Reflecting on my Teaching Experience

I had only one week between the day I scheduled my teaching project and the actual teaching day. I was so nervous during the whole week that I started to wonder if teaching was really for me! Luckily a day before my class I became calm and relaxed, and I thank God for that because in the end everything went well. Dr. Miller came to me before I started teaching and talking to her made me feel more at ease because she is so nice and understanding. The students were great, they participated and they even thanked me at the end. I felt good after having this opportunity of teaching, and I believe this is a fun and efficient way of imparting our knowledge to the next generation. We live in a crisis where there is a shortage of nurse instructors, and our contribution as future nurse instructors is truly needed.

Josephine

Reflecting on Evaluation of Learning

Yesterday I was able to schedule my teaching project for next week. I will be teaching eighty-five nursing students who are graduating this December. This will be a large group for my first teaching experience and I’m very nervous, wish me good luck. My topic content took me forever to put it in power point presentation with pictures and one short video. This was my first time using a power point format. I had to modify some of my objectives and teaching techniques after finding out the amount of students I will be teaching. In order to know if learning has taken place after my teaching session, I will use my objectives as a guideline and I will give the student a quiz at the end of the presentation.

Josephine

Teaching Online

Reflecting on the use of my teaching plan in the online setting

According to Caputi & Engelmann (2005), when planning and delivering instruction, the framework to be used is the instructional design which is closely related to the nursing process framework used in nursing care. The instructional design process follows this pattern: analyze, design, develop, implement, and evaluate (pp. 256-257). I will follow this process for my teaching plan in the online setting according to the description given on page 256-270.

My course is about Health Promotion through Eight Natural Remedies which can be remembered using the acronym NEW START: Nutrition, Exercise, Water, Sunlight, Temperance, Air, Rest, and Trust in Devine power. We all know that Heath care delivery in our modern society is changing from hospital based care with a disease focus to community-centered care with a health promotion focus. As health care professionals we need to empower ourselves and our community with health promoting behaviors that will increase our level of well being and improve our health. This course can be taken by nursing students, nurses who need continuing education hours or anyone in the community who wants to improve their health. The use of technology wouldn’t be a problem because UTB is already established in offering online courses. I will try to minimize the challenges related to distance education that we discussed in activity 2- discussion board.

On-line courses allow people to continue their work and learn at the same time on their own schedule. One of the factors contributing to the shortage of nurses is the shortage of instructors. Training more teachers to give on-line classes will be one of the solutions of decreasing nursing shortage because On-line teaching requires fewer faculties who can reach a lot of students anywhere and anytime.

References

Caputi, L. & Engelmann, L. (2010). Internet-Based Education in Teaching nursing: The art and science (pp. 252-270) College of DuPage Press: Glen Ellyn, Illinois.

Reflecting on my Model of Teaching

I like the old adage that states: "Tell me and I forget, show me and I remember, involve me and I understand." I want my students to be involved so that they can understand what I’m teaching. The model of teaching that will help me to achieve that is the inquiry model. According to Joe Exline, inquiry implies involvement that leads to understanding. Furthermore, involvement in learning implies possessing skills and attitudes that permit you to seek resolutions to questions and issues while you construct new knowledge.

 Through my research readings on this model, I was not able to find a step- by- step lesson plan which led me to the constructivist model that uses inquiry to achieve its primary goal: teaching students how to learn. This model concentrates on learning how to think and understand. The teacher’s role is interactive, rooted in negotiation and students are active participants in the learning process. Students have the opportunity of reflecting on new information and they can either add it on their previous ideas and experiences, change what they believe, or discard it. This gives students ownership of what they learn.

We live in a fast paced modern society, globally networked, technologically oriented which requires workers who can problem solve and think critically. Using the constructivist model will provide my students different ways of viewing the world and how things work so that they can be able to successfully cope with issues of daily living.

Reference

Workshop: Inquiry-based Learning and Constructivism as a Paradigm for Teaching and Learning. (2004).
Retrieved September 29, 2011, from Education Broadcasting Corporation
website: http://www.thirteen.org/edonline/concept2class/constructivism/
index.html

Online Reflective Journal

Reflective journal was a good learning tool for me and I will definitely use it in my practice. It helped me learn how to focus and write on what is important. This is a good way to know what students are learning and what problems they are having so that I can help them. I have to learn more about the features of the online blog because I don’t know much technology. It was much easier for me to communicate with my classmates and instructors through the discussion board and messages on blackboard.

Reflecting on the semester that is almost ending, I can’t believe I survived! At the beginning the assignments were overwhelming. I thought online classes were going to be easy and less time consuming but I was proved wrong. I have learned to wisely manage my time and to ask for help as needed. The instructors and classmates were all very helpful. I have learned a lot and am looking forward to applying my new knowledge.

My Practice Role in Nursing Education

Hello Classmates,

I was a labor and delivery nurse for ten years, and I’m currently working in an obstetrics and gynecology office. After I finish my master’s in nursing education, I plan to teach maternity nursing in nursing school. I believe that combining my clinical experience with teaching will enrich my career as a nurse educator, and will be very beneficial to my students. I can’t believe we are halfway through with our semester! Good luck to everyone.

Josephine

My Personal Philosophy of Nursing Education

My philosophy of nursing education will be a wholistic development of the student in physical, emotional, mental, social, and spiritual dimensions. It will impart more than academic knowledge and will foster a balanced development of the whole person. I will encourage independent thinking and maximum development of each individual’s potential.

We all know that while exercising the mind, the body is often neglected but our mind does function better when our body is in good shape. UTB has a nice Gym and we pay for it in our tuition, whether we use it or not. If students exercised together with other students, staff and faculty members, physical, social and emotional needs would be met. Some of us were able to meet last Sunday and we had a good social time together as you can see in the pictures.

 The 12-step program of Alcoholics Anonymous  (AA ) that involves a recognition of human helplessness, and the acceptance of a Higher Power, is a proven practical example of the importance of believing in God (Ludington & Diehl, 2005). I believe that God is the source of all true knowledge and that we are created in his image; therefore we should develop a life of faith in God and respect for the dignity of all human beings.