Research Articles Base: Learning Needs

THE PRACTICE ARENA AS A LEARNING ENVIRONMENT

THE PRACTICE ARENA AS A LEARNING ENVIRONMENT             Learning, as a technical term, connotes the efficient understanding of and reaction to internal and external information. Learning, in the social context, defines how individuals perceive their work experiences.  It can be attained through factual information or from  implicit or inferred sources, e.g.. a gut feel.  From this viewpoint,  it can be said that from social interactions in a conventional workplace  emerge learning .           A learner combines the two definitions in a practice area. He or she tries to make sense of available data and at the same time, processes observation and imitate skilled workers in the workplace.             According to Christine Prange’s review, 1999, she noted that [i]”learning from experience (is) a genuine component of almost all approaches”. From Wenger, 1998, comes the thought that [ii]”organizations may be a constellation of communities of practice.             A variety of issues and factors make the tenet of learning specifically challenging to the educator to meet the practicomers need for information. To cite an example,  surgery procedures limits the time that a nurse educator can impart knowledge on the learners. It happens most of the time that learning is inadequate due to lesser hospital hours, different educational and experience levels, and time restrictions.             To triumph over these factors, the mentor must have the skills to perceive the learning capacity of a mentee. The mentor must evaluate the requirements of the mentee, identify various aspects shown as to the mentee’s willingness to learn, and possess the skills required to link teaching or mentoring with styles of learning to make the most of learning opportunities.             The learner  is the only important individual in the learning arena. Even without an educator, learning can still take place. An educator only enhances learning, serving as a facilitator of information to the learner. Accordingly, it does not guarantee that the learner will indeed learn whatever information is given.             To further aid the mentees in the learning process, organized experiences must be applied to aid in finding reason  and sense for learning. In evaluating the factors involved in the learning process, it gives the educator the ability to impart information and knowledge through various ways. The educator influences and controls the environment to help learners attain their potential for learning. This approach assists the learner to integrate the information or knowledge into the learner’s behavior.               The important role played by the educator is analyzing and evaluating problems, difficulties and/or deficits; provision of correct information presented in a distinctive way; identifying progress; providing feedback, opinions and follow-ups; strengthening learning in the attainment of knowledge, execution of a skill, a transformation in attitude; and, assessing the abilities of learners.             The mentor is important through the provision of reinforcement, support, and  direction while the process of learning is actively ongoing. Learners can learn without educators but learning is often lacking or inadequate. This is because the educator can recognize and apply the learning approaches that can give the maximum impact. They can then choose activities that can both encourage and challenge the mentee based on the requirements for learning, willingness to learn, and style of learning.             Most of the times, the nurse mentor goes into instructions before tackling learning determinants. The above-stated learning determinants is the most basic but most essential in instructional teaching but it is the most often ignored.  The impact of nursing involvement relies on the range, preciseness and completeness of evaluation before involvement.             Evaluations and assessments describe and prioritize information to set objectives and behavioral aims, organizing instructional involvements, and the ability to assess later on if the learner has attained the targeted objectives. Correct evaluation guarantees that the maximum learning process will be attained at the least level of stress and anxiety experienced by the mentee.             Assessment bans redundancy of material used, conserves energy and time, and aids in the establishment of a harmonious relationship between the mentor and the mentee, or the nurse educator and the nurse learner.             Above all, it enhances the learning motivation as it concentrates as to what the learner thinks and feels is the most significant thing to know and the skills to learn.   		 		 		 		[i] www.infed.org 		 		 		 		[ii] www.infed.org Credit:ivythesis.typepad.com

THE PRACTICE ARENA AS A LEARNING ENVIRONMENT

THE PRACTICE ARENA AS A LEARNING ENVIRONMENT Learning, as a technical term, connotes the efficient understanding of and rea...

Literature Review on Mobility Performance of Students with Blindness and Low Vision in an Institution

Mobility Performance of Students with Blindness and Low Vision in an Institution The mobility performance of students with blindness and with low vision inside the school requires a lot of determination, confidence and self esteem.  Various aspects of psychosocial adjustment to blind and low vision students must be essential for positive adjustment and result.  Many people have a misconception about the blindness and visual impairment; these students face tough challenges in adjusting psychologically and socially to their disability.  And, self confidence and self esteem are the important constructive elements for the blind students to be able to adopt a new environment in the learning institution. For the blind and low vision students, for them to be able to adjust with the fast-pacing life cycle of any educational institution, they must therefore  have great psychosocial adjustment which associated with  full self confidence and self esteem among themselves.  In fact, these two positive elements can help these vision impaired students to get a proper orientation, mobility and manipulation of spatial ideas on their social and economic status.  Furthermore, based on the medical study, the age of onset blindness has a significant impact to the development of individual.  It has been observed by various professionals and scholars that some students who  were naturally blind since they were born;  are more thankful than those  people who lost their vision later in their life.  In order to help these students to be independently functional and have positive development on themselves; they must be taught how to use effectively and advantageously their other senses.  Students with blindness or have low vision must depend greatly on the auditory cues that they hear. At this time and age, there are more students who have low vision problem than those students who are inborn blind.  Additionally, for those students who have low vision problem, they must be given extra attention and understanding by their parents as well as by the people who are with them all the time.  (http://www.lowvision.org/achromatopsia_and_color_blindnes.htm) Furthermore, there are many students today who barely read what is written in the blackboard or can not see the important signage on the streets.  This eye condition of some of the students often lead them to become less active in class discussion and even have a hard time in understanding their lessons.  So, it is advisable for the parents, to give    full understanding,   medical assistance   and full support to their children with existing low-vision eye condition.  There are many instances at present time, which individuals with low vision eye condition still excel in their field of profession as long as they are provided with the right eye glasses and other magnification tools. In the same manner, there still a need for a comprehensive medical assistance; and continuous eye check up with the ophthalmologist.  The same thing goes to the blind students; they also entitle to learn series of techniques and strategies to be able to live independently and functionally despite their medical condition; and one effective learning strategy is to take Morse code course.    There are orientation and mobility specialists who can be consulted to determine and assess the eye condition of the blind students.  By this way, the medical specialists can help in the effective training that would give great benefits to the students with blindness cases.  Remember, there are a lot of vision impaired students in the various universities who even do outstanding jobs as far as their studies are concerned.  (http://www.accesselearning.net/mod1/1_04.php)   Correspondingly, faculty staff and the students should know how to interact with these students with blindness and low vision cases.  They must be treated with due respect for their individual rights; as well as to their self-dignity, privacy and equality.  What is more important is to make them feel that they are capable students in the learning institutions not “victims”.  Aside from that, the other people in the educational institution must be of vital assistance to these visual impaired students, as to help them adapt the teaching techniques of the school.  In giving instructions, the educator must deliver his/her directions in a clearer and well explained manner both verbal and written form.  These students must be provided with complete information formats such as hand outs, worksheets, videos and tapes just to meet heterogeneous learning styles of these students.    These students preferred a verbal learning process than in a written form.  It may be helpful to the students with vision impairment to have an individual orientation to laboratory equipment or computers as well as to the different parts and places of the school.  Doing this will eliminate their apprehension with the new and unfamiliar environment.  Another thing, the educators should always verbalize what is written on the board as they can only figure it out through effective verbal communication with the people around them.  (http://www.seels.net/designdocs/SEELS_FunctionalSkills.PDF) References: (http://www.lowvision.org/achromatopsia_and_color_blindnes.htm) (http://www.accesselearning.net/mod1/1_04.php)  (http://www.seels.net/designdocs/SEELS_FunctionalSkills.PDF)   Credit:ivythesis.typepad.com

Literature Review on Mobility Performance of Students with Blindness and Low Vision in an Institution

Mobility Performance of Students with Blindness and Low Vision in an Institution The mobility performance of students with blindness and...

The Importance of Learning in Workplace

THE IMPORTANCE OF LEARNING IN THE WORKPLACE         In todays fast pace environment where competition and economy is tough, companies and their employees must learn to adopt a new system in learning whatever position they maybe. Given their credentials and experience plus their training before taking the position will open up the opportunity for employees to master their skills and if they have the initiative they will continue to learn to add up additional knowledge because there is always an opportunity for improvement. Come to think of it even the street vendors can have extra learning opportunities in their workplace relating to the customers.      Professionals or office workers may have a monotonous job function but they have the opportunity to learn a brand new challenges if they want, they can be a part of progressive company if they have master their skills simply by learning new system or software or giving suggestions to the company or being a part of alternative solutions for employees confidence and behavior and confidence must more than they can do. Most likely if they have solved or be involved in additional activities they will not simply learn but they may also advance or take pride of the opportunity for promotions.       Kristine is just an ordinary laborer in a factory of stuff toys but during the start she never met the quota of production assigned to her. She was humiliated by her co workers because of her production, but determined; she insisted on learning to master the sewing process of every bit of pieces of stuff toys and worked until midnight without pay, and during Sunday she would take a few pieces of old clothes to be sewn at home. The result was amazing she discovered a pattern and technique in sewing that gave the company an extra product that was exported in other country. She now shares a small part of the sales of one of the toys. She is still employed but rich.       No matter how good an employee maybe there will always be a new learning opportunity inside the workplace. Rodrigo is just an office worker, he takes care of inventory and employees performance while being bored on everyday task he learned to use additional software called QuickBooks which he thought better than using Microsoft excel for this software will make their job faster and more efficient although the software is just a substitute. He has shown the difference between the usual job and what it can do. His boss is very happy about it that after a year he has given the opportunity to become a supervisor in his department.       Liberty is a salesclerk in a gift shop she thought she’ll be satisfied just arranging their product lines of beautiful garments and other stuff so customers would be the one to choose from their product lines she simply assist the buyer if they ask for it. Out of curiosity and boredom to her usual work she began to look for ways to add new customers. What she does is to arrange their product lines in a more beautiful manner, she would welcome customers and guest even if they never buy, she would install additional promotional materials in their shelves and take note of their regular customers visit and at the afternoon when customers are few, she would call some people to visit their shop. Her boss discovered that their sales during the next few months have nearly double. She was promoted to become an area supervisor to visit their branches to different location to make changes after a few months of continues success in sales.       German is just a janitor and curtain raiser in a production studio during the 60’s and every actor and actresses would make fun of him because of his thin body and fat stomach. But because of his curiosity to learn all phases of the production including floor direction, stage settings, script transcribing and production design and radio shows of the company he mastered. He has become an actor working as extra in most films of Sampaguita Pictures as a comedian. And because of his good attitude and persistence to learn and adopt new things he eventually became a host in a noontime show during the 70’s that gave birth to his title master showman. He became a great talent scout and discovered so many talents in the local showbiz industry in the Philippines and probably one of the most respected and highly influential men in the industry.       All the stories above happened in real life they have learned to master their skills in the workplace, the opportunity is always there when you are employed you just have to learn to love your job in order for you to create a leap and an extra mile to step up to be the best you can. They have taken the wisdom of Henry David Thoreau that “If one advances confidently to the direction of their dreams and endeavor to lead life which they have imagined, they will meet with success unexpected in common hours”. To sum it all up, the importance of learning inside the workplace and if you can keep pursuing it, is almost always a success on your part.         Credit:ivythesis.typepad.com

The Importance of Learning in Workplace

THE IMPORTANCE OF LEARNING IN THE WORKPLACE In todays fast pace environment where competition and economy is tough, companies an...