Student-centered learning: reflection and practice

Nurse Teaching

In consideration of a career in teaching the future nurses of the world, many of the positive aspects come into play. If an individual were interested on a legacy of long-lasting influence, a better method can hardly be imagined. A recent study determined that effective and successful management can be derived through "communication, intellectual cultivation, environmental adaptability, social learning, capital management and organizational grafting" (Templeton, Lewis, Snyder, 2002, p. 178). A career in teaching, especially in the field of nursing, would allow for the teaching of those management skills. As an educator it is important to understand that students are seeking knowledge that will assist them throughout their professional careers, and the educator is an important component in that process. The teacher can present methods and manners of communicating, cultivating and learning that will (if employed in an effective manner) provide the students not only the knowledge and skills that will help them in saving lives and caring for people, but will also provide the students with an understanding of how to further their own professional growth and development. As a former student, what I found to be important was the understanding of how to gain the knowledge I needed, as a teacher I hope to provide that same type of understanding for my students.

The traits I find most admirable in teachers is empathy, understanding, persistence, caring, knowledge and a sense of fairness. A teacher who is empathetic understands that students are there to gain an objective, accomplish a goal and reach a conclusion. The end result is almost as important as the process of achievement. Persistence takes place when the teacher is involved enough with the educational process to ensure that the students learn the required information and develop a full understanding of the importance of the data. A teacher of excellent standards will care about the students and their achievements; not necessarily only in the classroom but in their own lives as well.

A teacher who has developed a sense of fairness is a teacher who will know and respond to the students in a way that is not self-centered but is more focused on the student and students needs. A teacher in the field of nursing must display not only the above admirable traits but must also help the students to develop an analytical mind complemented by a caring and compassionate nature. A good teacher of nursing will understand those necessities and will work hard at helping the students develop all those traits and more.

Of course, the teacher is not the only one with the responsibility of developing good students; the students themselves must have a well-developed sense of responsibility as well. Students who do not understand the significance of the path on which they have chosen to trod, will necessarily flounder in the sea of educational morass. A student of nursing will be accountable for their own actions, as well as for the success (or lack thereof) in achieving their goals and objectives. A successful educational foray can only be completed by a shared relationship between the teacher and the student; comprehending that fact will allow for the growth and maturation of successful students and translate into a successful career in teaching.