ESSAY: Principles of Teaching and Learning (Disscusion 1)

The diversity of both students and faculty poses important considerations for teaching and learning. Reflect on the characteristic differences in gender, race, and culture, as well as the differences among the diverse generations in today’s nursing education classroom. When considering your personal
philosophy of teaching, discuss how you might use these characteristic differences and diverse backgrounds and experiences of today’s nursing students as a teaching tool to connect students to nursing content and increase their understanding. In other words, how might you incorporate the background and experiences of your students into your teaching methods to enhance the ability of all students in your classroom to think critically and problem solve patient-care issues?

ANSWER

Principles of Teaching and Learning (Discussion 1)

Incorporating Healthcare Practitioners’ Experiences in Teaching Cultural Competence

In this modern age, increased globalization and expanding immigration have created patients that are more linguistically and culturally diverse. The increase in diversity among patients has necessitated the significance of teaching cultural competence in healthcare facilities as well as establishing educational methods or models that are culturally sensitive. Kaihlanen, Hietapakka and Heponiemi (2019) found that increasing awareness among healthcare practitioners about their cultural characteristics was thought-provoking as well as useful. The researchers suggested that increasing awareness facilitates interpersonal communication between patients and healthcare givers, a vital part of quality care (Kaihlanen et al., 2019).

To this effect, training methods that accommodate a larger number of cultural diverse caregivers is essential. With the advancement in technology, considering the potential use of e-learning-based approaches is essential. Combining e-learning approaches and the constructivism theory will help improve healthcare givers’ perceptions and self-awareness of cultural characteristics and help reduce biases in institutions. Through the constructivist approach, the learners use their previous experiences in devising new knowledge, developing a novel understanding of the world, and making meanings. The learners reflect on past encounters with patients who were culturally diverse and conduct discussions that encourage thought-provoking ideas about cultural disparities.

Social media platforms are good places to promote e-learning activities without the constraint of time and place where the learners may attend sessions even during working hours such as afternoons where most practitioners are available. Through a discussion of culturally sensitive topics, the practitioners are able to shift from a theoretical way of understanding diversity to a more practical level where each session builds upon the previous. The learners may exchange their views through storytelling techniques that use real-world examples to show different perceptions in cultures (Creech et al., 2017). Doing so will help encourage cultural awareness and sensitivity…