On the job skills.
How do you make repetitive skills new and exciting?
My own philosophy is to try a new approach to teaching the repetitive skills that students struggle with the most. (example...bunching pool noodles or used 2 liter soda bottles to make arms for students to learn putting on a BP cuff, and practice inflating and deflating the cuff on the sphigmomanometer until they master the valve, then move to peers) Ask peers what they are doing that works when teaching skills and use their ideas, too!
I like to have my students pick a card with a name of an instrument or a skill on it and have the go find it in the lab.
This is a great twist to the regular scavenger hunt. I'm going to give this a try.
I have my student pick a card with different diagnosis and then act out signs and symptoms, while the other students discuss which nursing intervention are appropriate for those symptoms.
This means each students must know the major components of the condition and the appropriate interventions in order to convey them in an understandable way to another. Great idea!
I call out questions to the class and have them answer the question to the class if correct I toss them candy. Amazing how this works for adults!
This is exactly what I have been doing in classes for the past 5 + years. Usually I will ask what kind of candy they want and tell them I have gone to GREAT expense to supply them : ).
Sounds like the candy is a good tool for motivation, too.
I use a Jepardy type of power point. Split them up in groups and whichever group wins gets pizza. Adult learners are always motivated by food.
Food is a great motivator!
every group is different, so everytime you teach something it should change, always be ready to use different ways.
Nicole,
I assign a disorder the day prior to a skills lab. Then to start the class I do a scavenger hunt in class and I relocate one item that is essential to task completion, ie. the lancets that is required to perform finger stick blood sugar. Once the student gathers all of the equipment I ask the proverbial question do you have all of the required supplies or I allow them to Poll a friend or do a life line which can result in deduction of a certain % from grade its very fun and the students are really required to think.
Nicole,
I assign a disorder the day prior to a skills lab. Then to start the class I do a scavenger hunt in class and I relocate one item that is essential to task completion, ie. the lancets that is required to perform finger stick blood sugar. Once the student gathers all of the equipment I ask the proverbial question do you have all of the required supplies or I allow them to Poll a friend or do a life line which can result in deduction of a certain % from grade its very fun and the students are really required to think.
Aki, I love this idea and am so glad you have explained how to do it.
Michele Deck
