PLANNING AND CONDUCTING CLASSES

- Teachers have to deal with planning classes in such a way that they help meet curricular objectives and
individual students learning needs, while keeping intellectually stimulated, even if you have taught the
same information many times over.
PLANNING SEQUENCE
- Formulate objectives
- Select and organize content
- Choose teaching methods
- Design assignments
- Evaluate learning
DEVELOPING A COURSE OUTLINE/SYLLABUS
- Considered a contract between teacher and learner
- It includes the name of the course,
- name of the instructor
- a one paragraph course description
- a list of course objectives
- a topical outline
- the teaching methods to be used
- the textbook or other reading
- methods of evaluation
FORMULATING COURSE OBJECTIVE- They should reflect what the learner is supposed to do with what is taught.
A. VALUE OF OBJECTIVES
1. to guide your selection and handling of course materials.
2. You need objective to help you determine whether people in the class have learned what you have tried
to teach.
3. Essentials from the learners’ perspective- They need to know more about a course than they can get from
a course description or a list of course content.
4. Course objective s should be designed to be achievable by most or all learners in the class; they may be
viewed as minimal competencies

B. TAXONOMY OF OBJECTIVES
Bloom (1984) developed a taxonomy of educational objectives. He identified three learning
domains:
1. COGNITIVE (knowing) – you can measure knowledge, comprehension, application, analysis, synthesis and
evaluation by using written or oral test
2. PSYCHOMOTOR (doing) – you can observe what learners are actually doing when they perform a skill.
Learners can demonstrate what they have learned and you can rate their performance.
3. AFFECTIVE (feeling, valuing) and measure– not so easy to write and measure. Many educators avoid
writing objectives related to beliefs, attitudes, and values. The reasons given are that it is very difficult to
write test questions that measure the affective domain, and that you cannot readily observe whether the
students, nurses, or patients have accepted the beliefs and values inherent in the health care professions
and even if you could, the process is rather subjective.
C. WORDING OF OBJECTIVES- course objective maybe fairly broad in order to keep the list a manageable
length.
SELECTING CONTENT- usually prescribed by the curriculum of the school, health agency or proprietary agency
for which the educator works. Sometimes the only direction the educator is given is the course description,
but more often someone’s files contain previous course outlines or course objectives to guide the instructor in
deciding what to teach.
a. First consideration is how much time you can devote to the topic. The content you select will vary greatly
if you have 30 or 60 minutes.
b. The kind of background the students have – if your teaching undergraduate students, your approach may
be quite different if your teaching a refresher course for RNs.
c. Textbook has already been selected for the course, its depth of content can give you some hints as to
what you need to include.
SELECTING TEACHING METHOD
Weston and Cranton- believe that selection of teaching methods is one of the most complex parts parts of
teaching, yet it receives the least attention in instructional planning. It may receive little attention because
educators, unless taught otherwise assume that the way they were taught is the best way to do it.
Factors affecting choice of method:
1. The selection of method depends on the objectives and type of learning you are trying to achieve. If you
want to present facts and rules, lecture with handouts or a computer tutorial maybe appropriate. If you
want to mold attitudes, case studies discussions or role playing may work the best, if your goal is to
motivate the learners, gaming would be a good choice. Different teaching strategies yield different
outcomes. You have to be clear about your goals for learning if you are to choose an appropriate method.
2. The number of people in the class. Having a single learner versus 30 learners will obviously affect the way
you teach. Teaching individuals can be done best through modules, computer programs, or handouts with
explanations. With small groups, discussion, role playing, or cooperative learning can be effective. Large
groups lend themselves to lecture,audiovisuals, and case studies.
CHOOSING A TEXTBOOK
 1. Beginning with the preface to the book. The preface is the author’s description of what the book is all
about, its general objectives, the type of people who can use it, and its intended use.
2. Table of contents- to see how closely the content mirrors the content of ur course. You may not always
find an exact fit, but should be able to find at least one text that comes pretty close.
3. Examine the books appearance. Is the print east to read, and are the diagrams or charts easy to follow?
Do the graphics add interest to the content rather than distracting from the content? Is the page layout
attractive, cluttered or boring? Is more than one color used? Is the paper heavy enough that print does
not show through the pages?
4. The way in which the book will be used. Some instructors prefer a comprehensive, in depth text from
which they will choose topics for discussion or applications. The student will not only use the text to
prepare for class but will presumably use the textbook as ongoing reference.
CONDUCTING THE CLASS
A. The first class – begin by introducing yourself. If you have a preference for a form of address, first name or
last name, make it known as the outset. Tell the class little about yourself (professional or personal
whichever information is pertinent and you feel comfortable sharing.
It is the best time to communicate your expectation for the course. Give the class a general idea of the
workload and your expectations in terms of preparation for class and in terms of learning outcomes.
You should cover general classroom rules. If you have rules or policies about attendance, lateness, eating
in class and bathroom breaks, let everyone know right away. A positive way to end this introductory
portion of the course is to try to whet the learners’ appetites for what is to come. Try to place the course
or class in a larger perspective. Talk about why they should learn this information, how it will help them,
how they will be able to apply it to their lives and what they like about it.
B. Subsequent Classes-in each following class, it is important to begin and controlling the attention of the
learners. You can easily get the attention of some groups with just a look. As you begin the work of the
course, you will need to assess the learners to determine their backgrounds and how much they already
know about the content of the course.
CHARACTERISTICS OF THE LEARNER
1. CULTURE- defined as invisible patterns that form the normal ways of acting, feeling, judging, perceiving,
and organizing the world. It affects health behaviors and the teaching/learning process in many ways. It
influences gender roles, sexual behavior, diet,personal hygiene, body image, drug use, exercise and
communication among others.
2. LITERACY- the clients ability to read and understand what is being read is an essential componentof
learning . establishing the reading level and using materials that are consistent with the clients’ ability is
paramount. Materials at too high a level will be useless, as they will not be understood, materials at too
low a level, while of some value maybe too simplistic and may even be seen as insulting.
3. AGE- the older adult need more time to learn. Educational sessions either need to be for a longer period
of time or broken down into more sessions for a shorter time covering less information. With all clients,
emotional and mental status should be acknowledge and taken into fear, and anxiety can all have an
impact on the effectiveness of teaching.
4. EDUCATION LEVEL AND HEALTH STATUS- it has been documented that education level is significantly
associated with health status. This does not presuppose that only the less educated become ill, what it
may mean for the nurse is that the more educated client is the one who seeks treatment earlier in the
disease process, and the less educated client is sicker. it is important to establish the clients level of
knowledge or depth of understanding of his/her condition.
5. SOCIOECONOMIC LEVEL- learning has more to do with being able to use the information being taught
rather than the process of learning.

Motivation and behavior of the learner

a. Learning principles
- Use several senses- learning is more likely to occur if clients are allowed to practice what they are being
taught.
- Actively involve the patients or clients in the learning process- this principle relates to the teaching
method used, whether they are passive or active. Passive methods include lecture, videos, and print
materials. While this do allow for learning, learning is much enhanced if more active methods are used.
- Provide an environment conducive to learning- ideally, the room should have good lighting and
temperature control and comfortable seating with enough space between seats, should be free of
unpleasant odor and sign of deterioration.it should have adequate acoustic that is no echo and if it’s a
large space, a sound system.
- Assess the extent to which the learner is ready to learn- in general people learn only if they are emotional
and physically ready. Readiness assessment aims to provide information about what clients wants to
know and awnt to learn, their beliefs,family dynamics, housing situations, skills, educational level, fears or
concerns about their condition or the effect of their conditions to others.
- Determine the perceived relevance of the information- people generally are willing to learn what they
perceive as being important. Sometimes, this is not cinsistnet with what we think is important. The easiest
way to determine what is important and what is not is to simply ask.
- Repeat information- repetition enhances learning. When new information is presented, it should be
presented several times, in a variety of ways. Reword the information, discuss a practical application of
the information, and have the person provide a situation in which the information could be used,
 - Generalized information- information is more readily learned if it is applied to more than one situation.
Using a variety of examples and applying the information to specific situation in the clients life promotes
learning and contributes to a better chance of compliance.
- Make learning a pleasant experience- can be accomplished through frequent encouragement and positive
feedback. People usually enjoy learning, and learning is enhanced when obvious progress is being made.
- Begin with what is known; move toward what is unknown- information should be presented in an
organized fashion. It should begin with the basis or general information that is known toward new
information, or that which is unknown
- Present information at an appropriate rate- the rate at which the information is taught must be tailored
to the client. depending on the client’s knowledge level, a faster or lower pace may be necessary.

Motivation and behavior change theories

1. Health Belief Model
- Explains behavior or predicts whether behavior change will occur based on a set of beliefs or perceptions,
which include perceived seriousness, susceptibility, benefits and barriers. These perceptions are modified
by cues to action.
2. Transtheoretical or stages of Change Model
5 stages:
 Precontemplation- before they even begin to think about the change
 Contemplation- when they weigh the pros and cons o changing the behavior
 Preparation- when they decide on how they will undertake the change, what they will do
 Action- when they start the change, they put the plan into motion
 Maintenance- keeping the new behavior and resisting the old
 Termination- when the behavior becomes a habit
3. Theory of reasoned action- Based on a person’s intention to do something
A person’s attitude toward the behavior- whether it is negative or positive
Subjective norms- significant others reaction to the behavior
Behavioral control- how easy or difficult the person believes the new behavior is

4. Social Cognitive Theory- based on reciprocal determinism, that behavior is the result of an interaction
between the behavior, the person or personal factor, and the environment. If one is changed, all are
changed.

5. Self-Efficacy theory- based on the idea that people will do only what they think they can do
4 variables determine the person’s belief in ability:
o Performance accomplishments
o Vicarious experience
o Verbal persuasion
o Physiological state

6. Behavior Modification theory- underlying basis is the idea of rewards and punishment.
Reward - If the person does what is wanted, the person is giving something pleaasant.
Punishment - If the person does not do what is wanted, then something unpleasant is given or something
is taken away.