Introduction
Teaching and learning in healthcare is a dynamic practice that has constantly been changing to meet the needs of the students and the patients. As a healthcare provider, one needs to possess unique qualities so as to provide safe, quality, and effective care. Not only do healthcare providers need to give evidence-based care, but they also need to understand what drives the care they provide and also be able to explain and educate their patients on the vital health education they require. Health care education is effective when the educator is well equipped and aware of the learning styles and methods their students respond to and focuses on creating a positive learning environment. A positive learning environment helps student recognize their mistakes in a controlled setting and learn from those mistakes allowing them to learn and understand proper and safe caregiving practices. This essay aims to analyze my personal learning and teaching philosophy that identifies with my preferred learning style, link these techniques with the existing teaching and learning theories, and discuss how my beliefs and values affect my role as a health care professional.
Personal Learning and Professional Teaching philosophy
Before taking the online quiz, I thought my learning style was visual learning. After doing the quiz, the results showed that I am fifty percent auditory, twenty-five percent visual, and twenty-five percent tactical learner. An auditory learner are learners who understand by listening to information presented to them vocally. This type of learner works well in a group setting where there is an exchange of information vocally. A visual learner is better at retaining information when it is presented in graphic depiction, symbols, charts, diagrams, and other visual learning materials. These types of learners thrive well when a clear picture of information is presented to them. A tactical learner best learns through a tactile or kinesthetic learning style. They best acquire knowledge and information through writing, touching, hands-on, and manipulation. Tactile learners hear or see and then complete their learning by doing whatever they have learned by themselves.
As a healthcare educator, I believe that learning occurs when something of value has been passed on to the students, not just a load of meaningless information. Teaching encompasses different activities and practices that an educator uses to pass the intended knowledge to the students. Teaching and learning should be student-centered, meaning the educator should provide an opportunity for students to learn in accordance with their needs and interests. Students should be involved in planning the curriculum as their input provides a positive learning environment. Understanding students’ learning styles are essential to assist the student attains their success in academia. Students have different learning styles, and creating a relevant setting that is convenient for every learner is vital. A suitable learning environment should allow students to exchange knowledge and use it in a valuable framework to facilitate practical learning. The learning environment should be realistic enough, similar to the actual clinical situation they will work in in the future.
Learning and Teaching Theories
As mentioned earlier, learners have unique and different learning methods. Additionally, learners have different past learning experiences that they have been used to throughout their learning processes. It is essential to understand the various learning theories and prepare yourself for how to use different techniques to achieve an effective and meaningful learning process. The principal objective of a healthcare educator is to provide health knowledge and improve the attitude, behavior, and skills of their learners. My teaching philosophy is that learning should be student-oriented. Therefore, as an educator, cognitive learning theory is an excellent method that an educator could use in their teaching process. The cognitive learning theory was developed by two philosophers, Plato and Descartes, who focused on how human beings think and what influences their thinking. This theory understands that human beings are influenced by both internal and external factors. The theory is divided into sub-theories that look into various unique elements of learning. The theory posits that internal thoughts and external factors are an essential part of the cognitive process. When students understand how their thinking affects their behavior and learning process, they can have control over their thinking.
This theory is impactful to the student as to when they understand their thoughts, they learn better. As an educator, I can integrate this strategy by giving learners opportunities to ask questions, present their thoughts and fail. By doing this, learners are able to understand their thoughts more and how they work and utilize the knowledge gathered to create better learning opportunities. Another theory applicable to my learning and teaching philosophy is the constructivism theory which asserts that learners are able to create their own learning through previous learning experiences. It focuses on learning as an active process that is personal to each learner. When using this theory, an educator acts as a guide to help learners create their own learning and understanding. Learners are able to actively construct meaning and understand uniformly by applying concepts using various communication methods and sharing new knowledge with their peers as well as their educators.
Values are beliefs and goals that guide and provide a basis for decision-making. Professional values are a standard framework that is set by expert and professional groups to evaluate behavior. My personal values drive my goals and behavior in the health care practice. I believe that my self-efficacy and ability to handle tasks and challenges related to my professional practices effectively play a vital role in influencing learners’ academic outcomes. My fundamental values and beliefs in teaching are responsibility, efficiency, freedom, and fairness. These four elements act as a guide and code of ethics during my practice. For instance, as a health care educator, my values and beliefs about efficiency and responsibility guide me to urge and help students participate in research studies on different topics. Using multiple strategies like problem-based learning, debate and presentations enhance efficiency and freedom. Efficiency in healthcare education is also promoted using an “inquiry-based approach” educators provide a diagnosis, and the learners are asked to provide signs and symptoms for the diagnosis. This is just one way educators and learners can interact and promote effective learning.
Evidence of application of course concepts
Students tend to use learning styles that reflect the teaching styles of their educators. Understanding various learning and teaching styles as well as one’s personal teaching philosophy is an important aspect for educators and learners. The social constructivism theory is a critical element in health care education in understanding knowledge retention and understanding new information in the diverse working environment. In a study of theoretical and philosophical discussion of learning diversity, the discussions stress the importance of understanding that modern educators and learners need to adopt various strategies to address different learning and teaching styles.
Conclusion
As a healthcare professional, I will be interactive with a diverse population of clients. Having a visual, tactile, and auditory learning style can be applied to my teaching style and accommodate my students learning styles to create optimal learning.
References
Phillips, D. C. (2017). Theories of teaching and learning. A Companion to the Philosophy of Education, 232-245. doi:10.1002/9780470996454.ch17
Toomey, R., & Lovat, T. (2009). Values education, quality teaching, and service-learning: The harmony of a new pedagogy? Beliefs and Values, 1(2), 220-229. doi:10.1891/1942-0617.1.2.220
Vardi, I. (2015). Teaching and learning through the simulated environment. Manual of Simulation in Healthcare, 102-114. doi:10.1093/med/9780198717621.003.0008
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