(4) The nurse-teacher must be a competent group leader to use group
discussion as a teaching strategy.
d. Some methods are better suited to certain learning objectives than others. A
10-year old recovering from burns as a result of playing with matches would be receptive
to a comic book on personal safety; an adult burn victim could learn similar information by
discussing safety measures. Use of a variety of teaching strategies aids learning. See
Table 7-1 for selected teaching strategies for the three types of learning and
characteristics of each strategy.
7-12. SEQUENCING THE LEARNING EXPERIENCES
a. Whether formal or informal, teaching requires a plan or it becomes haphazard
and the patient's need for information goes unattended. The following guidelines are
helpful in sequencing or ordering the learning experiences.
(1) Learning is facilitated when there is some personal interest. Start with
something the learner has identified as a need or concern. For example, before he learns
how to administer insulin to himself, an adolescent is seeking information on adjusting his
lifestyle so that he can still play football.
(2) Start with what the learner knows and proceed to the unknown. If you do
not know the patient's knowledge or skill level, illicit this information by asking questions or
having the patient complete a form.
(3) Teach an area that is anxiety provoking first, if the learner has a high level
of anxiety that can impair concentration in other areas. For example, women cannot
concentrate on learning to bath her husband in bed because she is highly anxious about
being able to move him and turn him in bed.
MD0906
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