Psychology and Education

Psychology and Education

Summary section

With the extensive knowledge that I have garnered in my clinical experience, the role of an educator becomes part of the usual responsibilities. The longer one becomes engaged in the whole experience; the more one becomes more proficient in different disciplines and intellectual domains. On the other side, there are skills needed to disseminate information to the right audience effectively, and in the environment, one is in. One of the challenges encountered is the need to come up with a curriculum that determines the topics to be covered, whether in a formal or an informal environment. It is challenging especially in an informal setting since these teaching experiences are unplanned and may not be within the scope of your curricula. This makes it difficult to teach what you had planned for within the set period. However, I find it fulfilling because it allows one to be creative in their manner of teaching. Additionally, informal teaching experience exposes one to different environments that one will interact with often while working.

To improve health outcomes, I managed to interact with other stakeholders in the health sector who have a similar goal. With such interaction, I realized I am a good teacher, especially with patients, since I could see them observe my recommendations in adhering to treatments and taking care of their health. I was able to exchange information with all stakeholders I interacted with in my teaching experience, something that does not always happen.  The opportunity to educate is also a fulfilling moment that allows one to address medical issues that are often neglected. In general, the teaching experience is a time to enlighten while at the same time, embrace the importance of teamwork in the health sector.

Theory section

As a student, verbal learning remains to be one of the most effective ways that allow me to understand the content being taught in class quickly. This is the manipulation of both speech and writing to improve the understanding of the material being taught and has a way of influencing my internal representation of experiences. Despite verbal learning being effective to me as a student, it should be used in combination with other learning styles which are solitary, social, and visual learning. Solitary learning allows a student to work, learn and research by themselves. It will enable the student to be more knowledgeable beyond the usual class teachings since they are taking a step further to conduct more research on the teaching area. Social learning focuses more on group way as a way of boosting understanding of the learning topics. A group allows the sharing of ideas, which adds up to the knowledge a student has. Visual learning, in my opinion, involves practical work that allows a student to get hands-on experience on the use of the equipment and how to interact with a patient with different conditions to improve health outcomes (Rees et al., 2018). A combination of different learning styles allows the student not only to get different perspectives on the knowledge that the teacher or administrator intends to make them understand. The understanding by the student is partially dependent on how the content is presented to them and since each understands things differently, having these options as an addition to verbal learning to emphasize the content makes the learning experience easier and more understandable (Zhang et al., 2018).

As an administrator or a faculty member, understanding the learning style most effectively with your students is an essential contributing factor to their learning because it is key to educational improvement. Verbal learning remains to be the most effective solo learning style. It involves having written and spoken conversations and discussions with the students (Advanology.com, 2019). Students are allowed to ask questions, which communicates their interest in understanding the topics for discussion more. As an administrator, I can respond to the questions in an interactive manner and make sure that the student fully understands without being left behind. With verbal learning, one can also administer tests and exercises to students. This tests their understanding of the contents of the discussion topics and their desire to have more information on the same. With verbal learning, peer group discussions, debates, and presentations are also used to create a different learning experience for the students. It is more engaging as compared to other learning styles since the interaction between the student and the administrator is enhanced. With all that said, choosing an appropriate learning style is dependent on the student’s learning capability. Students with disabilities and other conditions may lead to the administrator incorporating different learning styles depending on what works with the student. For a blind student, visual learning would be inappropriate and ineffective. The same with the use of aural learning for a deaf student. Understanding what resonates with the student is critical to understanding the best-suited learning style for them. Since you want to make learning more effective, fun and enjoyable, the learning experience should evoke such satisfaction for the students.

References

Advanology.com. (2019). Overview of learning styles. Retrieved from https://www.learning-styles-online.com/overview/

Rees, C. E., Crampton, P., Kent, F., Brown, T., Hood, K., Leech, M.,… Williams, B. (2018). Understanding students’ and clinicians’ experiences of informal interprofessional workplace learning: an Australian qualitative study. BMJ Open, 8(4), e021238. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2017-021238

Zhang, J., Peterson, R.F. & Ozolins, I.Z.  (2018). Student approaches for learning in medicine: What does it tell us about the informal curriculum?. BMC Med Educ 11, 87. https://doi.org/10.1186/1472-6920-11-87