Applying Malcolm Knowles' andragogy theory to nursing education

Personal Philosophy of Nursing Education

Andragogy

Malcolm Knowles' theory of adult education, termed Andragogy undergirds my personal philosophy of nursing education. The term Andragogy is used to highlight the unique needs of adult learning from traditional learning, which is usually aimed at children, as evidenced by the term pedagogy, the "leading of children." Knowles idea's recognizes that our fundamental ideas regarding education are influenced by its application to children. This situation makes many principles of education inapplicable or unsuited to the education of adults.

Knowles theory of adult education can be expressed in six principles. 1) Adults need to know why they are learning something; 2) Experience provides the basis for learning activities; 3) Adults should develop a sense of ownership over their education through involvement in the planning of their coursework and evaluation; 4) Adults seek knowledge which bears directly on their professional lives; 5) Adult learning is problem-centered rather than content-oriented; 6) Adults, unlike children, respond better to internal motivators than external motivators.

The fourth principle of Knowle's theory of adult education that of practical relevance, is particularly important for the field of nursing education. The education of nurses must be highly practical because it is meant to prepare the student to work in a specific profession, which is here the demanding medical profession of nursing.

Nursing is a profession that requires rigorous and substantial training to perform, especially considering the sensitive nature of the work the nurse will be engaged in.

Clinical Teaching vs. Classroom Teaching

The practical nature of nursing education requires a substantial amount of clinical teaching. Classroom training, while useful for teaching concepts and factual information that the nurse must memorize, cannot simulate the professional environment that the student will encounter when applying what she has learned during her adult education program. Clinical teaching allows the student to simulate the professional environment, which the student will be applying the knowledge acquired during her nursing education and training, the delivery of medical care to a patient at a health care institution.

As adults are generally more self-motivated, mature, and resourceful than children, textbook knowledge is much easier to acquire for them independently. Thus, it should not constitute the focus of a nursing education program for adult learners. To make the program's coursework worthwhile and engaging for the adult learner, the instructor should ensure that all material taught during a nursing education is applicable to the professional setting that the student will be working in. In this case, that is typically a health care setting such as a hospital, clinic, or assisted living facility.

The Necessary Climate for Clinical Teaching or Learning

Clinical coursework is best delivered in a setting with ample training resources. Some element of professional training is necessary for clinical coursework because a student cannot be expected to know how to perform certain professional duties and procedures, which constitute the learning activities themselves, from their classroom-based coursework alone. An experienced clinical professional must be available to instruct the student on how to perform the duties and procedures that she will be evaluated on.

The other fundamental component of clinical coursework is ample feedback and evaluation from an experienced clinical professional with sufficient knowledge of the student and her work in the clinical setting. Formal evaluations completed by the student's official clinical supervisor should be considered the absolute minimum for this component. Effective clinical coursework would require ample amounts of immediate feedback from the professional supervising the student's work on a particular task.

The training and feedback components of clinical coursework are best delivered through the same individual or group of individuals. The individuals who provide the training are best qualified to evaluate the student on her application of that training during the respective task. The training and feedback components are best delivered through a single supervisor/mentor, an experienced clinical professional. It is optimal if the mentor has experience supervising students in a clinical setting, but not essential.

Number of Students in a Clinical Setting

Clinical coursework is best delivered in a learning environment with no more than 4 students assigned to each supervising professional/mentor. This ratio allows the supervisor to develop a substantial professional relationship with each student in order to deliver substantive and focused feedback tailored to the student's particular needs. It also ensures that the supervisor has enough time to meet any additional training interactions that any particular student might request or require.