NR 525 Week 2 Graded Question: Teaching and Learning
There has been an educational paradigm shift from a focus on teaching to learning. Consider the
... [Show More] following statement in light of the shift from teaching to learning: “Teachers don’t fail students; students fail themselves.” Do you agree or disagree? Provide examples that support your position.
ANSWER
The education system is facing new challenges and demands in order to reflect the complexity and many changes in today's world. All these changes has forced educators to think and shift their practices from teacher centered teaching to student focused learning. National League for Nursing has already reflected on this issues and has called nursing educators to implement a paradigm shift by creating a substantial learning environments that respond to the students` needs reflected in the pedagogical practices as well as curriculum. My old college days, I remember that you were expected to be passive and silent when the teacher taught or lectured. You were continuously in competition with the other students and test were the only way to evaluate student's knowledge. This old way of teaching is changed to new philosophy where learners have a very active role in discovering, building up and extending their knowledge, where. Students are not any longer passive recipients, learning is something that they as learners do. Developing student`s competencies and talents are the goals educators today. Darling-Hammond et al., 2014 pointed out that “students need deeper learning that fosters critical thinking, problem solving, collaboration, communication, use of technology, and an aptitude to be lifelong learners”. On this prospective I think that both teachers and students can fail one another. Since students are not any longer passive recipients of knowledge, they can fail them self if they do not put enough work to develop and improve their knowledge. On the other hand, teachers can fail students if they they fail their new role as facilitators of knowledge.
1. Darling-Hammond, L., Wilhoit, G., & Pittenger, L. (2014). Accountability for college and career readiness: Developing a new paradigm. Education Policy Analysis Archives, 22(86), 1. doi:10.14507/epaa.v22n86.2014
As the shift from teaching to learning has occurred, more emphasis has been placed on differing learning styles. After completing the learning styles inventory (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site., identify your primary learning style. Were you surprised by the results of the questionnaire? Think back to the methods of instruction that you received in high school and your undergraduate nursing education. Did the method of instruction fit with your learning style? Identify one or two changes in instruction that may have been helpful to you in undergraduate education.
We all learn differently, some of us prefer to study in a group, while others prefer to learn by themselves. At the same time the way the information is perceived is different, some people are able to learn by viewing and listening, some other by reading and reflecting on the subject and other by visualizing. The ability to understand the information and respond the the learning environment is greatly influenced by the individual learning style. According to the quiz that I took prior to writing the response I am mostly a visual-special and intrapersonal learner. I am a drawing person, I need to simplify the material into drawings and connect the content with arrows to help me memorize the material. the content has to be connected with pictures and arrows. Everyone has preferences in how they learn best, some people are auditory learners, some are kinaesthetics and others visual learners as me. In an educator role, it will be very important to incorporate as many preferences as possible. As far as I remember, during the undergraduate years and mostly during the high school, my learning style was never the same as my teachers. There were a few courses that I was greatly disappointed about the course and the curriculum that I decided to drop the courses completely. I always tell my students, try to find what works the best for you, or what helps you understand the subject better. What works for one student might not be working for another. Man and Tomoko, (2010) suggested that “individuals learn differently through many ways from time to time, from culture to culture and from context to context”. For me as a teacher is extremely important to understand and know everything that can help me facilitate the learning process. As teachers, we should be able to offer opportunities to our students to move through different learning styles. This goal can be reached through designed activities and learning environments. Pourhosein Gilakjani, (2011) suggested that matching of teaching to the learning styles improves students motivation and their overall learning experience.
1. Pourhosein Gilakjani, Abbas. (2011). Visual, Auditory, Kinaesthetic Learning Styles and Their Impacts on English Language Teaching. Journal of Studies in Education. 2. 104. 10.5296/jse.v2i1.1007.
2. Man, P.C. & Tomoko, N. (2010). A study of Chinese and Japanese college students L2 learning styles. Asian Culture and History. 2 (2), 30- 35. [Electronic version]. Retrieved December 2011, from www.ccsenet.org/journal/index.php/ach/article/download/.../5171 [Show Less]