Heather+Melvin's+Philosophy

My teaching philosophy I believe a teaching philosophy can be described as what a teacher believes about the learning process and how students are educated. My philosophy can best be expressed by separating it into the following areas:
 * Learning: I believe that students learn by listening, observing, and doing. Learning is a transaction which occurs when one imparts wisdom for the other to store and process in the brain. In the environment, one can learn by merely observing a situation. Learning is an ongoing, lifelong process.
 * Teaching: I believe that teaching is also an ongoing, learning process. Teaching is instructing a student in a subject enabling them to obtain objectives set by instructor. These objectives are chosen by lesson planning and are used to measure outcomes. The student’s performance in the clinical setting, for example, can be evaluated by measuring these outcomes. (E.g. displaying critical thinking skills in the clinical setting by realizing when to call the Doctor when a patient shows signs of post operative infection.)
 * Implementation of the teaching process: When teaching, I try to put myself in the learner’s "shoes," and I try to remember what it was like when I was learning at their level. Students will learn best if they are under the guidance of a teacher who is patient and understanding. I want to be a teacher that is not intimidating and is looked upon as an encourager and a resource. I want to encourage students to become the very best they can be as nurses and professionals. As a teacher, I want to be looked upon as being a mentor, leader, and a coach. I want to help students to achieve success by recognizing their talents and helping them bring these talents to light. I intend to instruct in creative ways such as videos, PowerPoint presentations, and interactive technology. As new technologies emerge, we will also learn and implement new instructional ways.
 * Goals for students: Learning may be facilitated by allowing the student to experience real-life situations such as in the clinical setting. In this setting, the student will be able to achieve his or her learning objectives. I utilize the constructivism theory in my teaching process as I believe the student is responsible for his or her learning. I also believe that student outcomes need to be evaluated in order to know if the teaching was effective. This also will help me as the teacher to know what changes I may need to make in order to be an effective instructor. I want students to also be participants in the learning process and have interactive experiences during lectures and labs. I want to assist the learner in the process helping them achieve objectives.
 * My personal goals: Having only been a teacher or preceptor to new nurses and patients at this point in my nursing career, I can only progress forward professionally and learn about myself as I complete graduate school. As I grow and mature as a teacher, I want to strive to become a better teacher as I also learn from doing and observing. Through shadowing teacher and clinical instructors, I will learn how to evaluate nursing student’s performances in the clinical setting. Also, as advances in technology and the future of nursing expands, I plan to continue research and continuing education in order to be a more effective teacher and valuable resource.