Teaching and learning in nursing
Assessment Brief
Write a 1,500 word reflective essay looking at a learning experience from practice placement (examples are indicated within the additional assessment guidance). You will critically evaluate how learning was facilitated and then develop your own plan in view of supporting a student in a similar experience as a future Practice Supervisor. You will map your plan into a Lesson Plan that will supplement this discussion.
Additional Assessment Guidance
For this reflective essay we recommend that you use the Rolfe et al.’s (2001) reflective model which is based upon three questions: What? So what? Now what?
What:
Provide a brief description of a learning experience (250 words approx.)
Detail a single learning experience from clinical placement that was facilitated by your mentor. This should be a specific learning event that was arranged to support you in learning a specific skill or developing an understanding, rather than just general supervision. Some examples are:
An experience where your mentor gave a demonstration on how to administer an injection, which you were then given opportunity to practice before administering to a patient
An experience where your mentor discussed the purpose of undertaking a specific assessment tool, talked you through how to use it then guided you in completing the assessment.
An experience where your mentor gave you a task to revise the indications and side effects of a collection of drugs, that you would then be tested on through a series of questions.
Clearly identify what was the goal of the learning, by identifying any learning aims, objectives or outcomes. Briefly detail the steps and methods used, and describe how your mentor supported your learning. Identify whether your mentor assessed whether learning had been achieved, and how this was undertaken. The focus of the description should be on how learning was facilitated, not what content was being taught.
So What:
Critically appraise the learning experience (750 words approx.).
The essay should critically appraise the learning experience. Evaluate the event, indicating what was done well to support learning, and areas for development. Link your discussions to models and theory that have been raised in the learning materials on this module, and that you have identified through additional reading. Identify what the research says about the types of strategies and methods your mentor used to facilitate and support your learning. You could also discuss how your mentor identified and supported your learning needs or learning styles, or evaluate their approach to assessment or feedback. It is important that you discuss the situation using appropriate professionalism and regard to the mentor.
Now What:
Justify what you would do differently if you were the mentor/Practice Supervisor (500 words approx.)
Consider if you were a qualified nurse and Practice Supervisor currently working in clinical practice. You are due to support a student in achieving the same or a similar learning goal that your mentor once supported you with. Consider how you would facilitate and support learning for your student. In this section, discuss and provide a rationale for what methods and approaches you would use. It is important that you justify how you would deliver the teaching and learning. In the next section you will provide a lesson plan that will outline what you would do, but you should use this section to indicate your rationale for your approaches to teaching and facilitating learning. Support with appropriate evidence and theory. Link with theory identified within the module.
Lesson Plan:
Include a lesson plan that outlines how you would support a student in achieving the learning goal.
The lesson plan should outline the learning event that you would facilitate if you were supporting a student in a similar situation to when your mentor supported you. The lesson plan should identify a clear learning aim, objective or outcome for the event, and should break down the event into steps, indicating what you would do in each step. You should also identify how learning would be assessed. The lesson plan should be specific, achievable and realistic. The Lesson plan template is available for download from the Blackboard module page in the assignment folder. The lesson plan is supplemental to the essay and should be counted as an appendix item, and therefore not counted in the word count. It is recommended that your lesson plan maps just a short teaching and learning event that has been sufficiently supported in the essay. We do not recommend any additional appendices.
