Learner Centered In Nursing Education
What are Learner Centered
“Learner-centered” teaching and learning combine a focus on:
(a) individual learners, taking into account their experiences, perspectives, backgrounds, talents, interests, capacities, needs.
(b) the best available knowledge about learning and how it occurs.
The incorporation of these teaching and learning practices is most effective in promoting the highest levels of motivation, learning, and achievement for all learners. This dual focus then informs and drives educational decision making. Learner-centered activities involve active cognitive processes, such as creating, problem solving, reasoning, decision making, and evaluation. In addition, students are fundamentally motivated to learn due to the meaningful nature of the learning environment and activities (Billings & Halstead, 2012; Oermann, 2015)
Implementations of Learner Centered
Traditionally, approaches that are labeled as teacher centered define teachers as the disseminators of knowledge and students as passive recipients. By contrast, the learner centered approach seeks to engage students in an active manner in their learning in appropriate ways that are relevant to them in their lives outside the classroom (Peyton, Moore, & Young, 2010).
In an effort to clarify, the definition of learner-centered teaching (Weimer, 2013) identified five characteristics
1. Learner-centered teaching engages students in the hard, messy work of learning. Students engage in dialogue with each other and with the teacher. Teachers talk and listen more to their students
2. Learner-centered teaching includes explicit skill instruction. Critical thinking and problem-solving skills are enhanced, and learning skills develop faster if they are taught with the content.
3. Learner-centered teaching encourages students to reflect on what they are learning and how they are learning it Assignments actively engage students in reflection to analyze what they are learning and how they are learning it.
4. Learner-centered teaching motivates students by giving them some control over learning processes. Teachers find responsible ways to share power with students. For example, they might give students choices about assignments and deadlines.
5. Learner-centered teaching encourages collaboration; classrooms are considered communities of learners. Learner-centered teachers believe that students learn from and with each other. This gives encouragement to students who do not find it easy to participate (phrases in bold-face are from Weimer, 2013).
New technological advances introduced into the classroom continue to expand and offer diverse and creative ways to further nursing education. Technological advances have led to rapid changes in the nature of classroom instruction as well. Mixed media forms of instruction (PowerPoint, jpeg images, mpg, mp3 files, and the World Wide Web) have spread widely, as has the utilization of distance learning formats. Learner-centered education requires a focus on student learning, but not all learners are equally invested. Regardless of how we teach and what technology we bring into the classroom or outside the classroom, we need to assess, through various forms of feedback, the extent to which learner centered education is working and meeting our goals.
Web based instruction can be a powerful means of enhancing the learning experience, including the posting of online quizzes and links to other websites for further enrichment. It also provides a means for video streaming of lectures, podcasting, and interactive (live) linking between classes at different and/or distant institutions. Some learner centered courses have experienced student led creation of class blogs, wikis, and other websites, allowing independent student interaction regarding varied aspects of class related studies, including exam review.
Impact of Learner Centered In Nursing Education
The learner centered approach means creating a learning environment that is authentic, where students are directed toward how to set realistic goals and take responsibility for their learning as they build new knowledge connected to old (Billings & Halstead, 2012).The learner-centered approach requires faculty to set clear course objectives and provide students with feedback on their own learning strategies to meet those course objectives. Learner-centered nursing education needs a supportive, considerate, positive environment if learners are to thrive.
In a learner-centered classroom, teachers and students reflect on the learning process. Teachers learn to shift the focus to the learners and encourage them to share responsibility for their learning. The following are characteristics of a teacher conducting a learner-centered classroom:
• Seeks background information about students to guide in planning instructional lessons
• Set instructional goals with learners needs, backgrounds, and interests in mind
• Differentiates instructions based on learners' needs. Uses a variety of student groupings to encourage target language communication among students. Sets goals that are purposeful and meaningful from the students' point of view
• Makes lesson plans flexible to accommodate students' needs
• Assures classroom environment is warm, open, and encourages students to participate
Arranges the classroom in a manner that is easy for students to work together in pairs or groups and also easy for the teacher to move around to facilitate conversations among student groups.Uses authentic, practical, and realistic activities for language performance Adjusts teaching based on formative assessment results
• Provides maximum opportunities for students to use authentic materials. Uses a variety of resources beyond the textbook establishes short-term benchmarks to monitor students' progress.
• These characteristics enhance learner-centered learning for the students by ensuring.
• Students feel comfortable asking questions and students have maximum opportunity to interact and communicate
Outcomes of Learner Centered In Nursing
To effectively engage students in the learning process, nurse educators need to understand multiple factors in the teaching learning process. Nursing faculty members must also be able to teach students how to learn and how to be successful in their coursework. Having a classroom that is engaged with students actively participating is the challenge. Nurse educators can accept this challenge by finding innovative ways to teach and reach all students and, in this way, create motivated nurses for the future.
Give your opinion if have any.