​​​​Katelyn Swenson MSN, RN 

 Teaching Philosophy 

     

 

      Education has often been referred to as an art form; there are those that can teach, and those that can teach effectively. Effective educators need to possess qualities and characteristics that cultivate students’ learning potential. These qualities and characteristics include being caring, competent, confident, humble, fair, agile, and educated. These qualities and characteristics are much like the various colors of paint on a palette used to create artistic masterpieces; all will be used in the artistic process depending on the masterpiece to be completed; it is up to the artist to determine how much of one color they will use. The effective educator performs the needs based assessment on students and gauges how to use these characteristics to be the most beneficial for students; thus creating the class and curriculum masterpiece. Just as educating is an art, nursing is also an art form. The conjunction of the two art forms allows for the academic nurse educator (ANE) better educate to the needs of the class/students, and reach the students on an individual and humanistic level.

      Just as there are multiple characteristics and qualities an effective educator must possess, it is also important for the ANE to know and understand multiple learning and teaching styles. As explained by Utley (2011), the ANE will teach to the style they are most comfortable teaching; thus it is not only important for the ANE to know other teaching styles, but to incorporate many of them as they teach. This will bring a more dynamic approach to the teaching experience, and offer an enhanced learning experience for students.

     Individuals are on a continual path of learning and growing, on this path our learning styles and learning preferences change over time (Utley, 2011). As learning styles change, so must the teaching styles to better teach and diversify the teaching strategies to better meet the needs of the students. As an educator I must keep up-to-date with the new information and best practices of what I teach, leading to my own self-discovery to become a more effective teacher. I want to instill the eagerness and passion I have to teach and learn in the students and nurses I have the opportunity to teach.

     As I educate, whether it be in the classroom or as a unit educator, I will strive to be a mentor where I encourage active learning, and encourage my own and the student’s self-discovery. I understand that nursing is a field where to stay on the cutting-edge and utilize critical thinking skills one must be a life-long learner, this is something I will impart to the students/learners I interact with. As a nurse educator, I have found that it is not a one-size-fits-all approach with education; therefore the teaching strategies I use will need to be adaptable to instruct and mentor on an individual basis, in order to maintain a safe learning environment in the unit or classroom. To be effective I will embrace and utilize multiple teaching styles to better serve the needs of the students. As a unit nurse educator, I hope I create an environment of caring and flexibility while maintaining the humanism aspect to nurture the new and experienced nurses I mentor. As an educator I understand that it is important to the learning process to learn in a safe, non-judgmental atmosphere; I along with the students and colleagues I teach with will create an environment that built on mutual respect, and offer positive and open communication. I will provide prompt and constructive feedback, I feel providing feedback to learners assists with the development of critical thinking, while also demonstrating and cultivating their own communication skills both professionally and socially. As I provide feedback I hope to relay the positive as well as constructive feedback in an empathetic manner. Long term I plan to grow along the learning continuum, I will learn and demonstrate the evidence based practices of nursing and share and educate to them with the students and nurses I teach.

 

References

Utley, R. (2011). Theory and research for academic nurse educators: Application to Practice. Boston, MA: Jones and                Bartlett