Moments of movement: Active Learning and practice development

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nepr.2009.02.010Get rights and content

Summary

As our understanding of practice development becomes more sophisticated, we enhance our understanding of how the facilitation of learning in and from practice, can be more effectively achieved. This paper outlines an approach for enabling and maximizing learning within practice development known as ’Active Learning’. It considers how, given establishing a learning culture is a prerequisite for the sustainability of PD within organisations, practice developers can do more to maximize learning for practitioners and other stakeholders. Active Learning requires that more attention be given by organisations committed to PD, at a corporate and strategic level for how learning strategies are developed in the workplace. Specifically, a move away from a heavy reliance on training may be required. Practice development facilitators also need to review: how they organise and offer learning, so that learning strategies are consistent with the vision, aims and processes of PD; have skills in the planning, delivery and evaluation of learning as part of their role and influence others who provide more traditional methods of training and education.

Introduction

Active Learning (Dewing, 2008, p. 273) is an approach for in-depth learning that draws on, creatively synthesizes and integrates numerous learning methods. It is based in and from personal work experience of practitioners. Being open to, engaging with and learning from personal experience are central activities in emancipatory and transformational practice development (PD) work and the purposes of PD; key to which is transforming workplace cultures and individuals. This paper contributes to this debate by focusing on the contribution of Active Learning and its possible outcomes. It will outline the fundamental principles and key aspects of Active Learning and then expand this further. Finally, some of the implications of Active Learning for facilitators of PD will be considered.

Practice development is a continuum encompassing a wide range of activities (Garbett and McCormack, 2002, McCormack et al., 1999, Page and Hammer, 2002, McSherry and Warr, 2006). A recent definition from the members of an International Practice Development Collaborative suggests PD

is a continuous process of developing person-centred cultures, enabled by facilitators. Learning brings about transformations of individual and team practices, sustained by embedding PD processes and outcomes in corporate strategy (McCormack et al., 2008, p. 9).

Thus learning is necessary for bringing about multiple types of transformations and also embedding learning in corporate strategy is ultimately necessary for the sustainability of PD within organisations. Most organisations would claim they are committed to developing learning in their organisation. Yet it is still common within UK health care organisations for this broad group of activities to be referred to as training (Clarke and Wilson, 2008, p. 108). Further, whilst not unusual to find teams committed to developing person-centred workplaces, learning is still something that takes place away from the workplace and ‘taught’ mainly through traditional training or study days. Such learning events may be determined without much consultation with practitioners and continue to rely on formal traditional teaching methods. Yet, it is generally expected that learning will be transferred into practice. More over, in PD projects or programmes, those directly involved in learning are expected to influence others through the outcomes of their learning (Dewing and Wright, 2003, Dewing et al., 2007). As the recent realist synthesis of evidence relating to PD identifies (McCormack et al., 2006) there are still several areas in which PD is not maximizing the contribution learning can make; (for example relying on subject teaching or the teaching of technical aspects of PD devoid of context and culture). Consequently, there can be a failure to maximize opportunities for learning within whole teams, slowing down the transitions and transformation of individuals, teams and the culture.

Section snippets

The principles of Active Learning

The education literature’s use of the term ‘Active Learning’ has relied more on intuitive understanding than on common definition. It can be argued that all learning is inherently active, for example, listening to formal presentations in the classroom. Chickering and Gamson (1987) however, suggest that Active Learning must be more than this. To be active, must mean engaging in such higher-order thinking as analysis, synthesis, and evaluation. This seems to have led to the general definition of

Facilitating Active Learning

Strategically, PD facilitators generally desire practitioners to un-learn taken for granted knowledge and routines; discover and embody new ways of knowing; connect more fully with or rediscover existing knowledge (Angelo, 1993); enhance their skills; expand their potential for problematising and finding or creating solutions to practice puzzles or problems (Walsh et al., 2005, Walsh et al., 2006). Facilitators then aspire for those same practitioners to retain the learning, and apply it to new

Concluding comments

The intention here has been to outline the principles of Active Learning in the context of PD and to explore some of the implications for facilitating Active Learning. In essence, Active Learning is concerned with providing holistic learning opportunities rather than with teaching knowledge. It is based on engaging with the senses, multiple intelligences, self-reflection and dialogue with others; action in the workplace; is grounded in feeling and personal experience and needs a context. In

References (39)

  • T.A. Angelo

    A teacher’s dozen: 14 research-based principles for improving higher learning in our classrooms

    American Association for Higher Education Bulletin

    (1993)
  • Bonwell, C.C., Eison, J.A., 1991. Active Learning: Creating Excitement in the Classroom. ASHE-ERIC Higher Education...
  • J. Bruner

    The Culture of Education

    (1997)
  • A.W. Chickering et al.

    Seven principles for good practice

    American Association for Higher Education Bulletin

    (1987)
  • C. Clarke et al.

    Learning – the heart of practice development

  • Dewing, J., 2007. An Exploration of Wandering in Older Persons with a Dementia through Radical Reflection and...
  • J. Dewing

    Chapter 15. Becoming and being active learners and creating active learning workplaces: the value of active learning

  • J. Dewing et al.

    A practice development project for nurses working with older people

    Practice Development in Health Care

    (2003)
  • J. Dewing et al.

    Involving older people in practice development

    Practice Development in Health Care Journal

    (2006)
  • Dewing, J., McCormack, B., Manning, M., McGuinness, M., McCormack, G., Devlin, R., 2007. The Development of...
  • P. Freire

    Pedagogy of the Oppressed: New Revisited

    (1993)
  • P. Freire

    Pedagogy of Hope: Reliving Pedagogy of the Oppressed

    (1994)
  • R.M. Felder et al.

    Learning by doing. The philosophy and strategies of active learning chemical engineering

    Education

    (2003)
  • Fink, D.L., 1999. Active Learning....
  • R. Garbett et al.

    A concept analysis of practice development

    Nursing Times Research

    (2002)
  • H. Gardner

    Frames of Mind: The Theory of Multiple Intelligences

    (1993)
  • Howard Gardner

    Intelligence Reframed. Multiple Intelligences for the 21st Century

    (1999)
  • J. Heron

    Feeling and Personhood: Psychology in Another Key

    (1992)
  • A. Kitson et al.

    Enabling the implementation of evidenced based practice: a conceptual framework

    Quality in Health Care

    (1998)
  • Cited by (39)

    • Large group simulation: Using combined teaching strategies to connect classroom and clinical learning

      2016, Teaching and Learning in Nursing
      Citation Excerpt :

      In addition, a growing number of students are requesting interactive educational experiences where opportunities are available to practice the application of theoretical concepts to clinical practice (Stanley & Dougherty, 2010). When nurse educators use active learning strategies to teach content, students have opportunities to develop their critical thinking, problem-solving, and reflection skills (Dewing, 2010). Active learning promotes student engagement and improves learning, retention of material, and transfer of knowledge and skills into practice (Dewing, 2010; Gleason et al., 2011).

    • Interpersonal skills development in Generation Y student nurses: A literature review

      2014, Nurse Education Today
      Citation Excerpt :

      Through this process, learners become more engaged in their practices and perform intentional actions. In Active Learning, learning takes place through social and communicative processes in the workplace and in order for learning to take place that which was learnt must be practiced (Dewing, 2010). Student nurses work in the practice area for clinical experience.

    View all citing articles on Scopus
    View full text