learning theory |
Apply content knowledge, pedagogical, and professional knowledge necessary to carry out teaching responsibilities and for successful performance in the health professions field
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While I was not completely unaware of different learning theories prior to enrolling in the MHPTT program, I really enjoyed digging deeper into the history of education theory and the different schools of thought on how we learn. My first artifact for this goal is my learning theory paper from the Foundations of Health Professions Education course. During this course, and throughout the process of writing this paper, I reflected on the learning theory which most aligns with my own philosophy of teaching, which is social cognitive theory. I remember I was initially uncertain which theory fit my personal beliefs best, as I found some aspect of my teaching responsibilities and beliefs that I could relate to all of the theories we covered. I landed on social cognitive theory because, while I am a strong believer in cognitive processes and information processing, I also find that health care education relies heavily on modeling as an instructional tecnique, and posits that learning occurs both enactively by doing and vicariously through observing. Interestingly, during the beginning of Fundamentals of Adult Learning, which I am currently enrolled in, we were again asked to choose a learning theory that models our own beliefs as a part of a discussion board post, and (without hesitation or looking back at this assignment for guidance) I chose social cognitive theory. To me, this indicates that my personal teaching style has only strengthened in social cognitive methodologies as I had a much easier time justifying my choice with real-life examples as I have progressed through this program. My second artifact is a discussion board post, also from Fundamentals of Adult Learning, discussing how to apply three of the core principles of andragogy to re-vamp a current "Common Calls" lesson that I teach. By creating a flipped classroom and having the students role play answering different pages they may receive while on call rather than lecturing at the students, I have created a problem-centered task that immediately applies to their upcoming new job as an intern and emphasizes why the students need to learn this material.
Artifact 1: Learning theory paper
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artifact 2: andragogy for the "common calls" session (Discussion board post)
Toward the end of their fourth year, medical students at UNMC take a month-long "Residency Prep Course" which helps them prepare for their intern year. They practice procedural skills, and are given lectures on various topics. One topic I help with is the "Common Calls" lecture which is exactly as it sounds - common pages the residents receive and how to address them. Traditionally this is given in a lecture format. However, there are multiple ways the format could be adjusted to better suit the adult learner.
Instead of formatting this as a lecture, I would like to implement a "flipped classroom" and make the environment more true to life. Paralikar et al., implemented a flipped classroom and found that learners in this environment performed better on exams and had higher satisfaction with the learning experience compared to students who learned the same content in the traditional lecture format (2022). Specifically, students performed better on higher-order cognitive skills such as analysis, synthesis, and evaluation of the content. Given that direct patient care almost always requires these higher-order skills, I believe a flipped classroom is a more appropriate lesson format for the Common Calls session.
In the session, students would assume the role of the weekend on-call resident receiving pages from nurses about their patients. The pages will vary greatly in acuity but all will require the resident to do something for the patient and all are pages they are likely to encounter repeatedly during their intern year. The student will answer the page, discuss the situation with the nurse and then decide what needs to be done for the patient. In some instances, there may not be one single right way of dealing with the problem. After a student addresses a page, the class can have a discussion on the possible options for management, with the facilitator as a guide. Incorporating a role-playing aspect helps address three of the six principles of andragogy (Merriam & Bierema, 2014).
Principle #6: First, creating a more life-like scenario helps solidify the "why," the reason that they are learning something. Students will realize, maybe for the first time, what holding that pager as an intern feels like. (Adults need to know the reason for learning something.)
Principle #4: Putting the student in the role of the resident shifts the content to problem-centered learning. Very soon, the students will need to use the skills they're practicing in this session. (Immediacy of application, transition from subject-centered to problem-centered learning)
Principle #3: Similar to #4, the use of simulation gives them the ability to practice the developmental tasks of their soon-to-be new role as an intern. (Readiness to learn is closely related to developmental tasks of social roles.)
Ref:
Merriam, S.B. & Bierema, L. L. (2014). Adult Learning: Linking Theory and Practice. San Francisco, CA:Jossey-Bass. ISBN: 978-1-118-13057-5
Paralikar S, Shah CJ, Joshi A, Kathrotia R. Acquisition of Higher-Order Cognitive Skills (HOCS) Using the Flipped Classroom Model: A Quasi-Experimental Study. Cureus. 2022 Apr 18;14(4):e24249. doi: 10.7759/cureus.24249. PMID: 35602838; PMCID: PMC9116902.
Instead of formatting this as a lecture, I would like to implement a "flipped classroom" and make the environment more true to life. Paralikar et al., implemented a flipped classroom and found that learners in this environment performed better on exams and had higher satisfaction with the learning experience compared to students who learned the same content in the traditional lecture format (2022). Specifically, students performed better on higher-order cognitive skills such as analysis, synthesis, and evaluation of the content. Given that direct patient care almost always requires these higher-order skills, I believe a flipped classroom is a more appropriate lesson format for the Common Calls session.
In the session, students would assume the role of the weekend on-call resident receiving pages from nurses about their patients. The pages will vary greatly in acuity but all will require the resident to do something for the patient and all are pages they are likely to encounter repeatedly during their intern year. The student will answer the page, discuss the situation with the nurse and then decide what needs to be done for the patient. In some instances, there may not be one single right way of dealing with the problem. After a student addresses a page, the class can have a discussion on the possible options for management, with the facilitator as a guide. Incorporating a role-playing aspect helps address three of the six principles of andragogy (Merriam & Bierema, 2014).
Principle #6: First, creating a more life-like scenario helps solidify the "why," the reason that they are learning something. Students will realize, maybe for the first time, what holding that pager as an intern feels like. (Adults need to know the reason for learning something.)
Principle #4: Putting the student in the role of the resident shifts the content to problem-centered learning. Very soon, the students will need to use the skills they're practicing in this session. (Immediacy of application, transition from subject-centered to problem-centered learning)
Principle #3: Similar to #4, the use of simulation gives them the ability to practice the developmental tasks of their soon-to-be new role as an intern. (Readiness to learn is closely related to developmental tasks of social roles.)
Ref:
Merriam, S.B. & Bierema, L. L. (2014). Adult Learning: Linking Theory and Practice. San Francisco, CA:Jossey-Bass. ISBN: 978-1-118-13057-5
Paralikar S, Shah CJ, Joshi A, Kathrotia R. Acquisition of Higher-Order Cognitive Skills (HOCS) Using the Flipped Classroom Model: A Quasi-Experimental Study. Cureus. 2022 Apr 18;14(4):e24249. doi: 10.7759/cureus.24249. PMID: 35602838; PMCID: PMC9116902.
