Nursing Education

The  blackboard  is  still the  commonest  visual  aid used for teaching, though in our institution there is a trend to switch over to the overhead projector and LCD Projector.

TIPS FOR EFFECTIVE USE OF THE BLACKBOARD

SIMPLICITY:

* Telegraph your message. Write only the key points and not long sentences.

* Do not use non-standard abbreviations.  The students copy them verbatim and later on can't remember what they  represent.

* Develop the concept on the board as you teach. Do not start the class with a board having matter on it; it will distract the students.

* Use a clean board for each new concept.

LEGIBILITY:

* Write sufficiently large letters, preferably in running hand.  Ensure their legibility from the last row before the lecture.  You may use pencil guidelines to improve your letters.

* Use white or yellow colored chalk for writing. Other colors are not as clearly visible as these are from a distance.

* Write bold letters; thin lettering is difficult to read, and the lines should be thick enough. This can be ensured by paring the chalk to the desired thickness and using sufficient pressure.

DO NOT USE THE CHALK LIKE A PEN.

* Avoid those areas of the board not visible to all sections of the audience, such as the sides and the bottom.

*  The visibility can be improved by illuminating the board with a tubelight above it.

* Use the board systematically. Do not jump from area to area haphazardly, and do not overwrite.

* Templates can be used to draw outlines of diagrams/objects.

OTHER ASPECTS:

* Do not talk while writing on the board.

* Start your lecture with a clean board; and at the end of the lecture do not forget to wipe the board clean.

* Move while you write.

Advantages of blackboard over other visual aids:

1. Readily available in most of the lecture rooms.

2. Electricity is not necessary for its usage.

3. Sequential development of a concept can be done effectively.

4. Initial and recurring expenditure is minimal.

5. Easy to use (and misuse !).

6. Darkening of the room is not necessary.

Disadvantages of blackboard over other visual aids:

1. Eye to eye contact is lost while writing.

2. The written material cannot be stored and reused.

3. Advance preparation of material is not possible.

This paper will primarily look into the basic principles and values that should govern any process of teaching and learning. An overview of the dramatic changes in this perception, particularly in the shift from a teacher centered to learner centered and now to learning centered paradigm will be looked into in detail, with a critical analysis of the consequences in education.

Nurse Educators, different from other areas of teaching, have a distinct challenge. He/She has to be particularly sensitive to the human dimension. It is not only information, skill that she/he primarily transfers, but also values and attitudes.

Primary Goals of the Teaching- Learning processes

All education is about acquiring knowledge. Knowledge acquisition happens through the process of learning. Sources of knowledge have varied from personal experience, mystical experiences, and authority to rigorous scientific enterprises. It was with the Renaissance and the consequent focus on rational ways of knowing and living that scientific spirit got a priority value. The emphasis on rationality and empirical evidences went to such levels of absolutism that over periods of history we notice a reverse swing of the pendulum, to the extent that empirical search is denied of its relevance altogether. As always, the truth is somewhere in the middle and thus contemporary seekers of knowledge have come to a healthy mix of quantitative and qualitative methods in the knowledge generation process.

Conventional Understanding of a Teacher

Teaching and teachers have been around for a long time in history. In fact this is considered the second oldest profession in human history. Conventionally a teacher is understood as a storehouse of knowledge, a role model, friend, philosopher and guide, an unchallenged authority, community leader and a visionary.  Revolutionary changes in society has brought about similar changes in the understanding of teachers and hence, such idealistic views on teachers are no more seen. However, teacher remains a key figure in the process of knowledge dissemination and knowledge generation.

Focus on Professionalism

A unique focus has emerged in the educational scenario: the focus on professionalism and preparation of professionals. It is not the degree that matters; it is the skill that counts. More so, for professionals like nurses. A professional is someone who is expert in content, expert in skills, positive in attitudes and holds on to a code of ethics.

A professional goes beyond the superficial. Thus, particularly in higher and professional education there is a movement of learning from information sharing to understanding, application, analysis, synthesis and evaluation.

The context of the demand for professionalism is also the result of the new student that is emerging. The information age and the needs of our time have made it necessary to rethink on the educational system. Soon the examination system will be irrelevant and non-existent. One who needs employment will need to give evidence of capacity - to be a learner, to work together with others, to approach unfamiliar situations intelligently.  Today, the student has access to anything the teacher has access to, and further has access to many teachers and many sources of learning. The individual student has, sort of , come to age.

Further, learning is the common domain being shared by student and teacher alike. From a teacher centered era, society has moved out so definitively. In a strange way the student centered era also has come to an end. We now have entered the learning centered era. (Gautma, G, 2000)

New Methodologies

A fascinating change in this whole scenario is the wide variety of teaching methodologies that have emerged. The classical chalk and talk method have given way to more participative methodologies. Thus, seminars, discussions, case studies, workshops, audio-visual aids, tutorials, field trips, fieldwork and Internet are some of the dramatic ways in which knowledge is shared and disseminated. The Internet particularly has changed the whole way of thinking and learning in the world of education.

The New Challenges

What then are the new challenges to an educator? The following are generally agreed to be the key challenges:

• Value Added Education
• Value based education
• Building a spirit of entrepreneurship
• An empowering education
• Equipping individuals and groups to make effective use of opportunities.

Conclusion

Nursing education faces new challenges from a globalised and highly demanding market led society. How will the nurse educators respond to this is a critical question. What we need to remember is a quote from Alvin Toffler who said, ' The illiterate of today is not someone who cannot read and write, but someone who cannot learn, unlearn and re- learn".  This indeed is the million dollar question .