Transcript Slide 1

Chapter 1
The Adult Learner
and the Practical/Vocational
Nursing Program
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Learning Objectives
• Identify yourself as a traditional adult learner,
returning adult learner, or recycled adult
learner.
• Identify personal areas of strength that will
help you ensure success in the
practical/vocational nursing program.
• Identify personal areas that could interfere
with your success in the practical/vocational
nursing program.
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Adult Learner
One who gains knowledge and skills and
comes in all ages.
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The Four Generations
Matures
The Silent Generation
• Generalized personalities may be shaped by
the Great Depression, World War II, and/or
the Korean War.
• More conservative prefer formal titles, seek
conformity
• Do not like ambiguity or change
• Digital immigrants.
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Baby Boomers
• Personalities may be shaped by Watergate, the
Vietnam War, the space race, civil rites, women's
liberation The assassinations of JFK and RFK, and
Martin Luther King
• Dedicated, highly motivated, hard working and
idealistic
• Prefer Learning in a relaxed organized, and
respectful atmosphere, like group discussions
• Digital immigrants, having varying degrees of
technology skills
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Generation X (Gen X)
• Personality may be shaped by the Challenger
explosion, the end of the Cold War, MTV and
AIDS. practical, self reliant. (Had Baby
Boomer parents)
• Accept diversity, less judgmental, multitask
well, used to change, informal.
• Intolerant of busywork, likes small chunks of
information, prefers self study.
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Generation Y Millennials
• Personality traits may be shaped by
Columbine, 9/11, Afghanistan and Iraq wars
• Dynamic, confident, straightforward,
opinionated, optimistic, sociable, embrace
change, multitask, like group discussion.
• More tolerant of people different from them
• Digital natives (Net Generation) grew up
using cell phones and computers.
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Types of Adult Learners
• Traditional Adult Learner
– Comes to an educational program directly from high school
or from another program of study
– Grew up in a digital, wireless world
– In transition from late adolescence to young adulthood
• Returning Adult Learner
– Been out of school for several years
– Experiencing many different life transitions
• Recycled Adult Learner
– Might have technical school or college experience or an
undergraduate or graduate degree in a discipline other than
nursing
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Reasons to Enroll in LPN/LVN
Nursing Program
•
•
•
•
Desire to change careers
Attraction to nursing
Desire to acquire new job skills
Outlook for a full-time job with benefits
is more promising in practical/vocational
nursing
• Possible lack of jobs in area for which
person has a degree
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Formal and Informal
Educational Experiences
• The traditional adult learner is accustomed to
formal education
– The practical/vocational nursing program in a
vocational-technical school or junior college is an
example of a program of formal education
• Returning adult learners might not have been
in a classroom for some time, but they have
had informal educational experiences every
day of their lives
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Geared for Success
• Traditional Adult Learners
– Have been given the opportunity to
develop reading, writing, studying, and
test-taking skills
– They are at their prime physically, are filled
with energy and stamina, and often have
fewer out-of-school responsibilities to
distract them from their studies
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Geared for Success
• Returning Adult Learners
– Serious learners who are ready to work
– Have had many responsibilities and life
experiences
– Mature, motivated, and self-directed
learners
– Many have made economic, personal, and
family sacrifices to go back to school
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Geared for Success
• Recycled Learners
– They too have had the opportunity to
develop reading, writing, studying, and
test-taking skills
– They are serious, motivated, and selfdirected students
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Liabilities, Pitfalls,
and Hidden Dangers
Hidden danger shared by all adult
learners
• Fear of Failure
– One of the greatest liabilities shared by all adult
learners
– Usually develops as a result of past negative
experiences with learning situations
• May look at school in a negative, threatening way
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Dangers for the Traditional
Adult Learner
• Grade Inflation
– Good grades received in high school for minimal
effort
– Same effort will not lead to success in a nursing
program
• Social Activities
– May allow social activities to compete with school
and study time
• Employment
– Amount of time occupied by employment outside
of school hours may be another interference
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Dangers for the Returning
Adult Learner
• Physical
– The senses of vision and hearing decline
very gradually through the adult years
• Social Responsibilities
– Many roles to play outside of school
– More demands placed on them
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Dangers for the Recycled
Adult Learner
• Attitude
– May have an attitude that because they
earned a degree or have some college
experience, the practical/vocational nursing
program will be a breeze to get through
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Special Challenges for Practical/
Vocational Nursing Students
• Learners with a spouse at home may be
extremely busy with school and family
affairs
• Single parents may feel overwhelmed
when the learner role is assumed in
addition to all their other roles
• Difficulty of schoolwork and the amount
of time it takes to complete assignments
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Learners Have Rights
• First Amendment gives you freedom of expression
– As long as what you want to express does not
disrupt class or infringe on the rights of your peers
• Fourteenth Amendment assures you due process
– The institution in which you are enrolled cannot
terminate you at whim, nor does it want to it exists
to help you succeed.
• Right to have an organized curriculum and a
responsible instructor who is prepared to teach it
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Responsibilities of Learners
• First responsibility of learners is to learn
– Instructors are not responsible for
successful learning
– Instructors are not responsible for failure
to learn
– Instructors help students learn how to learn
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Teaching vs. Learning
• Passive Learners
– View the teacher as someone who possesses
knowledge and somehow is going to pass it on
• Instructors—Facilitators of Learning
– Instructors are facilitators because they are
responsible for creating a learning environment in
which learning can take place
• Active Learners
– Must be personally involved in your learning
– Need to become self-directed and curious in your
learning
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Role of Evaluation
• Second responsibility of learners is to receive
and participate in evaluation
– Theory tests
• Take time to look at your tests with the goal of
understanding why the correct answers are correct and
why the wrong answers you gave are wrong
– Clinical performance evaluations
• Give you an opportunity for career and personal growth
• The comments you receive are directed toward your
behavior and not you as a person
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Dealing with Referrals
• If you are evaluated by your instructor as
having areas that need improvement, the
instructor might refer you to a counselor at
school
• Counselors have expertise in helping
students identify reasons for academic
problem areas
• A referral to a counselor is an attempt to help
you succeed
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Other Responsibilities
of Learners
• Be aware of the rules and policies of your school and
the practical/vocational nursing program
• When problems do develop, follow the recognized
channels of communication both at school and in the
clinical area
• Be prepared in advance for classes and clinical
experiences
• Prepare your own assignments
• Seek out learning experiences at school and in the
clinical area
• Seek out resources beyond the required readings
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Other Responsibilities
of Learners (cont’d)
• Assume responsibility for your own thoughts,
communication, and behavior
• Be present and on time for classes and clinical
experiences
• Enter into discussion when asked to do so in class
• Treat those with whom you come into daily contact
with respect
• Seek out your instructor when you are having
difficulties in class or the clinical area
• Keep a record of your grades as a course proceeds
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