To experience the engaged classroom, students must come to class with fundamental knowledge about the topic. To gain this knowledge, the learners need to read their assignments, reflect upon the content, and begin the process of application before walking into the class. Most nurse educators have found this level of classroom preparation unrealistic (Gardner, 2014). For this reason, the majority of nurse educators have given up on this expectation.
The author of this presentation discovered interventions during his research into transformative learning theory that prevented him from giving up. With the benefit of innovative evidenced-based teaching strategies, his students not only come to his class prepared, they openly admit that this experience leads to higher grades, better application of the content, and more excitement in the classroom.
Key content that motivated the author to submit an abstract for the Sigma 45th Biennial Convention came from student feedback about classroom preparation. The student comments especially relate to the convention outcome to activate knowledge transformation and create synergies for professional development within education. Statements from the students will be included in the presentation. This is one example of one student comment that will be shared with the participants:
Before this class there was no such thing as preparing before a class. I mainly relied on absorbing the information in the lecture that day and then would review later. This is different from the Pre-Class Worksheets because I have to review material before and actually engage in class the next day. In previous classes, I would be less likely to engage because I did not have any knowledge of the subject. The PCW's allow students to review and emphasize important concepts while also building new information on top as well.
This quote introduces the reason students usually do not spend time preparing before class. Students state that they do not prepare because the passive lecture format does not require it. More importantly, students do not perceive the benefits of classroom preparation when they see themselves as sponges absorbing the information from the sage on the stage. Students perceive themselves as sponges instead of engaged, critical thinkers because educators typically resort to passive information transfer that does not accommodate active learning (Fisher, 2014).
The presenter will share the multiple strategies that he discovered to enhance student classroom preparation. These strategies began with the clear understanding of how transformative learning works. The next step in the process was discovering how to get students to buy into this approach to learning. This motivation is created through a development of trust and incentives that help learners quickly see the value of classroom preparation (Harrington, Vanden Bosch, Schoofs, Beel-Bates, & Anderson, 2015).
A specific intervention stressed in the presentation is the Pre-Class Worksheets (PCW). This strategy was also mentioned in the student quote included in this abstract. These short, two page worksheets are assigned before class and are presented by the students at the beginning of each class. They are designed to help students discover key content from the reading assignments for the day. They also help students begin the reflection and application process that will be continued during group work in class (Konapasky & Reybold, 2015).
The presentation will be a catalyst for the participants to consider the innovative and collaborative evidence-based practice strategies that add another dimension to teaching excellence. It also provides a key answer to Benner’s call for radical transformation in nursing education by more clearly connecting education to practice (Benner, Sutphen, Leonard, & Day, 2010). The students who are prepared for class are the students who can actively engage in group-discussions about specific patient problems. This degree of clinical reasoning development in the classroom makes these students more likely to improve global health outcomes as graduate nurses.
See more of: Oral Paper & Poster: Education Sessions