Personal Philosophy of Teaching and Learning

My teaching experience is limited to preceptorship in the clinical setting but I have been a student most of my life and from my experience as a student, I have an awareness and an idea of how I want to be as a teacher. My greatest aspiration is to one day become a teacher of undergraduate nursing students and also to teach about oncology nursing. Here, I will share what I believe to be my underlying theoretical and philosophical approaches to teaching and learning and the result of the philosophy of adult education inventory (PAEI) questionnaire. In addition, I will be sharing learning events that worked well with me and my previous mentees.

Why Philosophy?

Before I share my philosophy of teaching, I thought it is critical to understand why we need to define philosophy. Hiemstra (1988) noted that “philosophy provides a framework for distinguishing, separating, and understanding personal values”. Thus, it informs and guides our practice.

Personal Philosophy of Teaching and Learning

Adult Education Theory

My approach in teaching and learning tends to fall along with the theory of adult education. The theory of adult education is based on the premise that adult learners are self-directed and independent (Melrose, Park, & Perry, 2015). Hands-on learning or experiential learning is one of the foundational elements that ground most adult education theories. It is when learners immersed themselves in direct activities and then critically reflect on that experience (Melrose, Park, & Perry, 2015). Personally, I prefer to start with shadowing the preceptor on the first day and start the experiential learning the next day. I believed directly immersing oneself in the activities can provide immense learning and growth. My area of practice is quite specialized as an outpatient oncology nurse where not only it requires an understanding of the oncologic disease processes, there’s also a lot of critical thinking and problem solving involved in the management of and navigation of our patient’s needs. As a preceptor or mentor, the teaching activities that I found to be effective are case studies, problem-solving, and role-playing that are based on real-life situations.

Lastly, I see myself as a mentor and a collaborator as opposed to a “teacher”. I value partnership, engagement, respect, life-long learning, and safety. I truly believe in the value of having an environment that is conducive to learning.  I believe in the basic principles of one cannot be a great teacher without an experience of what it is like to be a student and one must not forget what it was like to be a student. Therefore, it is important to me that I teach with those principles in mind. Therefore, in addition to the adult education theory, my philosophy of teaching and learning is very much aligned with the invitational theory, as well.

Invitational Theory

The theory is based on human value, responsibility, and capabilities and has four pillars which consist of trust, respect, optimism, and intentionality (Melrose, Park, & Perry, 2015). Learners develop their potential when teachers create a welcoming educational environment (Melrose, Park, & Perry, 2015). This really resonates with me as though my practice reflects strongly with the adult education framework; there is that layer of need to have an invitational classroom. The term invitational classroom was introduced in 1983 by Parker Palmer which means “receiving each other, our struggles, our newborn ideas, with openness and care” (Palmer, 1983, 1993, p. 74 as cited in Melrose, Park, Perry, 2015, p. 6). I perceived this as an open, welcoming environment that is conducive to learning where mistakes are deemed as an area of learning as opposed to grave punishment. It is important for me to have respect, trust, intentionality, and positivity. The core of nursing is caring. It has always been its main principle from the beginning of time as such is also the central tenet of my personal philosophy of nursing. Therefore, my teaching practice should also reflect that caring aspect.

Behaviorist Perspective

The PAEI questionnaire identified that the perspective I am drawn to in adult education is the behaviorist perspective. While I initially thought I am more in alignment with the humanistic perspective, I realized after going through the questionnaire that in my practice of teaching and learning I do value the importance of skill acquisition and equipping learners with practical knowledge. Behaviorist teachers emphasize skill acquisition and both teachers and learners are accountable for the success of the learning experience (Melrose, Park, & Perry, 2015). My ideal students are undergraduate nursing students and students who wished to learn more about the foundations of oncology nursing. My students may not necessarily have prior experience in the field, thus require both practical and theoretical knowledge about the discipline and clear objectives. It is a period when skills need to be taught and mastered in preparation for when they start out on their own as nurses. Therefore, it is understandable why I scored in this area the highest in the PAEI questionnaire. An example of an activity that reflects well in this perspective is the use of simulation (lab component) in nursing studies to not only develops skills but also as a means of practical evaluation for the teachers of their students.

Conclusion

My teaching experience may be limited but as an individual who has gone through the student phase, my experience reflects well with the type of teacher I aspire to be. My philosophy of teaching and learning is based on the adult education theory, invitational theory, and a behaviorist perspective. I believe in the value of respect, positivity, safety, and an environment that is conducive to learning. Lastly, the learning activities that worked well in the past are simulation, role-playing, and case studies. I feel the activities can meet the key objectives required for undergraduate nursing students to meet and at the same time provide a means of evaluation to the teachers.

References

Hiemstra, R. (1988). Translating personal values and philosophy into practical action. In R. G. Brockett (Ed.), Ethical issues in adult education. New York: Teachers College, Columbia University. http://roghiemstra.com/philchap.html

Melrose, S., Park, C., & Perry, B. (2015). Creative clinical teaching in the health professions. EPUB-FHD. https://clinicalteaching.pressbooks.com

Murray, R. (2018). An Overview of Experiential Learning in Nursing Education. Advances in Social Sciences Research Journal, 5(1) 1- 6.

Palmer, P.J. (1983, 1993). To know as we are known: Education as a spiritual journey, San Francisco: Harper.