Reflection on Demonstrating a Skill - Personal Statement Example

Reflection on Demonstrating a Skill Teaching and learning is not bound to just formal education, or within the comforts of a room or guided byan educational curriculum. Teaching and learning may happen in any place, as long as there's someone to be taught, someone willing to teach and something to impart. That is what I always keep in mind wherever I am, and whenever. That there is always someone I can help improve and that there is always something I can share and in the process, I learn too. So in every situation, I make sure that I am always prepared. This paper is a reflection of a demonstration of a skill to a peer. I employed Gibbs' reflective cycle which is fairly straightforward and encourages a clear description of the situation, analysis of feelings, evaluation of the experience, analysis to make sense of the experience, conclusion where other options are considered and reflection upon experience to examine what I would do if the situation arose again. So while I was there at the clinic where I work, I figured there is someone I can help on some skills. Turns out that there was a student nurse who was in placement for the day, to assist and to observe, and to learn in the process. To prep up, I established some rapport with her so she would feel comfortable with me when the time comes that I would have to teach her some new skills. I also arranged and prepared the things that would possibly be necessary for the work ahead for the day, asking her assistance when necessary so she would become acquainted with them. The first patient arrived, a ten year old girl with her mom, and I greeted them with a smile to make them feel at ease. As a standard procedure, the patient's name was withheld in accordance with The Code of Professional Conduct (NMC 2002). While doing so, I introduced myself and the student nurse to the patient and her mother and explained exactly what my work entailed and what I was going to do. Afterwards, we checked the patient's health concern and apparently, the child is suffering from asthma from time to time and as an aid, she needs to know how to take her inhaler through a large volume spacer to help her with her condition. As such, she needed to know how to use the device so she can readily utilize it when the need arises. So in essence, I had three students watching me demonstrate how to use the device --- the patient, her mother and the student nurse. In this case, I utilized two teaching styles: patient-centered and student-centered. I showed them the device and demonstrated how to put the device together, how to use the spacer and how to maintain it. I did this in a relaxed and open manner to give them an impression that it is rather easy to do it, and then asked the patient to demonstrate back to me what I had just taught them. This is important to see if the patient has understood what has been conveyed to them. Kemm, et al (1995) states that a client is more likely to want to assimilate information that has been conveyed to them, if the planned learning is relevant and made interesting to the individual client. Besides the patient, I also asked the student nurse to demonstrate the skill back to me. In promoting learning in practice, mutual respect and valuing the merit of passing on nursing skills through practice-based learning is crucial (Glen and Parker, 2003). I also provided verbal guidance and encouragement to the patient and guided her when necessary. Role models, according to Morton-Cooper and Palmer (2002), provide an observable image for imitation, demonstrating skills and qualities for mentees to emulate. The patient's visit ended well and before she and her mother left, both of them assured me that they are already confident that they can utilize the device properly and with much practice, it is going to be easier after a while. Hopefully, the new skill helps the patient with easing her poor health condition. Truthfully speaking, I am fully aware that the teaching session went well. I would credit it to the fact that my mentors taught me the skill well and that I have numerous experience at being observed in providing patient education. The factor that played the biggest part in making the session successful is the fact that the mentees were at ease with me. Having a mindset that you are learning from someone you are comfortable with gives way to effective and faster learning. Fear and awkwardness can hinder proper learning and might create an affective filter to the psychological state of the student. According to Stephen Krashen (1981), who's theory was adopted by educational psychology, an affective filter is an emotional blockage to new learning. If a learner feels discomfort from embarrassment, shame, or fear of punishment during the course of learning then it can be conclusive to say that that the learner has an affective filter preventing learning from taking place. Affective filters are common and to be expected, that is why instructors need to be careful and aware of the causes of affective filters while dealing with learners who may be more susceptible to emotional impulses or pressures. That's why greeting the patients warmly at the onset and giving them constant encouragement throughout the session helped a lot with facilitating the learning process. So this is something I would definitely employ consistently in assisting patients and in teaching skills. The only drawback of the session was that the student nurse did not receive full attention and assistance from me as my concentration was focused on making the patient and her mom understand as much the procedure in using the device. I would, in the future spend time beforehand with the student and demonstrate the skill to her or to anyone who would be in the same situation to increase their knowledge before the teaching session with the patients. The most appropriate strategy for teaching a motor skill, according to Reece and Walker (2000), is through demonstration and individual practice. They suggest that in a one-to-one situation, teaching is tailored to meet the individual student's needs and abilities and to accommodate the differences between students. Quinn (2000) reports the teaching of a motor skill involves the provision of information and the opportunity for practice. Despite that though, I am positive that, in general, the session went well. There's always room for improvement. I definitely learned a couple of things from the session and I would surely keep in my mind the things I need to consider in the future. Works Cited Glen, S. and Parker, P. (2003) (Eds). Supporting Learning in Nursing Practice. A Guide for Practitioners. Basingstoke; Palgrove MacMillan Kemm J, Close A (1995) Health Promotion: Theory and Practice. Mc Millian Press, London Krashen, Stephen D. (1981). Principles and Practice in Second Language Acquisition. English Language Teaching Series. London: Prentice-Hall (UK) Ltd Morton-Cooper, A. and Palmer, A. (1993) Mentorship, Preceptorship and Clinical Supervision. Oxford. Blackwell Science Ltd Nursing and Midwifery Council (2002) Code of Professional Conduct. www.nmc-uk.org. Quinn, F.M. (2000) The Principles and Practice of Nurse Education. 4th Ed. Stanley Thornes Publishing Ltd. London Reece, I. and Walker, S. (2000) Teaching, Training and Learning. A PracticalGuide. British Educational Publishers Ltd. Tyne and Wear. Peer Review From the onset, I thought that making a peer review is only for the sake of the person I am evaluating. Peer and self assessment exercises are seen as means by which these general skills can be developed and practiced. A peer rating format can encourage a greater sense of involvement and responsibility, establish a clearer framework and promote excellence, direct attention to skills and learning and provide increased feedback (Weaver and Cotrell, 1986). So it is clear that peer assessment is really useful for the subject. But I've learned that it does not end there. Through the course of observing my peer, analyzing her strengths and weaknesses, contemplating on the activity and writing down my thoughts about it, I realized that while the result of my review would be useful for the subject of my observation, it would also, in the same manner, be helpful for me. Peer evaluations, for the most part, if not entirely, are beneficial both for the one administering the review and to the one being evaluated on. As Robert Heinlein puts it, "when one teaches, two learn". Which is very true, because it's not just the student or the one being critiqued who learns in the process. Because along the way, while one teaches or evaluates, one is able to see and observe a couple of things essential and beneficial. Peer evaluations can facilitate that kind of learning from observation and scrutinizing. According to Richard Weaver (1986), peer evaluation emphasizes skills, encourages involvement, focuses on learning, establishes a reference, promotes excellence, provides increased feedback, fosters attendance, and teaches responsibility. While some people does not like the idea of being critiqued because of the argument that it might not really be accurate because it is just a peer evaluating their performance, studies have found that student ratings of their colleagues to be both reliable and valid. Orpen (1982) found no difference between lecturer and student ratings of assignments in terms of average ratings, variations in ratings, agreement in ratings or relationship between ratings. Arnold et al. (1981) reported that peer ratings of medical students were internally consistent, unbiased and valid. Other studies suggest there is variation according to factors such as age of the student (Falchikov, 1986). In my case, I have observed the student nurse who watched me demonstrate the skill of taking the inhaler through a large volume spacer. Earlier, I have discussed my reflection on how my demonstration went. This time, I would like to assess how the student nurse went about demonstrating the skill back to me. It was really necessary for her to show me how to put the device together and how to go about using it because it was the only way for me to evaluate if she had learned the skill and it was the only way for me to validate if she was able to follow my instructions. It was commendable that she actively listened to my instructions carefully while I was demonstrating the skill myself. Larry Nadig (1999) said that in active listening, we show that we are genuinely interested in understanding what the other person is thinking, feeling, wanting or what the message means. Through active listening, we also become active in checking out our understanding before we respond with our new message. We restate or paraphrase our understanding of their message and reflect it back to the sender for verification. She observed keenly and asked questions when necessary. I noticed how she focused on understanding every step and trying to take it all in so she could do it herself later on. When she demonstrated the skill back to me, it went quite well. Considering that she had no prior knowledge of the skill, I could say that her performance was good enough. She demonstrated the skill well and displayed eagerness to accomplish the task. She also proved that she had knowledge about what the skill is for. I asked her of several questions to check her comprehension of not just the skill, but more importantly, the importance of the skill to concerned patients and she was able to respond correctly to the questions I presented her. The only drawbacks of her performance is the fact that she was not as confident as she should have been. She showed hesitations at what she was doing by constantly looking at me for reassurance. Lack of confidence or any manifestation of it should not be shown when teaching, as it affects the audience's perception of you. Greg Frost (2008) said that people who are confident are able to influence others. And that has to be the goal of anyone attempting to teach. Teaching is futile without the ability to influence those who you are teaching. Furthermore, her lack of confidence affected in some way the manner in which she delivered her demonstration of the skill. She got a little confused when demonstrating the spacer with the mask and forgot how long it was to be kept on the child's nose and mouth. That being said, we can still credit her hesitations and confusion to the fact that it was her first time to do the skill and uncertainties are still to be expected. Everything gets better in time after much practice. Besides, she open-mindedly accepted the constructive criticisms and corrections I have recommended to her and I am certain that with that kind of attitude, it would not be hard for her to nail the skill the next time. Overall, the student nurse showcased a good demonstration of the skill despite the fact that it was her first time to see a skill employed and that it was her first time doing it too. Also, I have learned a couple of things in observing her as well. Having realized that not everyone would be able to perfect a skill after teaching them once gave me the motivation to be even more patient with my clients, adjusting to their level of learning and understanding that it can be tough on some to learn a new thing. Works Cited Arnold, L. et al. (1981). Use of peer evaluation in the assessment of medical students. Journal of Medical Education, 56, 35-42 Falchikov, N. (1986). Product comparisons and process benefits of peer group and self assessments. Assessment and Evaluation in Higher Education, 11, 146-166. Frost, Greg (2008). Benefits of Improving Self-Confidence. [Online] (Updated 27 January 2008) Available at: http://ezinearticles.com/Benefits-of-Improving-Self-Confidence&id=951893. [Accessed 07 May 2009]. Nadig, Larry Alan (1999). Tips on Effective Listening. [Online] (Updated 28 December 2008) Available at: http://www.drnadig.com/listening.htm. [Accessed 07 May 2009]. Orpen, C. (1982). Student versus lecturer assessment of learning: a research note. Higher Education, 11, 567-572. Weaver, Richard L., (1986). Peer Evaluation: A Case Study. Innovative Higher Education, Vol 11 (1), page 25. Weaver, W. and Cotrell, H.W. (1986). Peer evaluation: a case study. Innovative Higher Education, 11, 25-39. FDH 201 - Demonstrating the skill plan (Appendix 1) The Skill being demonstrated The skill I demostrated was about the procedure on using large volume spacer. What am I hoping my colleague will learn from the session. I am hoping my colleague learns what the device is for, how to put the device together and how to properly use it. What subject matter do I need to cover in the session I eould touch a little on asthma and how to relieve it and how a volumatic can help ease the condition. The equipment/ resources I need. A mask and a volumatic (large volume spacer). How will I check my colleague's understanding To evaluate my colleague's understanding of the skill, I need to have her demonstrate it back to me and ask her some comprehension questions. FDH 201 Learning and Assessing in Practice (Appendix 2) Demonstration of a skill Guide 5 4 3 2 1 Guide Introductions and Aims Clear introduction and aims stated for the session Introduction and Aims were unclear Use of Language and explanation to learner Explanation was clear and unambiguous with rationale Explanation was muddled with no clear rationale Amount of information given Ideal amount of information given Too much information given or not enough Demonstration of skill and use of equipment Clear demonstration Gave the learner time to assimilate knowledge Poor demonstration The learner not given time to assimilate the skill. Rapport with learner Good rapport with the learner and confident Poor rapport with the learner, lacking in confidence Questions Answered questions appropriately throughout the procedure Questions left unanswered Learners knowledge of the skill Ensured the learner had sufficient skills & knowledge to undertake the skill Did not ensure the learners was able to carry out the skill Comments Identify areas in which the student did well She was able to answer questions relevant to the skill and was able to demostrate the procedure well, albeit not perfectly. Identify one area for improvement Insufficient display of confidence. (Appendix 3) Demonstrating a Skill The Process Comments Did I plan well prior to the demonstration Yes Did I clearly explain the to the learner the objective of the session Yes What past experiences did I use to inform the demonstration The skill of using a large volumatic spacer What theoretical knowledge did I use One of the theories I used is the one be Kemm et al, that learning is easier if the demostration was made interesting for them. What was I least confident about and why None What went well during the session and what have I learnt from this The patient child was able to fully understand how important the device is for her health, especially when she's under asthma attacks. She was also able to demostrate perfectly how to use the volumatic, so I'm assured that she'd be able to use it correctly even when she's alone. What didn't go well and what have I learnt from this The student nurse who was observing my demonstration wasn't able to demonstrate the skill back to me as perfectly because I wasn't able to focus on teaching her because my attention was divided. In the future, it would be helpful to do a one-on-one. Did I encourage the learner to ask questions during the session Yes What would I do differently next time Next time, I would make sure that I focus my attention to my peer during the demonstration, a one-on-one session would help. Further Comments The student nurse got a little confused when demonstrating the spacer with the mask and forgot how long it was to be kept on the child's nose and mouth, so it is important to review that with her. Read More