LEARNI
NG
DEFINITION
GARDNER MURPHY : “The term learning covers
modification in behavior to meet environmental
requirements”.
CROW & CROW: “Learning is acquisition of
knowledge, habits and attitudes . It involves new
ways of doing things it operates in an individual’s
attempts to overcome obstacles or to adjust to
new situations. It represents progressive change in
behavior .It enables him to satisfy interests to
attain goals”.
HENRY P.SMITH: “ Learning is the acquisition of
new behavior or the strengthening or weakening of
old behavior as a result of experience”.
NATURE OF LEARNING
Learning is Universal. Every creature that lives
learns. Man learns most.
Learning is through Experience. Learning
always involves some kind of experience, direct
or indirect.
Learning is from all Sides. Today learning is
from all sides. Children learn from parents,
teachers, environment, nature, media etc.
Learning is Continuous. It denotes the lifelong
nature of learning.
Nurse Educator’s Role in
Learning
For a nurse to carry his/ her educative
role well, s(h)e must identify the
information learners need, their
readiness to learn, and their learning
styles.
However, the learner remains the single
most important person in the educative
process.
Nurse Educator’s Role in
Learning
The role of the educator is to enhance the
learning process by serving as a facilitator.
The educator:
assesses the learner’s deficits
presents appropriate information in unique ways.
identifies progress being made.
gives feedback
reinforces learning in the acquisition of
knowledge, or performance of a skill.
evaluates the learner’s abilities
Assessment of the learner includes
attending to the three determinants:
Learning needs (what the learner needs to
learn)
Readiness to learn (when the learner is
receptive to learning)
Learning style (how the learner best learns)
Assessment of
Learning
Needs Learning needs: are gaps in
knowledge that exist between a desired
level of performance and the actual level
of performance.
Steps in the assessment of
learning needs
Identify the learner: Is there only one learner
with a single need or many needs? Is there more
than one learner with congruent or diverse
needs?
Choose the right setting: Establish trusting
relationship through assuring privacy and
confidentiality, so that learners feel secure in
confiding information and feel respected.
Steps in the assessment of
learning needs
Collect data on the learner: Determine characteristic
needs of the audience by exploring typical health
problems or issues of interest. Subsequently, identify the
type and extent of content to be included in the teaching
sessions.
Include the learner as a source of information:
Allow the patient and/or family and staff members to
identify what is important to them. If the learners are staff
members or nursing students, ask them about areas of
practice they feel they need new or additional information
Involve members of the healthcare team: Other
healthcare providers may have insight into patient,
family, nursing staff, and nursing students educational
needs. Because of their frequent contacts with them.
Steps in the assessment of
learning needs
Prioritizeneeds: A list of needs can become
endless and seemingly impossible to accomplish.
Using Maslow’s hierarchy of human needs, an
educator can prioritise identified learning needs.
Learning must be prioritized
based on the criteria
Mandatory: Needs that must be learned
for survival or situations in which the
learner’s life or safety is threatened. For
example, a patient with recent heart
attack needs to know the sign and
symptoms and when to seek medical
help. The hospital nurse must learn
cardiopulmonary resuscitation. 13.
Learning must be prioritized
based on the criteria
Desirable: Needs that are not life-dependant
but are related to well-being. For example ,
patients with cardiovascular disease to
understand the effects of a high fat diet on
their health. Possible: Needs for information
that are nice to know but not essential or
required because they are not directly related
to daily activities or the particular situation of
the learner. For example, a patient with
diabetes mellitus doesn’t need to know about
travelling across time zones
Determine availability of
educational resources
After identifying a need, it may useless to
proceed with the intervention if proper
educational resources are not available.
For example, if an asthmatic patient needs to
learn how to use ventolin inhaler, that learning
cannot occur if this equipment is not available for
demonstration .
Readiness to Learn
Definition:
Itis the time when the learner
demonstrates an interest, willingness,
and ability to learn the type or degree of
information necessary to maintain
optimal health or to become skillful in a
job.
Types of Readiness to
Learn
P = Physical readiness
E = Emotional readiness
E = Experiential readiness
K = Knowledge readiness
Components of Each Type
of Readiness
Physical readiness
Measure of ability (strength, flexibility)
Environmental effects (noise ) \
Health Status (energy & comfort level )
Gender (women more receptive to
medical care)
Components of Each Type
of Readiness
Emotional readiness:
Anxiety level
Support system
Motivation
Developmental Stage (human
development)
Components of Each Type
of Readiness
Experiential readiness:
Level of Aspiration (long-term goals established )
Past coping mechanisms (previous problems )
Cultural background
Locus of control - ( internally motivated to learn )
Orientation
4-Knowledge readiness: Present knowledge base
Cognitive ability (learner capable to learning)
Learning disabilities (mental retardation) Learning
styles
Components of Each Type
of Readiness
Knowledge readiness:
Present knowledge base
Cognitive ability (learner capable to learning)
Learning disabilities (mental retardation)
Learning styles
Learning styles
Learningstyle is the way in which each
learner begins to concentrate and retain
new and difficult information.
Types of learning styles
Visual: A student learns by reading a material,
and uses visual material such as charts, pictures,
maps.
Auditory: A student learns by listening,
participates in discussions, makes speeches and
presentations, and reads the text aloud.
Kinesthetic: A student learns by touching.
Principles of Learning
Style
1. Style the educator prefers and style by which
learners learn.
2. Caution against using teaching methods and
tools that only apply to the educators own learning
style.
3. Assist the learner in identifying and learning
according to their own learning preference.
4. Learners given opportunity to learn through their
preferred style first.
5. Encourage learner to diversify their style
preferences.
6. Specific learning activities that reinforce each
modality or style.
