical reasoning?

Critical Thinking Concepts: Purposeful, outcomes-directed Driven by patient, family, community needs Based on principles of the nursing process and scientific method Requires knowledge, skills, experience, and commitment to developing CT Is guided by professional standards and ethics Makes the most of human potential Re-evaluates and strives to improve - Alfaro-LeFevre, R. (2017)

Clinical Reasoning and Clinical Judgment Critical thinking is a broad concept that includes clinical reasoning and judgment Clinical reasoning refers to the ways we think about patient care issues Clinical judgment refers to the conclusions we reach and decisions we make about patient care

Active Learning What do we already know? What do we need to know about active learning?

Active Learning “Just do it” approach Focus on making a good “fit” between student learning expectations and chosen assignments

Stories and Cases: Benefits Engage and Convey Information Promote Connectedness Promote Problem Solving (what next?) Share varying points of view (patient, family, healthcare provider perspectives)

Stories and Cases: Examples Once upon a time…. Stories, learning, change intertwined Student stories Cases Using stories for difficult scenarios What’s wrong with this picture?

Using Questions Good teaching = good communication Questions facilitate and assess learning Questions bring life to critical thinking Modeling inquiry promotes student inquiry What if?

General Question Guidelines Learning demonstrated as: Cognitive learning Psychomotor learning Affective learning

Assessing Cognitive Knowledge: Bloom’s Taxonomy Knowledge – Recalling Remembering facts and learned information Comprehension – Understanding Explaining and describing Application – Problem Solving Using information in new settings

Assessing Cognitive Knowledge: Bloom’s Taxonomy Analysis – Exploring patterns and meanings Examining component parts Synthesis – Creating Combining ideas into a new statement Evaluation – Judging Making an evaluation based on criteria

Example: Using a Handout Questions as a teaching tool Sample strategies

Further Tools for Active Learning Reflection Writing to Learn Technology Tools Feedback

Reflection: Benefits Students consider their experiences Build on previous experiences Gain self-evaluation skills

Reflection: Examples Mental rehearsals Cognitive framing Hindsight 20/20 Reflecting on what you have learned Self-assessments Goal setting

Writing to Learn: Benefits Writing as thinking Reflective component to discover and shape meaning Build on what already know Remember and process information

Writing to Learn: Examples Selected tools and strategies Benner’s model to create clinical narratives

Technology Tools: Benefits Manage rapid information turnover Rote memorization no longer adequate Enhance clinical learning

Selected Tools and Strategies Clinical learning labs PDAs (getting started, expert of the day) Web-based conferencing

Feedback: Affirming and Challenging Communication of information that assists the student to reflect/interact with the information, construct self-knowledge relevant to course learning and to set further learning goals - Bonnel, W.

Feedback: Sample Strategies Coaching students to seek and use feedback Challenging students Using qualitative tools to synthesize data for feedback (interview, observation, record review)

Summary: Facilitating Learning in the Clinical Environment Integrate active learning best practices to: Facilitate critical thinking in clinical settings Stimulate learning Create a positive learning environment

Active Learning Strategies to Consider Stories and Cases Using Questions Building on Reflection Writing to Learn Using Technology Tools Affirming and Challenging (Feedback)