Teaching Strategies:

Activity-Based Teaching Strategies

Created by: Dominique Lim Yañez
Activity-based Teaching
• Points toward the learners active learning role.
• Involves strategies as:
– Cooperative learning
– Simulations and Games
– Case studies
– Problem-based learning
– Self-learning Modules (elements)
• Makes the learner do more than just listening and studying.
• Learners implicate creating and storing knowledge.
• Greater knowledge retention and high level performance.
Cooperative Learning (CL)
• (Lindauer & Petrie,
1997) based on the
principle that learners
work with each other
and are responsible for
not only their own
knowledge but as well
as their group members.
Types of Cooperative learning
• Formal Cooperative learning group
– Are more useful in academic setting rather than in-service
or patient education situation (e.g., assigning groups of
students to develop a proposal for a clinical research
study).
• Informal Cooperative learning group
– Can be used in any setting (e.g., teaching about the
childbirth experience to a group of parents-to-be).
Types of Cooperative learning
• Base Cooperative
learning group
– Could be applied easily
to new staff orientation or
teacher-ship programs
(e.g., new registered
nurses being oriented to a
new HC facility).
• Summary of types of
CL groups
.
Advantages of Cooperative Learning
• Group members learn to function as part of a team.
• Working in a group for any length of time can teach or
enhance social skills.
• Cooperative learning groups can help to address
individual learning needs and learning styles (Huff,
1997).
• Critical thinking is promoted (Zafuto, 1997).
* There is really no disadvantage to CL.
Research on CL
• Cooperative learning produces higher achievement
levels than do individualistic or competitive learning
approaches.
• Outcome measures of achievement are knowledge
gain, retention of knowledge, problem-solving,
reading, mathematics and procedural tasks, all of
which show increases with CL.
• Other outcomes found are increased self-esteem,
improved attitude toward learning, social competence,
and decreased anxiety in learning.
Research on CL
• Cooperative learning has been found to be a cost-
effective strategy.
• Effectiveness of cooperative learning has been found in
all age groups and levels of education, both sexes, all
nationalities studied, and all economic groups.
• Effects have been equally good for learners at all
ability levels.
• CL has a level of validity and generalizability beyond
that seen in most educational research.
Why is CL so effective?

Natasi and Clements (1991) suggests 3 reasons:

• To learn something is to try to teach it to someone else.
• As learners listen to each other, they work to make
sense of what each is saying and then they build on
these ideas, thus adding to their cognitive schemata.
• As learners within a group disagree with each other,
they seek to reduce cognitive dissonance and,
therefore, end up synthesizing divergent ideas.
Simulations
• Are controlled
representations of
reality.
• Are exercises that
learners engage in to
learn about the real
world without the risks
of the real world.
Simulations
• 4 types of simulations:
– Simulation exercises
• A controlled representation of a piece of reality that learners
manipulate to better understand the corresponding real situation.
– Simulation game
• A game that represents real-life situations in which learners
compete according to a set of rules in order to win or achieve an
objective.
Simulations
– Role playing
• A form of drama in which learners spontaneously act out roles
on an interaction involving problems or challenges in human
relations.
– Case studies
• An analysis of an incident or situation in which characters and
relationships are described, factual or hypothetical events
transpire, and problems need to be resolved or solved.

Simulation types
continued....
Facts about Simulations
• Simulations have been a • Chess, a simulation game, is
teaching strategy for thought to have been
developed around 800 B.C.
centuries. • Simulations more recent use
• War games were used in in education began in the
ancient China and India 1960s, when business, law,
and more recently in educational administration
eighteenth-century and medicine all began to use
various simulation formats.
Germany.
Purpose and Uses of Simulations

• Simulation • Decision-making can be

fostered by simulation.
techniques can be • Simulation strategies can be
used to achieve applied to the teaching of
learning objectives. psychomotor skills.
• Simulations can be used to
• Simulation is also an evaluate learning and
avenue for attitude competence.
change.
Role of the Educator

• 3 facets:
– Planning
• Choosing or
developing an
appropriate
simulation that will
meet learning
objectives.
Role of the Educator
– Facilitating • Steps to debriefing:
– Debriefing – Briefly summarize what
• Should occur has taken place.
immediately – Have the learners explain
following the what they did and why.
simulation when – Point out how principles
everything’s still and concepts have been
fresh. applied and how the
experience ties into the
learning objectives.
Four Types of Simulation

• Simulation Exercise
• Simulation Games
• Role-playing
• Case studies
Four Types of Simulation
Simulation Exercise (SE)
• Focuses on process learning.
• Partakers of the simulation exercise learns how to make decisions
or solve problem or apply theory.
• Examples of SE:
– Babic and Crangle (1987)
• Undergraduate students simulated the aging process in
themselves by choosing a decrement associated with aging and
simulating the resulting lifestyle for 24 hrs.
– Helmuth (1994)
• developed “mock convention”, a simulation which is very
involved and lengthy one in which students simulate a portion of
a professional nursing organization convention, to aid NS to
apply leadership skills.
Four Types of Simulation
Simulation Exercise (SE)
• Examples of SE:
– Lev (1998)
• Conducted an exercise in which nursing students, acting as if
they were from a variety of community agencies, competed for
community grant monies designed to assist chronically ill people
across their lifespan (learned resource allocation).
– Wildman and Reeves (1997)
• Used a simulation technique to teach nursing students how to
apply management theory to organizing the work of a hospital
clinical unit.
Four Types of Simulation
Simulation Exercise (SE)
• Examples of SE designed to help learners apply and
master psychomotor and clinical skills:
– Aronson and colleagues (1997)
• Arranged a lab simulation in dressing, IV lines, and the like that
simulated emergencies, complications and urgent scenarios that
the students had to assess and to which they had to respond.
– Johnson and colleagues (1999)
• Described the use of live simulated patients as an adjunct to
clinical teaching.
Four Types of Simulation
Simulation Exercise (SE)
• Examples of SE designed to help learners apply and
master psychomotor and clinical skills:
– Eaves and Flagg (2001)
• U.S. Air Force members who developed an entire simulated
hospital unit in which new graduates spent 4 hours providing
care to 9 mannequins and 2 live actor patients (learning about
delegation, decision making, and 15 psychomotor skills).
Four Types of Simulation
Simulation Games (SG)

• Focuses on either content or process learning.

– Content games
• focus on teaching or reinforcing factual information
(e.g., crossword puzzles that aim to teach
terminology or bingo games that reinforce previously
learned facts).
– Process games
• are those that emphasize problem solving or
application of information (e.g., SimCity).
Four Types of Simulation
Simulation Games (SG)
• Frame games
– Games that follow the format of established board games,
television games, and word games (Bloom and Trice,
1994) because they provide a frame on which you can
build new game applications.
• List of games
Advantages of SG
• It is fun!
Disadvantages of SG
• Games considered by others not to be simulations are
things like word games; thus, some educators feel
those games are a waste of time.
• Games are unprofessional
• Disliking competition that games promote
• Time consuming to play
• Very labour intensive to develop
Factors to Consider in making a SG

• Validity of the games

(Peter and
colleagues, 1998)
• Careful planning
(Greunding, Fenty &
Hogan, 1991)
Four Types of Simulation
Role-Playing (RP)
• A form of drama in which
learners spontaneously act
out roles in an interaction
involving problems or
challenges in human
relations.
• Helpful to gain skill in
interpersonal therapeutic
relationships.
• Develop the quality of
empathy.
Four Types of Simulation
Role-Playing (RP)

• Examples of RP:
– “Land of Suria”
• By Dahl (1984) simulation designed to give learners experience
in communicating with people from culture previously unknown
to them.
– Halloran and Dean (1994)
• Developed a role-playing simulation combined with a game
format.
– Johnson (1997)
• Used role-playing to teach home care nurses to assess patients,
communicate with families and professionals, and to fill out
paperwork accurately.
Four Types of Simulation
Case Studies (CS)
• An analysis of an incident or situation in which
characters and relationships are described, factual or
hypothetical events, transpire, and problems need to be
resolved or solved.
• Harvard Law School in the 1870’s (Wade, 1999).
• 100 years before enjoyment.
Four Types of Simulation
Case Studies (CS)
• Steps to make a Case Study for a group of learners:
– Develop objectives.
– Select a situation.
– Develop the characters.
– Develop the discussion questions.
– Lead the group discussion.
Problem-Based Learning (PBL)
• An approach to learning that involves confronting
students with real-life problems that provide a stimulus
for critical thinking and self-taught content.
• Based on a principle that students, working together in
small groups, will analyze a case, identify their own
needs for information, and then solve problems like
those that occur in everyday life.
Differences between PBL and Case
Method:
• PBL, conducted with small groups /case studies may
be used by individuals or groups.
• Students using PBL have little background of what
they’re going to do/ students doing CM have every
detail they need.
• PBL cases are usually brief and the presenting
problems are ill structures/CM cases are often long and
detailed, and their problems are fairly well defined.
Problem-Based Learning (PBL)
• Began over 30 yrs ago at McMaster University School of
Medicine in CA – spread to medical schools in US-the world.
• Medical schools – other disciplines, 1st nursing application started
in AU (Heliker, 1994).
• Cause for a new approach to medical education:
– Emphasis on memorization of more & more content.
– Lack of correlation between the basic sciences and clinical
content.
– Identification of the need to prepare professionals with skills
for lifelong learning (Bloud & Feletti, 1997).
Why use PBL in Nursing?

Glen & Wilkie (2000, p.13) suggests 2 rationale:

• It helps students to see the relevance of subjects they
learn.
• It “sets the learning in a context in which it will be
used”
Heliker (1994)
• claims that learning in context enables learners to
structure their long-term memory for easy retrieval of
the information.
Advantages of PBL
• Help students to think critically.
• Sharing of new information.
Disadvantages of PBL
• Takes a lot of time (Mathews-smith, Oberski,
GrayCrater & Smith, 2001).
• Students may feel unhappy and that of the teacher.
• Teachers have difficulty adjusting to their role.
• Students feel frustrated as they learn to direct their own
learning (Lunky-Child et al., 2001).
Problem-Based Learning
• Is PBL worth using?
• Does it have very large effects on student learning?
• Does the students enjoy learning using PBL?
Self-Learning Modules (SLM)
• Also called self-directed learning elements, self-paced
modules, self learning packets, and individualized
learning activity packages.
• Defined as a self-contained unit or package of study
materials for use by an individual.
• 1960s in academic setting – moved to staff
development – surpassed used in school of nursing.
Self-Learning Modules
• Are based on some principle of adult learning such as:
– Adults are self-motivated to learn material for which they
see relevance
– Adults’ prior experience is a resource for further learning.
– Adults are problem focused and readily learn material they
can use to solve problems (Herrick, Jenkins, & Calrson,
1998; Mast & VanAtta, 1986).
Self-Learning Modules
• There are few topics or settings in which self-learning
modules would not be appropriate:
– Used to teach entire courses or sections of courses in
academic settings at both undergraduate and graduate
levels (Fullerton & Graveley, 1998; Holtzman, 1999;
Spickerman, Lee & Eason, 1988).
– Used for bridging courses for LPNs or RNs returning to
school for a higher degree.
– Applied to staff development for purposes of orientation,
mandatory in-service topics and just about every specialty
area imaginable and for every level of nursing staff.
Components of Self-Learning
Modules
• Introduction and instructions
– Topic for a module is single concept
• Behavioural objectives
– Are no different from those you have already learned about
and written.
– Expresses what the learner will be able to do on completion of
the module.
• Pre-test
– Usually not included in a module.
– Include a pre-test for staff development and academic setting.
Components of Self-Learning
Modules
• Learning activities
– Make the most creative portion of the self-learning module.
– Will help the learner achieve the objectives.
– Activities might include:
• Reading textbook chapters, articles or pamphlets
• Reviewing handouts, charts, pictures or diagrams
• Attending short lectures, speeches or demonstrations
• Answering study questions and getting feedback
• Watching a video or slide presentation
• Using a computer program
• Practicing a psychomotor skill in a lab
• Participating in a discussion group
Components of Self-Learning
Modules
• Self-evaluations
– To see whether they are achieving the objectives that were
listed at the beginning of the unit.
– Some form of quiz, either multiple choice questions or
short-answer questions.
• Post-test
– Used to determine whether learners have mastered module
objectives.
– Maybe an objective-item test, a case study, a written
assignment such as care plan, or a demonstration of a
psychomotor skill.
Developing a Module
• Do plan in making a module months or weeks ahead
since making a module is a time-consuming process.
• (O’very, 1999)10-15 hrs of development for every hour
spent by learners in completing the self-learning
module.
Behavioural Objectives
• 1st step in the development process is writing the objective for the
module.
• Example (basing on self-learning module on intestinal
elimination)
– Perform an assessment of intestinal elimination on alive
simulated patient (video-taped or performed during a
scheduled appointment with the instructor) correctly,
including all critical elements.
– Explain the effect of infection and inflammation on the GI
tract.
– Differentiate between any 4 infectious or inflammatory GI
disorder min terms of pathology, patient problems and nursing
intervention.
Behavioural Objectives
– View a computer simulation of a patient with inflammatory
bowel disease and list the patient’s problems, your
proposed interventions, and the rationale for those
interventions.
– Analyze why a given list of nursing intervention would be
used for a patient with an obstructed small bowel.
– Write and implement (on video-tap or during a schedules
appointment with the instructor) a teaching plan for a
patient (a friend or colleague with a selected inflammatory
disorder.
Pre-test
• Decide what knowledge the learner would to have
bring to the learning experience in order to progress
through the module.
• (basing on the example “intestinal elimination”) part of
the pre-test should include questions about normal
anatomy and physiology of intestinal elimination.
Learning Activities
• Plan content and learning activities
• Choose some learning activities that are visual, some
auditory and some tactile.
• Choose activities that stress abstractions and some that
focus on concrete information.
• Keep in mind about time.
• (basing on the example “intestinal elimination”)
– Unit I
• Read pages 216 to 222 in the accompanying textbook in light of
the study questions on Handout I.
Learning Activities
• Select one of the following activities:
– View the videotape, Assessment of Intestinal Function
– Listen to the audiotape, Step-by-step History Taking and Physical
Assessment, Part 5.
• Practice doing an assessment of intestinal elimination.
Self-Evaluation
• Guides should be developed to accompany each unit in
a form of short quizzes, based on the objectives, that
enable learners to check their progress.
Post-test
• Is usually, at least in part, a written examination.
• Consists of multiple-choice and matching items, essay
questions, or case studies with questions.
Introduction and Instruction
• Tells the learner how to work through the module, how
to use the pre-test and self-evaluation guides, where to
locate resources, what procedures to use for handing in
assignments or scheduling skill tests, and what the
roles of the educator and learner.
Pilot Testing
• Have 1 or 2 people work through the module.
• Experience will tell if there are flaws in the module.
Advantages of Self-Learning Modules
• The ability to learn independently and at one’s own
pace and in one’s own time.
• Faculty who are frustrated by not having the time to
help students who are struggling with course material
in a traditional learning system have that opportunity in
the individualized approach.
• Can reduce travel time for conferences and reduce the
amount of time that staff nurses have to be away from
their units.
• Reduce the cost of in-service education.
Disadvantages of Self-Learning
Modules
• Some learners may miss learning with other people and
miss the interactions that take place in a classroom.
• Individualized learning may lead to further
procrastination due to lack of structure and deadlines.
• Learners may be less than honest about their results
and thus forgo needed learning (Suggs et al., 1998).
Research on Effectiveness of SLM:
• Comparison on the amount of knowledge gained by
nurses using SLM to those taught by lecture and found
no significant differences (Coleman et al., 1991;
Scholmer, Anderson & Shaw, 1997; Suggs et al.,
1998).
• Nikolajski (1992) compared module use to classes with
lecture/slide presentations and found that both groups
had significant learning gains, but the gains were
greater for the lecture group.
Research on Effectiveness of SLM:
• Lamb and Henderson (1993) • Wong and Wong (1985)
found that in comparing groups
given lectures versus those using measured patient
modules, the module group had satisfaction, compliance
significantly higher post-test behaviour and
scores.
postoperative
• Grant (1993) found that nurses
preferred to use module rather complications in two
than attend lecture classes groups of patients
• Lipe and colleagues (1994) undergoing hip surgery.
reported 95 to 100 percent
favorable evalutaions among
nurses who learned from
modules.
CONCLUSION
QUESTIONS?
FIN