Two Important Aspects Of Affective Learning example essay topic

Teaching and learning go hand in hand despite their meanings. Teaching is the active process of delivering new information, skills, or behaviors to another person or persons who is motivated to learn them. Learning is the active process of acquiring new knowledge, skills, and behaviors. Both require the willingness of those involved whether it be to teach or to learn. One often does not occur with out the other. Teaching requires the learner who is willing and wanting to learn; learning often requires a teacher who will deliver this new information to you.

Teaching is one of the most important roles as a nurse. A necessity for effective teaching is an active learner, also known as the patient or in some cases the patients family. Nurses are responsible for providing information so that patients can make education decision regarding their care and illnesses. It is very important that the nurse is receptive to the clients teaching and learning needs. The nurse must be aware of age, mental capabilities, reading abilities, and level of pain among many other factors at the time of teaching. If the these factors are not considered then teaching and learning will not be fully effective.

Based on the previous factors the nurse is able to plan a time and style of teaching that will be most beneficial for the patient. Hypertension is a very serious disease defined as a blood pressure of 140 over 90 or higher, at rest. Untreated hypertension can have many costs, some even deadly. Stroke, angina, kidney disease, and peripheral vascular disease are a few of the possible side of effects of hypertension. Lifestyle modification plays a large role in the management of high blood pressure. The cessation of smoking and alcohol may help to lower blood pressure since both are factors that elevate it.

In Bob's case, smoking and drinking apply to his lifestyle and should be encouraged to be ceased. Change in diet also plays an important role in lowering hypertension. A low fat and calorie diet as well as one that is high in grains, vegetables, meat, poultry, and fish is beneficial to blood pressure. Weight and exercise are two other important factors in hypertension. Bob should consider losing any excess weight and starting an exercise regimen to decrease his blood pressure. With the proper medication and life-long life-style modifications, patients with hypertension have an excellent prognosis.

There are three domains to learning: cognitive learning, affective learning, and psychomotor learning. Cognitive learning represents the understanding of knowledge and requires thinking. Therefore, comprehension and evaluation, specifically, would be helpful to Bob. He should be able to comprehend the information given to him to understand why he must make changes in his lifestyle, and he must also be able to evaluate what it will mean to begin exercising in regards to his hypertension and other diseases. Affective learning deals with the attitudes and feelings towards learning. Organizing and characterizing are two important aspects of affective learning that will effect Bob.

Organizing will be important in Bob's situation because it shows that the patient accepts changes that need to be made and resolves them. Bob must accept that he needs to change his diet and increase his amount of exercise. He must also resolve these changes by finding new healthy foods to eat and forms of exercise that interest him. Characterizing is related to being consistent when something is tested. For example, if Bob is in a situation where fatty or fried foods are served, he needs to find an alternative food to eat and stick to his diet. Psychomotor learning involves actual skills that require not only thinking but an activity as well.

Guided response is a part of psychomotor learning involving the patient watching the nurse perform a task and then repeating his or her actions. Bob may need to monitor his blood pressure at home, therefore, he will need to know how to work the blood pressure machine on his own. Motivation, ability, and environment are also important factors to consider when teaching a patient. Motivation is the drive of the patient to learn. For Bob, his own motivation to learn may be driven by the scare of being in the hospital. For many patients that is enough to make them want to change their life-style to improve their length and quality of life.

His ability to learn should be assessed by the nurse through observation. For example, it is important to know whether Bob can read or not before handing him pamphlets of information regarding his diseases. Environment can have a large impact on the learning of client. It is important to find a quiet area where there will be as few interruptions as possible, and where the patient can be as comfortable as possible. This will promote optimal learning. In Bob's situation, a discussion would be the most beneficial teaching method for hypertension.

It would be helpful to have a group discussion with his wife because he may need her support in his life-style modifications. It would also be important for her to understand why these changes need to be made. Teaching is one of the nurses most important roles. Teaching about a patient's health is something that the patient takes with them when they leave the hospital and are on their own. It is up to the nurse to ensure that the patient fully understands what has been taught, and that they will be able to safely care for themselves at home with this new information. There are many factors to consider for optimal learning, and when they are considered the outcome is often very rewarding.