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The Clinical Educator's Resource Kit

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Home Part 3: Approaches to Clinical Education Learning Styles Print Version

Home Learning Styles


About the C linical Educator's
Resource Kit
Acknowledge the preferred learning style of your student
Definition of Terms
C ontent Overview
We have explored the general principles that apply to how adults learn.
Part 1: Pre-placement Bearing these principles in mind, we can also appreciate that as
C onsiderations individuals, we all have different preferences on how we approach new
Part 2: Setting Up and learning. For instance, some people are active learners. They like to be
Maintenance constantly challenged, can think on their feet and enjoy the challenge of
Part 3: Approaches to being thrown in the deep end, learning best 'on the job' through practical
C linical Education exposure, trial and error and direct experience. Other people are more
Part 4: Feedback and reflective learners, they need time to plan, prepare, research and to
Evaluation have time to reflect on their learning before being confronted with a new
Part 5: Students
challenge. They may like to be thoroughly briefed before proceeding.
Experiencing Difficulty Some people are theoretical learners, and are stimulated by abstract
ideas and concepts. They like to consider numerous viewpoints and
Resource Kit Feedback
theories and to analyse situations before selecting options and
approaches to a task. They learn through observation, discussion,
QOTFC Homepage analysis, and enjoy logical and sophisticated reasoning. Whilst others are
QOTFC and Occupational pragmatic learners, they enjoy learning from qualified demonstration, and
Therapy C linical Education need to see the practical advantage of all that they are doing. They
Practice Placements in need to know that what they are doing works and is realistic (Sample,
Mental Health 1999).
Placement Grants Scheme Learning styles can be influenced by past experiences, education, work
and the learning situation. It is important to recognise that they are not
Se le ct a quick link : fixed but may be adapted according to context and what is being
learned. Nevertheless most people still favour one style of learning.

"Very early on, I get [the students] to figure out their learning
style by giving them examples and then we negotiate what
approach will work best for them." J.Copley, OT clinical educator,
multiple-mentoring model (personal communication, May 24, 2007)

There are various classifications of learning styles that you may like to
become more familiar with.

Here are some useful resources and references


The Manual of Learning Styles, by Peter Honey and Alan Mumford
(1992).
Provides an introduction to learning styles with advice on how to
administer and interpret the The Learning Styles Questionnaire.
Kolb Learning Style Inventory (LSI): Self-scoring and interpretation
booklet. A statistically reliable and valid, 12-item questionnaire and
workbook, developed by David A. Kolb (1976).
VARK (Visual, Aural, Read/write, Kinaesthetic). A guide to learning
styles by Nick Fleming (1992) Website. http://www.vark-
learn.com/english/index.asp
Index of Learning Styles.
http://www.engr.ncsu.edu/learningstyles/ilsweb.html
Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) by (1993). These resources
provide useful exercises in helping you and the student to identify
preferred learning styles, as well as your preferred approach to teaching.
You can then discuss and negotiate with the student learning strategies
that will compliment their learning style and your teaching style, as well
as the expectations of the placement and the setting.
"One of my past students was very 'hands-on' ie the activist, and so
thoroughly enjoyed being thrown in the deep end and was prepared to
make a few mistakes [in order] to learn. I perceived early on that she
learnt best through 'doing' and not so much from observing or reading".
N. Flynn, OT clinical educator, Mater Private Hospital 2007 (personal
communication, June,6,2007).
"Then you have the 'information gatherer' student, who gathers piles
and piles of information, but has difficulty applying this information to
practice. It is about enabling that student to turn the 'pile' into a
program and to use the information to tune their clinical reasoning"
K.Adam, OT clinical educator, workplace rehabilitation practice (personal
communication, May,10, 2007).

www.qotfc.edu.au/resource/index.html?page=65376 1/2
"Conflict can occur when the supervisor has an 'activist' style to
teaching, whilst the student has a 'theorist' style to learning" OT clinical
educator, PA Hospital (personal communication, May,25, 2007)
Flexibility and adaptability is the key to learning. There may be times
when you need to adjust your teaching style to accommodate student
needs, as in turn the student will need to accommodate your teaching
style and the expectations of the context and situation in which they
are learning.
"It is important to recognise that you can't always cater to the learning
styles of each student, but you can try to accommodate them as much
as is reasonable. For instance, if a student likes demonstration and
practice prior to implementing an interview or assessment then, rather
than you providing that demonstration all the time, you could encourage
them to practice sometimes with the other students first. You can try
to meet them in the middle ground" S.Bartholomai, OT clinical educator,
Ipswich hospital (personal communication, May 31, 2007)

Difference of Approach
Here is a possible example of two different student learning approaches
to delivering a staff in-service and suggestions on how teaching
approaches could be modified to accommodate differences in learning
style:
Active Learner : May write brief notes to self as prompts and then
elaborate more spontaneously through active thinking on spot during in-
service. May use immediate verbal and non-verbal feedback to adapt and
modify performance behaviour during course of in-service - learning on
the spot. May reflect on learning and performance through direct
discussion immediately following in-service (with or without note-taking).
Possible teaching approach : Ask student to talk through their plan
and rationale prior to action. Direct student to relevant and important
resources, information or protocols to ensure attention is given to
essential level of preparation. Allow plenty of active hands-on learning
and regularly ask student to explain reasoning, background knowledge as
it is happening. Encourage immediate reflection and feedback.
Reflective Learner : May make efforts to feel thoroughly prepared, in
order to boost confidence and to accept goal as achievable. May
prepare for in-service by collecting and reading large amounts of relevant
(or sometimes broadly relevant) information relating to topic to gain a
comprehensive understanding of the theme; and will prepare for delivery
of in-service through memorising, rehearsing information delivery and
preparing extensive or detailed notes (may be word for word) for
reference during in-service delivery (may or may not be used "in-
action"). May have prepared plan B for aspects of in-service discussions,
and considered responses to possible questions. Will appreciate time to
reflect on performance and outcomes afterwards, and may prefer to take
some notes prior to discussing with supervisor. Possible teaching
approach : Allow student time to plan, consult and research information
relevant to task - within reason. Monitor student's interpretation of
information gathered to ensure that relevance and prioritisation of
important information is effectively distinguished from less relevant -
assists student to avoid overwhelming themselves with too much
information. Encourage time for quiet reflection prior to providing
feedback or joint reflection session.
(Sample, 1999)

Key points
Adults have preferred learning styles

Know your own style


Be aware of other learning styles
Acknowledge the preferred learning style of your student

This will assist to

Identify areas in need of improvement


Design strategies for enhanced learning

(Fitzgerald, 2007, March)

Next ---> Student Supervision

2007 Q ue e nsland O ccupational The rapy Fie ldwork C ollaborative


Authorise d by: Q O TFC
Maintaine d by: we bse rvice s@uq.e du.au
Last Update d: Jul 10, 2007

www.qotfc.edu.au/resource/index.html?page=65376 2/2

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