Brenda Roffi

Brenda Roffi

About me

Activity

I teach nursing. In this program, students cannot simply regurgitate material presented in class. They must be able to sucessfully demonstrate the knowledge as well. As an example - defibrillation (the apllication of a shock to the chest wall to attempt to discontinue a letal irregular heart  beat.) Students can learn about defib, but until they actually apply the paddles to a person's chest who is in arrest, then the learning is truly multi-dimensional.

What did K. Lewin say about "doing is learning??!!"

Our school's policy is that sudents get a 10 minute break for every hour of "education". That being said, in a 4 hour class, an instructor must be part chameleon! Incorporate a wide variety of teaching styles ( lecture, discussion, case study, return demo, etc) I try to relate what I am teaching to things they experience in the outside world as well. Like when teaching breast cancer, utilize Angeina Jolie's recent public disclosure about BRCA mutation. Leaning can't be something vague, far away and unreachable.. learning has to be something that the students can wrap their heads around.… >>>

All behavior has meaning. What is the reason for the begavior of the  teammember who is not "accountable"? Have we sat down with this person to discuss the "why" behind the behavior? Giving a person a label of "unaccountable" does not really contribute to the "why".....there may be multiple reasons why this person is not "accountable" 

In teaching nursing to learners whose primary language is not English, I try to utilize the Latin in assisting with root  word meanings. It helps them to see that knowing French, Italian or Spanish can be an asset. As an example, the term "nucchal" rigidity provides an immediate association for the Spanish person as "nuca" means neck.

As another example, a pontine infarct means something very specific to a French speaking person as "pont" is French for bridge. If you understand the bridge analogy, you see why a client with a pontine infarct has specific signs and symptoms.

People who… >>>

..that we were students once too?

And that what we take for granted is sometimes new and possibly overwhelming to students who may already have life challenges?

 

Blog Comment

I learned in school  that motivation and coercion are two different things.

Motivation should have an internal locus of control and coercion an external locus of control.

As instructors, we need to be aware of how both shape the way students learn.

And how we learn too... learning is fluid and evolves over time a we incorporate new ideas and translate into new behaviors.

 

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