motivating students and getting them involved with classmates
Last semester I taught nursing to 20 students. 10 were LPN's. Every week I would ask about their clinical experience from the week before, and many of them would refuse to share. for no reason. I knew what they had on clinical, so I would ask questions. Some would answer. I think for the next program, I should either have them write a report from their clinical day and maybe mark it as a test or use concept maps. As much as I think this might help, I think having the students "talk everything out" would help them to think on their feet. What does everyove think? help.
Natalie, a lot of people are not comfortable "talking things out" in front of a group, particularly if they were in a position of authority and responsibility in the situation in question. They want to sort the experience out in their own minds and are only comfortable talking about it when they have a complete story in their own minds. I like the 3-2-1 approach because it asks them for observations, (parts of the story, not the whole story), and questions (focusing on what they have not yet figured out) and surprises (things they really have not figured out). The open ended "what happened?" question seems to some people to ask for a finished story complete with a conclusion and a moral which is something your students may not be ready to give.
I agree with this, i have used this in my classes before, and it really has worked. Its really good when you get a student to open up about what they have observed.
Thomas,
Yes they do because they see the value of the content being taught They see how what they are learning is going to benefit them in their career development. It is a win win situation for everyone.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
I also see when I push my students to attach information to their own knowledge and life experiences they all seem to get more motivated and focused on the material presented.
Hello Natalie: Possibly, you could vary your week-to-week lessons and one week- Have the students draw or find an Internet picture that represents an experience they had during clinical (on the back- they can write a brief paragraph about the picture on the front so you can later grade it). Week 2- Have the students write a "connection" that they made to an experience during the week & take a tally of how many other students had the same type of experience. Get those students into small groups to discuss it & then later- share as a full class. Try different kinds of sharing each week and after a few weeks- the students might feel more comfortable with each other and the discussions might begin to flow.
Natalie,
I think the clinical report is a good idea. This forces them to stop and reflect on the experiences they have had. As for the in class discussions I would suggest the following strategy. In my classes I give each student a 5X7 card to fill out when we meet after they have been out doing an observation. On the card they are to write down three things they observed, two questions they have and one thing that surprised them. (3-2-1) This only takes a few minutes for them to write down. Then I start calling on them to give me one of their observation points. I go around the room calling on various students. Then I start again with the questions they have written down. The questions generate a lot of discussion because I ask them to answer the questions that their classmates have raised. Again I call on specific students for answers. When that part of the class is completed I think go to the "Surprise" or "Wow" response. This is a fun time and most students really like to talk about something they experienced that surprised or wowed them. By having them write down the 3-2-1 responses they have something in front of them rather than having to just recall something off the top of their head. At the end I have them put their names on the cards and hand them end. This increases the value of the exercise since they are going to get Professional Points for them. Try this. I think you will be pleased with the results.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
