Newly graduated nurse educators such as Aminah Rachedi face myriad challenges in focusing on what nursing students need to know and connecting to them in ways that enhance individual learning needs (Sorrell & Cangelosi, 2015). It is clear from the interactive case study that Rachedi’s volunteer students have diverse learning requirements, hence the obligation to individualize her teaching styles to meet their unique learning needs. The importance of tailoring teaching styles to unique needs of students is reinforced in the case study by the fact that not all students are adult learners. Lastly, it is important for nurse educators to ensure that teaching is conducted in favorable environments and that technology applications are adopted to make the teaching process easier. However, Sorrell and Cangelosi (2015) suggest that the adoption and use of technology should be tailored to the capacity of nursing students to use the applications.
The nursing theories associated with the interactive case study include developmental psychology theories, adult learning theory, cognitive field theory, and behavioral theories. Developmental psychology theories are effective in ensuring the diversity of learning styles since they take into account the growth and maturation of individuals over time, including their physical, cognitive and social changes. The adult learning theory is effective in teaching adult learners not only because of its realization that adults have specific learning requirements, but also due to its predisposition to ensure self-directed learning through experience and motivation (Aliakbari, Parvin, Heidari, & Haghani, 2015).
The cognitive field theory has also been mentioned in the interactive case study, with suggestions that it is effective in entrenching reason and motivation among students. It is imperative to note that the cognitive field model provides a constructive approach to learning due to its capacity to ensure that students learn through distinguishing, simplifying, and reorganizing their persona and their mental context in such a way that they attain new insights of meanings and achieve shifts in motivation (Gaberson, Oermann, & Shellenbarger, 2014). Lastly, behavioral theories have been associated with the development of physical skills among students, particularly due to their capacity to focus on the observable and measurable characteristics of human behavior.
References
Aliakbari, F., Parvin, N., Heidari, M., & Haghani, F. (2015). Learning theories application in nursing education. Journal of Education and Health Promotion, 4(2), 223-231. doi: 10.4103/2277-9531-151867.
Gaberson, K., Oermann, M., & Shellenbarger, T. (2014). Clinical teaching strategies in nursing (4th ed.). New York City, NY: Springer Publishing Company.
Sorrell, J.M., & Cangelosi, P. (2015). Expert clinician to novice nurse educator: Learning from first-hand narratives. New York City, NY: Springer Publishing Company.