Throughout my 9 year career in the nursing profession, I have developed a true passion for teaching. Whether teaching nursing students, new graduate nurses or experienced nurses, I am deeply committed to ensuring that all students are well prepared to join and impact the nursing task force by providing safe, competent and quality patient care. I am very dedicated and invested in serving as a teacher and mentor, and fostering the growth of student nurses as well as aiding in transforming the future of nursing.
My philosophy of teaching is based on the concept that learning is a mutual process that co-exists between the students and the teacher. Rather than allowing students to be passive recipients of information, I feel that the teacher should act as a guide and a facilitator who engages the students in learning through active participation, teamwork, and collaboration (Chambers, Thiekotter & Chambers, 2013). The teacher should share their knowledge and skills, and allow students to do the same, while providing appropriate resources and information to support the various learning needs of the students. I also feel that students hold a great amount of control over their learning, and thus it is important to show interest in the student’s success and to promote self-efficacy. I feel the teacher should also be willing to learn about their students; their pre-existing knowledge, personal and professional goals or aspirations, as well as preferred learning styles. This, in turn, will help to create a safe, trusting environment which thrives on mutual respect and will foster student’s growth and development through knowledge and skill acquisition.
I hope to inspire my students to chase their dreams and achieve their goal of becoming a nurse. As described by the social learning theory, students learn by observation (Billings & Halstead, 2016). As an educator, I feel it is important to be a role model and lead by example. I seek to motivate and encourage student’s efforts towards becoming competent and caring nurses. I want my students to be successful and feel as though they are taking from the class what I had hoped to teach them. As a teacher, I strive to be a good listener and communicator and to be genuine, open-minded, understanding and caring. By nurturing and instilling the aforementioned qualities in my student’s, I feel it will allow them to grow in their ability to provide quality and compassionate care to their patients.
My philosophy of teaching is also based on the belief that learning should be student-centered. Student-centered approaches require the educator to create an environment that fosters learning and student engagement and thus leads to improved student understanding and abilities. (Dalley, Dandela, & Benzel-Lindley, 2008). I believe that students are social beings and each student brings forth diverse intelligence and uniqueness to the learning environment. It is essential that students are equal partners in the learning process and to feel safe expressing their ideas, experiences or concerns. This helps to foster a collaborative, teamwork approach between the students and the teacher, promotes self-efficacy and enhances the learning process.
Because not all students excel in all areas, providing a multitude of different teaching methods or strategies will offer students the ability to excel in areas where they are the strongest (Billings & Halstead, 21016). It becomes integral to design and create a learning environment that will appeal to students of multiple intelligence’s. For example, during a lecture I would try to incorporate graphics, videos or catchy, meaningful songs to resonate not only with linguistic and logical-mathematical intelligences but those with spatial or musical intelligences.
I firmly believe the cognitive and constructivist theories. Cognitive theory is based on the idea that learning happens over time and is based on the idea of that explain behaviors by understanding the thought process and how thoughts influence the individual (Billings & Halstead, 2016) while the constructivism theory suggests that learning is an active process in which a student constructs or builds on ideas of which they had previous knowledge or experience (Billings & Halstead, 2016; Brandon & All, 2010). With that being said, I believe that nursing knowledge is not only acquired through formal education, but through real life experience. In order to provide student with the opportunity to share and build upon their knowledge and experiences, I will utilize various interactive and creative approaches to learning such as simulations, role-playing, case studies, group discussions and guest speakers. Approaches such as simulation allow for student to learn and practice in a safe, non-threatening environment that alleviates the risk of harm to actual patients. The use of formative assessment in this setting will allow for real-time feedback that is necessary to improve and promote deep learning. Interactive teaching methods will also assist the student to discuss shared knowledge and to develop teamwork skills necessary for implementing patient care in the future.
As student’s progress throughout their educational endeavors, it is my hope that students will have not only gained new knowledge related to nursing content but also be able to demonstrate their understanding through skill demonstration, critical thinking, and problem-solving techniques. I believe it is integral to develop and encourage a spirit of inquiry within my students by motivating them to utilize the literature, discover new knowledge and find answers to clinical questions. Promoting and engaging students in a spirit of inquiry will broaden their knowledge base and also assist nursing students in their ability to provide and improve the quality of care. In order to achieve aforementioned goals, my teaching methods will be focused on clinical reasoning, critical thinking, problem-solving, and evidence-based research.
With constant technological advances, nursing education and the role of the nurse and healthcare, in general, is ever changing. Engaging in lifelong learning becomes imperative not only for the students but for myself as the teacher. Attending conferences, obtaining contact hours and obtaining or maintain specialty certifications will enable me to demonstrate continued learning. I am an active member of the Emergency Nurses Association and two chapters of Sigma Theta Tau International, all which present me with the opportunity to keep current in the field of nursing.
As I begin my journey to teach nursing students, I believe that I must remain open minded to constructive criticism and student feedback. Being receptive to constructive criticism and feedback will be imperative to improving future teaching methods or strategies in order to enhance and meet the needs of every student. I expect to encounter road blocks and challenges and will strive to address those issues at hand. I must consistently re-evaluate and refine my teaching strategies to reflect the needs of the 21-st century learner in order to enhance the learning experience. It will also become important to re-evaluate and refine my own personal and professional goals and aspirations and remain motivated to learn, grow and expand upon current knowledge.
As I gain experience, I am confident that I will grow and mature as a teacher, mentor and role model. I hope to create an environment where the students not only learn from me, but where students can learn from each other, and I can also learn from the students. I am a firm believer of the quote by Robert Heinlein that reads, “when one teaches, two learn,” thus, I look forward to learning and growing right alongside my nursing students.
References:
Brandon, A., & All, A. (2010). Constructivism theory analysis and application to curricula. Nursing Education Perspectives, 31(2), 89-92.
Billings, D., Halstead, J. (2016). Teaching in nursing. A guide for faculty. 5th ed. St. Louis, MO. Elsevier.
Chambers, D., Thiekotter, A., & Chambers, L., (2013). Preparing student nurses for contemporary practice: The case for discovery learning. Journal of Nursing Education and Practice, (9)3, 106-113.
Dalley, K., Candela, L., & Benzel-Lindley, J. (2008). Learning to let go: The challenge of de-crowding the curriculum. Nursing Education Today, (28), 62-69. Doi: 10.1016/j.nedt.2007.02.006
My philosophy of teaching is based on the concept that learning is a mutual process that co-exists between the students and the teacher. Rather than allowing students to be passive recipients of information, I feel that the teacher should act as a guide and a facilitator who engages the students in learning through active participation, teamwork, and collaboration (Chambers, Thiekotter & Chambers, 2013). The teacher should share their knowledge and skills, and allow students to do the same, while providing appropriate resources and information to support the various learning needs of the students. I also feel that students hold a great amount of control over their learning, and thus it is important to show interest in the student’s success and to promote self-efficacy. I feel the teacher should also be willing to learn about their students; their pre-existing knowledge, personal and professional goals or aspirations, as well as preferred learning styles. This, in turn, will help to create a safe, trusting environment which thrives on mutual respect and will foster student’s growth and development through knowledge and skill acquisition.
I hope to inspire my students to chase their dreams and achieve their goal of becoming a nurse. As described by the social learning theory, students learn by observation (Billings & Halstead, 2016). As an educator, I feel it is important to be a role model and lead by example. I seek to motivate and encourage student’s efforts towards becoming competent and caring nurses. I want my students to be successful and feel as though they are taking from the class what I had hoped to teach them. As a teacher, I strive to be a good listener and communicator and to be genuine, open-minded, understanding and caring. By nurturing and instilling the aforementioned qualities in my student’s, I feel it will allow them to grow in their ability to provide quality and compassionate care to their patients.
My philosophy of teaching is also based on the belief that learning should be student-centered. Student-centered approaches require the educator to create an environment that fosters learning and student engagement and thus leads to improved student understanding and abilities. (Dalley, Dandela, & Benzel-Lindley, 2008). I believe that students are social beings and each student brings forth diverse intelligence and uniqueness to the learning environment. It is essential that students are equal partners in the learning process and to feel safe expressing their ideas, experiences or concerns. This helps to foster a collaborative, teamwork approach between the students and the teacher, promotes self-efficacy and enhances the learning process.
Because not all students excel in all areas, providing a multitude of different teaching methods or strategies will offer students the ability to excel in areas where they are the strongest (Billings & Halstead, 21016). It becomes integral to design and create a learning environment that will appeal to students of multiple intelligence’s. For example, during a lecture I would try to incorporate graphics, videos or catchy, meaningful songs to resonate not only with linguistic and logical-mathematical intelligences but those with spatial or musical intelligences.
I firmly believe the cognitive and constructivist theories. Cognitive theory is based on the idea that learning happens over time and is based on the idea of that explain behaviors by understanding the thought process and how thoughts influence the individual (Billings & Halstead, 2016) while the constructivism theory suggests that learning is an active process in which a student constructs or builds on ideas of which they had previous knowledge or experience (Billings & Halstead, 2016; Brandon & All, 2010). With that being said, I believe that nursing knowledge is not only acquired through formal education, but through real life experience. In order to provide student with the opportunity to share and build upon their knowledge and experiences, I will utilize various interactive and creative approaches to learning such as simulations, role-playing, case studies, group discussions and guest speakers. Approaches such as simulation allow for student to learn and practice in a safe, non-threatening environment that alleviates the risk of harm to actual patients. The use of formative assessment in this setting will allow for real-time feedback that is necessary to improve and promote deep learning. Interactive teaching methods will also assist the student to discuss shared knowledge and to develop teamwork skills necessary for implementing patient care in the future.
As student’s progress throughout their educational endeavors, it is my hope that students will have not only gained new knowledge related to nursing content but also be able to demonstrate their understanding through skill demonstration, critical thinking, and problem-solving techniques. I believe it is integral to develop and encourage a spirit of inquiry within my students by motivating them to utilize the literature, discover new knowledge and find answers to clinical questions. Promoting and engaging students in a spirit of inquiry will broaden their knowledge base and also assist nursing students in their ability to provide and improve the quality of care. In order to achieve aforementioned goals, my teaching methods will be focused on clinical reasoning, critical thinking, problem-solving, and evidence-based research.
With constant technological advances, nursing education and the role of the nurse and healthcare, in general, is ever changing. Engaging in lifelong learning becomes imperative not only for the students but for myself as the teacher. Attending conferences, obtaining contact hours and obtaining or maintain specialty certifications will enable me to demonstrate continued learning. I am an active member of the Emergency Nurses Association and two chapters of Sigma Theta Tau International, all which present me with the opportunity to keep current in the field of nursing.
As I begin my journey to teach nursing students, I believe that I must remain open minded to constructive criticism and student feedback. Being receptive to constructive criticism and feedback will be imperative to improving future teaching methods or strategies in order to enhance and meet the needs of every student. I expect to encounter road blocks and challenges and will strive to address those issues at hand. I must consistently re-evaluate and refine my teaching strategies to reflect the needs of the 21-st century learner in order to enhance the learning experience. It will also become important to re-evaluate and refine my own personal and professional goals and aspirations and remain motivated to learn, grow and expand upon current knowledge.
As I gain experience, I am confident that I will grow and mature as a teacher, mentor and role model. I hope to create an environment where the students not only learn from me, but where students can learn from each other, and I can also learn from the students. I am a firm believer of the quote by Robert Heinlein that reads, “when one teaches, two learn,” thus, I look forward to learning and growing right alongside my nursing students.
References:
Brandon, A., & All, A. (2010). Constructivism theory analysis and application to curricula. Nursing Education Perspectives, 31(2), 89-92.
Billings, D., Halstead, J. (2016). Teaching in nursing. A guide for faculty. 5th ed. St. Louis, MO. Elsevier.
Chambers, D., Thiekotter, A., & Chambers, L., (2013). Preparing student nurses for contemporary practice: The case for discovery learning. Journal of Nursing Education and Practice, (9)3, 106-113.
Dalley, K., Candela, L., & Benzel-Lindley, J. (2008). Learning to let go: The challenge of de-crowding the curriculum. Nursing Education Today, (28), 62-69. Doi: 10.1016/j.nedt.2007.02.006