Brazeau, G. A. (2007). Teaching, Practice, and Technology. American Journal of Pharmaceutical Education, 71(3), 57.
This article entails both the discussion on the negative and the positive side of technology.
Some of the main variables examined in this article include the impacts of technology on the learning process of students, its advantages, disadvantages, and effectiveness of technology in health care. The author believes that teaching is all about human interaction, although it, sometimes, occurs in large classrooms and might not entail individual communication with the faculty members. Also, he states that teaching should entail individual touch than just technological exchanges (Brazeau, 2007).
To offer a qualitative projection of effective communication and the impact of technology, he has relied on a prize-winning text on ‘Society and Education’ by Ken Bain. Ken suggested that the best college teachers are successful since they come up with a ‘natural critical learning environment’ in their educational efforts. According to Ken, this is the environment in which, students are challenged to always rethink what they thought they knew on imperative tasks or problems in an accommodating environment that they may not be able to receive feedback. Nonetheless, they still have control over their learning. He states that effective teaching is also caring for students (Brazeau, 2007).
The author found out that the technology, utilized in the classroom, is not shown generally. He further claims that teaching concerns about human interaction. Although, it, more often, does not occur in places where exists a larger classroom and may not entail individual communication with the faculty members. For every student, teaching is the tool needed for learning and requires human interactions. He firmly states that teaching must have a personal touch. Therefore, the application of most technology in the classrooms ought not to be considered the engine through which society derives its teaching efforts or define what they consider excellence in learning and teaching.
Farquharson, A. 1995. Teaching in Practice: How Professionals Can Work Effectively with Clients, Patients, and Colleagues. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass
This Publication provides an overview of teaching practices and discusses extensively how students apply the knowledge they learn, what sustains and stimulates learners Motivation, what fosters a positive attitude for the learning experience. Also, he looks into whether learning an event increases and sustains a learner’s sense. He also looks into the learning, as a process, can reinforce the student’s future (Farquharson, 1995).
Some of the variables examined in this publication include the Teaching practices, Malcolm Knowles’s principal (1985) that is working for the adults verifying that the design has entailed some the Raymon Wlodkowski’s opinions (1991) about gaining learner’s motivation and attention to learn. This publication considers that students who learn should not be exposed to harsh conditions, because, those conditions affect the learning process of learners, and hinder the learning process (Farquharson, 1995).
This report conducted both empirical and theoretical studies to come up with its findings. The team that carried out the research conducted interviews with key communities that allowed their students to engage in thorough to assess their mental ability and their acceptance of new knowledge. Also, the findings from the local educational organizations were being used (Farquharson, 1995).
This author found out that teaching is frequently an embedded aspect of human service. It, usually, consists of comparatively spontaneous and brief teaching episodes. This demands an active engagement of both the students and the learners. His encounters attempt to demand a more emergent, and constructivist learning formats than anything. He firmly states that the key players, the teachers, and the learner must feel an equal measure of shared ownership over the outcome and the process of learning. He states that even the occasional glitches maybe end up being occasions for comradely creative problem-solving occasions.
Mullen, E. J., Bellamy, J. L., Bledsoe, S. E., & Francois J. J. (2007). Teaching Evidence-Based Practice. Research on Social Work Practice, 17(5), 574-582.
The main objective of the author of this work is to offer a comprehensive summary of our understanding of how EBP training could be improved in agency-based practice. The authors have implemented a pilot project (Bringing Evidence to Social Work Training, aka BEST) which has engaged in a dynamic partnership between the Columbia University’s Department of Social Work, and three New York City agencies (Mullen, Bellamy, Bledsoe, & Francois 2007). The paper has explored the possibility of teaching agency teaming the fundamentals of EBP.
Some of the variables assessed in this publication include EBP and social work. These are all central issues when it comes to how learning can be made effective (Mullen et al., 2007).
This publication draws Weissman’s report that most of the social work programs (61%, n = 38) at present do not require students to learn in class and field any evidence-based psychotherapies. Only 14.5% (n = 9) reported requiring more than one EBT to be taught in both class and field. He states that in keeping with the spirit of teaching students to be lifelong adult learners, the graduate schools of the social worker will have to provide evidence-based education opportunities for their graduates, in conjunction with the other practitioners in their communities. This lifelong learning can be supported (Mullen et al., 2007).
The author states clearly that the new context, when it comes to learning and practice, is characterized not only by, the access and transmission of data into the new digital forms, but also by an explosion of ready information of varying relevance and quality. It is against the above-mentioned backdrop that most of the individuals are eagerly searching for new ways of managing the data deluge. The author states that the profession’s knowledge base has become enormously lively that most practitioners now opt to start from the assumption that knowledge is always rapidly evolving and that skills are required for keeping alongside each other of new knowledge as it changes and evolves quickly over time.
The authors, however, tend to agree with Proctor’s caution that the adoption of EBP by the profession might not occur because of the isolated solution and simple. Rather, actions are essential at manifold levels, which focus on producing more agencies based on practice-relevant research, relevant class, improved organizational infrastructures, and field education (Mullen et al., 2007).
The paper argues that Education programs ought to give a higher priority to teaching the skills required in locating and using such synopses and systems. Secondarily, children or students must learn skills for critically locating and assessing systematic reviews.
However, concludes that the changes in our educational programs must always be accompanied by changes in various other sectors of the profession for EBP to be fully implemented in agency performance. A mindful and complete developed blueprint for implementing EBP in social work ought to include a full complement of coordinated strategies and goals for all its stakeholders, more so to the key organizations.
Rasmussen, J. (2001). The importance of communication in teaching: a systems-theory approach to the scaffolding metaphor. Curriculum Studies Review, 33(5), 569-582.
This article tries to indicate how the metaphor scaffolding can be understood within the framework of a constructivist interpretation and the systems theory. The author has used two theories, the activity theory and the systems theory do admit the significance of the social intrigues for the learning and development of individuals. However, the two theories differ widely in their interpretations of the relationship between psychic and social factors. The author focuses on this difference chiefly from the systems theory perspective; he accomplished in such a way that the system theory approach accentuates by comparison and contrast to the approach of the activity theory (Rasmussen, 2001).
According to the author, the focus on scaffolding, as a form of support for the development and learning of both children and young individuals is found, mostly, within the framework of activity theory. He has derived the term from the work of the American psychologist Bruner and developed it out of “Vygotsky’s notion of the zone of proximal development, a notion” (Rasmussen, 2001) that is at present enjoying a great return when it comes to the debate on education.
Some of the main variables examined in this essay include ‘collaborative learning, communities of practice’, reciprocal teaching, mutual appropriation, children as apprentice learners’, and distributed expertise in the classroom’. These are all slogans for endeavors to support the students’ learning through their social environment.
The empirical evidence shows that the metaphor, scaffolding like all metaphors, does more than merely elevating the speed of communication by compressing a lengthy explanation into an image that is easily understood. The author also showed what lies behind: indicating how the person using the metaphor conceives the issue that is rejected by the metaphor in question. Also, the author has identified instances in which Scaffolding may be used, in the literal sense, he says that scaffolding may be applied to work above the ground, and it consists of a layer of boards resting on several posts and bars. Builders stand on scaffolding to repair old buildings (or to build new ones). While when the same word gets connected to education, the scaffolding rejects an awareness of the fact that students may need support in the learning process, as well as indicating that such support ought to be given by the use of a scaffold on which, the respective teacher may stand at a higher level than the learners (Rasmussen, 2001).
The author blames the various understandings of the scaffolding on the modern systems theory. However based on the findings of the article communication can safely be viewed as scaffolding that invites participants to enlarge and evaluate their constructions in communication with other determinants, such as draft hypothesis, individual interpretations, or other possible solutions that can be discussed.
Sargeant, J., MacLeod, T., and Murray, A. (2011). An Inter-professional Approach to Teaching Communication Skills. Journal of Continuing Education in the Health Professions, 31(4), 265–267.
This journal article describes an evaluation of a novel based role-play CST program that was developed in response to the provincial needs, evaluated by the Cancer Care Nova Scotia, Dalhousie University’s Continuing Medical Education, and Irondale Ensemble Theatre, Canada, Nova Scotia Halifax (Sargeant, MacLeod, and Murray 2011).
The variables that the author has looked into include; the provincial needs assessment by Cancer Care Nova Scotia, and Dalhousie University’s Continuing Medical Education. The assessment was conducted by the health professionals caring for patients with cancer and identified communication skills as a priority learning need across professions. This also contributes to learning in an inter-professional manner with others. Together, the partners developed inter-professional communication skills workshops for the Nova Scotia health practitioners working with families and cancer patients.
The chronological span of this article, therefore, constrained the accessibility of the appropriate sources. This article draws from various sets of test records, concerning the inter-professional workshops included “(1) Essential Communication Skills, (2) Delivering Difficult to News and Providing Support, (3) When Patients and Families Are Angry, and (4) Managing conflict in the Workplace” (Rasmussen, 2001). The key lessons learned from the article apart from being positive includes
- Communication skills and behavior improved by a 2-hour interactive workshop;
- Communication skills instruction sought and valued by the health professional participants;
- Learning communication skills, interactively, from each other in an inter-professional setting enhanced learning system.
The Author’s program element attempts to develop sustainable teams of volunteer health professional facilitators using a “train the trainer” approach. A facilitator-training program was developed using the highly skilled facilitators and actors from the Irondale Theatre Ensemble. Health professionals (n = 26) completed the 3-day training and offered 6 workshops in teams of 3 to 5. While the facilitator training was well-received, it was insufficient for facilitator sustainability beyond the first year (earlier for some facilitator teams). Volunteer facilitators identified that the institution and the direct management support were critical for the sustainability of the facilitator teams, important lessons when implementing a new program.