As a novice nursing educator, my personal teaching philosophy will evolve as I continue to

grow. However, if I have learned anything in my years as a student and during my time spent
studying education, it is that in order for students to learn, they must be engaged. As a teacher
then, one of my primary goals is to empower students to take an active role in their own learning.
I believe that knowledge is not so much transmitted as it is constructed. I believe my role as a
nurse educator is less about presenting facts and more about encouraging students to think. The
facts can be learned from a textbook; what I offer as an educator are experiences, anecdotes, and
the ability to facilitate the connection of facts from a textbook to real-world nursing practice.
Because nursing is a practice profession, one of the challenges for nursing educators is how to
prepare students to be actual nurses, and how to connect theoretical knowledge to practice. Rote
memorization does not prepare students to think like nurses; they must know how to apply
information they have learned to a patient situation and problem-solve in order to produce the
best outcome for the patient.
I completed my teaching practicum for my nursing education degree in Moshi, Tanzania, in
eastern Africa. While there, I had opportunities to both observe several teachers lead classroom
sessions, and lead sessions of my own. The students had three classes per day, and each class
period was two hours long. Most of the professors I observed lectured for the entire two hour
class period, typically without a break, while the students listened quietly and dutifully took
notes. As I prepared a teaching plan for a class session I was going to lead, my goal was to
engage students in the material. My teaching plan utilized lecture, a role play, and both small and
large group discussions. After the session, I asked the students to answer the question what
could the teacher have done better or differently to help you learn the material? Rather than
receiving constructive criticism as I expected, the feedback I received from students indicated
that the learning activities utilized in the session increased student understanding of the material
and helped them appreciate how the information discussed in the lecture could be used in reallife situations. The class session wasnt perfect, but the feedback was encouraging, and I learned
lessons from my own mistakes that I will incorporate into future class sessions.
I believe that the learning process is a partnership between teacher and student. I cannot force a
student to learn, but it is my responsibility as educator to create an atmosphere that is conducive
to the acquisition of knowledge in order to support students who are willing to learn. I want to
encourage my students to ask questions, not just answer the questions I pose. I want to challenge
my students to construct and integrate knowledge by engaging them in collaborative, complex
problem-solving activities, such as case studies. If my students leave my class with the ability to
ask tough questions, evaluate information, and gain knowledge for themselves, I will have
accomplished my goal.