Over the past decade, education has shifted from a teacher-centered to a student centered approach. Understanding and facilitating student learning must be a priority for the nurse educator of the 21st century.¹ The 21st-century classroom focuses on a creative, collaborative approach to learning.² The learning environment for student is more engagement and hands-on, interdisciplinary learning are championed over conferring information. ²

As a nurse educator there are various challenges you will foresee when fulfilling this role in the learning environment which includes:

ü  Understanding the different learning challenges amongst students

ü  Student family problems and bullying

ü  Lack of funding

ü  Lack of effective communication

ü  Being encouraging and motivating under challenging times

ü  Disciplining students

ü  Endless paperwork & extended working hours. E.g., burn out

ü  Time Management. E.g., finding the time to keep up with administrative tasks

ü  Getting students to do their work outside the classroom

ü  Understanding new technology

ü  Inspiring students to be more self-directed 

Instructional contexts, design models, learning objectives and lesson plans help to overcome such challenges by:

ü  The implementation of certain resources which can enhance and enrich learning outcomes.

ü  Engaging students in physical activities to motivate them in learning.

ü  Understanding students needs and requirements so learning can take place.

ü  Make the environment conducive for different learning styles.  

ü  Designing a well-integrated plan for improved performance in learning.

ü  Students having prior knowledge on the teaching topic.

ü  Motivating students when learning becomes challenging.

ü  Have a structured lesson plan for the best results.

However, the end goal is always effective with clear instruction for educational and training material for students. It also creates a safe space for students to be facilitated in different ways they learn. In particular, instructional context and design models facilitate students with guidelines to organize appropriate learning outcomes. There are various models that caters for students differently, some are task- oriented or learner-centered. Therefore, it’s a hand in hand approach once the right alternative method is used for best student outcomes to be achieved. 

 

References 

1-        Garrett T. Student-centered and teacher-centered classroom management: A case study of three elementary teachers [Internet]. Eric.ed.gov. 2008 [cited 2023 Jun 14]. Available from: https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ829018.pdf

2-          What is a 21st-century skills-based education? [Internet]. Hunschool.org. [cited 2023 Jun 15]. Available from: https://www.hunschool.org/resources/21-century-classroom