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NwwEducalion Today ( 1990) 10,54-57 0 Longman Group UK Ltd 1990
WORK Facilitating peer group teaching within nurse education Brenda Clarke and William Feltham
Nurse teachers have an obligation to explore every teaching and learning method in order to prepare students to be able practitioners. In the wider educational field peer tutoring has been used to foster a deeper understanding of a subject area. Experiments using this method have been carried out extensively in America and are becoming more widespread in this country; however very little material is available on the use of this method in nurse education. The following article explains the use of peer tutoring as a method for developing teaching skills amongst student nurses. Two groups of learners were used in this exercise, the senior learners acting as peer tutors. Evaluation by nurse teachers and both groups of learners was favourable and the peer tutors were able to identify the benefits they received from the exercise.
and accepted
INTRODUCTION
education.
practices
in the field of general
One such method
is peer tutoring.
If one of the main aims in the nursing profession is to produce
and maintain
practitioners,
then the profession
safe, well informed has an obliga-
PEER TUTORING
tion to explore and use new teaching and learning methods (Norman 1983). This statement
Peer tutoring
originates
and student
she fosters
from a paper by Sue Norman in which the idea of computer
ing as a new teaching cation.
However
teaching education
and
learner
for nurse
edu-
other.
taken in a wider context,
new
carried
learning
method
assisted learn-
methods
within
nurse
could be seen as a vital component
for
improved practice. Methods of teaching which are new in nurse education may be seen as tried
has also been called pupil tutoring tutoring:
the term
nurses in initial education Experiments out
becoming (Hurford
in peer tutoring
extensively
in the
refers
teaching
to
each
have been
USA
and
are
more widespread in this country. 1980: Hagendon 1981). Changes in
the behaviour experiments
here
of peer included
tutors
reported
improvement
by the in
basic
skills, encouraging more positive attitudes towards learning and gaining a deeper underBrenda Clarke RGN DipN RCNT PGCEA RNT Nurse Tutor, William Feltham BA RGN DipN FETC Nurse Teacher, Bath School of Nursing, Royal United Hospital, Bath (Reprint requests to BC) Manuscript accepted 27 June 1989
54
standing of subject matter. The practice of students helping each other is not a new concept, friends have often worked at their homework together, outside of school. In the clinical situation a degree of learning takes place by means
NURSE EDUCATION
of ‘sitting next to Nellie’ and this is seen to be acceptable Senior
practise
learners
often
inexperienced reverse
by most
nurse
educators.
find themselves
learners,
however
teaching often
may occur due to inequalities
placement, teaching tutoring
curriculum
design
the
in clinical and
ward
programmes. The amount of peer which takes place relies heavily upon
the personality
of the learner,
learner has acquired to teaching. Teaching
the knowledge
the
and his or her commitment
55
TODAY
greatly assisted by the use of video as this enabled each learner
to observe
as a peer tutor. experiences
their own performance
From their own knowledge
the learners
would play in creating
identified
and
the part they
a good learning
climate,
and further discussion focused on how they would make their teaching in the clinical situation,
patient
centred.
Each
peer
tutor
then
wrote learner centred objectives and devised a teaching plan. The authors are aware of the debate
concerning
the
value
of objectives
education
(Mager
& Clark
as educator and health promoter, therefore in initial education it is vita1 to promote and en-
Stenhouse objectives
1975) would
however, it was felt these form a framework for the
courage teaching skills. One such method used to achieve this aim could be peer tutoring. By
teaching sessions. Lesson plans were discussed on a one to one basis with a nurse teacher. Each
using this method tutor
would
towards teaching be fostered subject
the teaching
be improved,
skills of the peer
a positive
attitude
those in the profession
and a deeper
area should
would
understanding
result.
of a
Whilst investigating
peer tutoring as a teaching method it became apparent that there is a minimal amount of literature
concerning
material method
that
its use in nursing.
follows
explains
the use of this
as a means of promoting
in learner
The
teaching
skills
nurses in initial education.
peer
tutor
was questioned
would use in order learning
1963;
on the
to evaluate
which had taken
1980;
tools
they
the degree
of
place and also how
they would evaluate their own performance
as a
teacher. In an attempt to avoid incorrect information or techniques being transferred from
peer
tutor
knowledge
to learner,
was tested
and
each
peer
any
inaccuracies
tutor’s
corrected. Group 2 had been in nurse education
for three
weeks and had had a brief introduction
to blood
pressure
control.
The
peer tutors
them how to take and record firstly in the classroom situation.
The peer tutoring exercise
Calder
in
forms a vital part of the nurses role
a blood pressure
and then in the clinical
The group of learners who were involved in this exercise consisted of two groups of twenty four.
possible for learner
Group
had
use the clinical area which was to be their next
The
allocation. This meant the junior learners would know one of the senior learners when they
been
1, who were to be the peer in nurse
preparation
education
for
tutors
15 months.
of this group formed
a component
Discussion
would teach
with the allocation
officer
made it
nurses from both groups
to
of the curriculum theme designed to develop teaching skills. From the inception of their nurse
commenced their clinical experience. It was hoped that not only peer group tutoring would
education,
continue
ance
the group had identified
of teaching
promotion, members
skills,
patients,
learner
of the caring
been introduced theories relating
in relation nurses
team.
The
the importto health and other group
had
particularly to those learning to the adult learner. Each
learner had practised their teaching skills, using role play on a one to one basis, in the safe climate of the classroom. Feedback had been received on their
performance
as teachers
peers and the nurse teachers.
from
their
own
Self evaluation
was
but
also
peer
support
would
be
fostered. This was explained to the clinical staff when the peer tutoring exercise was discussed, all agreed
to assist and all were aware of the aims
(Appendix 1). The teaching
took place in the classroom
in the clinical situation one exercise had been explained
and
week after the to both learner
groups. Time was allocated during the session for introductions and informal discussion to take place between peer tutor and learner
in an effort
56
NURSE EDUCATION
to create a rapport Nurse
teachers
TODAY
before
tutoring
monitored
the information
commenced.
the teaching
in the
taught.
The group commented
on their anxiety about the teaching session but all
classroom, interjecting only if requested by the peer tutor or if there was obvious signs of
stated they enjoyed
problems.
increase and reinforce their own knowledge. By using the feedback from the peer learner they
When
the peer tutor felt the know-
ledge and skills acquired by the learner were sufficient to ensure patient safety, the tutor and learner patient
moved into the clinical area so that a centred approach towards the topic
could be fostered. peer
tutor
Nurse teachers
and learner
followed
into the clinical
the area,
peer
tutors
their teaching and enthusiasm
teaching
appeared
confidence
they had enjoyed
teaching
session;
and
each
member
of both
exercise
(Appendix
on the
2).
to have improved
skills, for
greatly.
The peer learners response to the questionnaire revealed that 77% felt that the teaching
to ask their
groups was asked to fill in a questionnaire
helped
their
couraged
the
had
however
session
to evaluate
the session
would be able to improve
again observing the teaching taking place. At the end of the exercise the peer tutors were enlearners
it and found it useful. These
said that
was very good,
13.5%
good and 6.5%
good to very good. All learners teaching mented
being
commented
the session,
much
that
the one to one
appreciated.
Some
com-
on the fact that their peer tutor could
empathise
with them because
they were able to
remember how anxious they had felt when learning how to measure and record blood pressure.
EVALUATION Peer
evaluation
is another
within nurse education. account the
for this is nursing’s
area
of
neglected
evaluation.
poor socialisation Often
in
evaluation
viewed as a negative
experience
vehicle
and professional
for personal
aspect
One reason which might
rather
is
than a growth.
Historically, evaluation has been performed by ‘rigid’ supervisors and seldom if ever in a collegial atmosphere acknowledge
with peers. Whilst the authors
that the questionnaire
seen to be problematic,
used can be
the desire was to move
away from this rather
rigid approach
to evalu-
ation and to move towards a more relaxed situation. The
peer
tionnaire
tutor’s
revealed
that their
lesson
responses
that 95% plans
to
the
of the group
had helped
that they found it difficult
vast majority
programmes
of main
stream
in peer tutoring
education
have been in basic
skills such as maths or beginning
reading
and
frequently remedial settings. The reputation of effectiveness for peer tutoring projects has spread rapidly amongst teachers in general education in America. This exercise was used as part of a programme but peer
for developing
tutoring
teaching
skills
can be used in a variety
of
settings.
ques-
be explored by nurse educators in initial education in order that the benefits to learners
felt
with their
to judge
The
open
teaching session and all felt that they had given sufficient information, although most commented
DISCUSSION
the
correct level at which to teach the subject; 50% felt their teaching skills were good, 15% rated their skill between fair and good and 20% rated themselves fair on the scale. Most of the peer tutors felt that they needed to give clearer explanations as well as more time to the primary information. Some felt they needed to develop the use of aids and even handouts to summarise
It is a teaching
method
which needs to
should not be lost. Questions novelty
might
of such
be
raised
an exercise.
regarding Would
the
the pro-
cedure become boring if used for a longer period of time and could the results be attributed to the ‘Hawthorne’ effect, which good teachers constantly use. It is not from the point of view of practising
teachers
an undesirable
effect
to be
avoided, but an effect to be used as long as it works. Would repeated or constant use of peer tutoring have a detrimental effect where all the gains were due solely to the novelty of the situation?
In this exercise
there
is no way to
NURSE EDUCATION TODAY
disentangle
the
effects
effects of tutoring,
of novelty
from
the
but it should be noted that if
tutoring is used very much in the way in which it was used in this exercise, as a short, carefully planned unit built into the normal course of teaching,
then
the
Hawthorne
effect
probably arise each time, enhancing and improving
achievement.
There
would
enjoyment are, how-
ever, persuasive reasons for supposing that tutoring is an effective procedure for enhancing learning quite apart from its novelty. It involves clearly defined objectives (peer tutors are given a precise area of knowledge or skill to teach to the peer learners), active participation and verbalisation as well as the strong reinforcement and motivation of working with a peer. We are about to face Project informed
2000,
aiming
practitioners;
to produce
nurse
well
educationalists
need to teaching
take this opportunity methods which are
to examine being widely
acclaimed
in general
Research
peer tutoring
education.
in nursing is needed;
into
the learners
who were involved in this exercise felt that peer tutoring
had equipped
them for their teaching
role when they qualified.
APPENDIX
57
1
Example of teaching plan produced by peer tutor Aim to teach the learner how to measure and record blood pressure accurately and to facilitate an understanding of the factors involved in maintaining blood pressure. Objectives/Method 1. Assess, by questioning, the learners present knowledge and experience. 2. With the aid of diagrams, explain what is meant by the term blood pressure. Invite Questions 3. Explain the factors involved in maintenance of normal blood pressure. 4. Demonstrate the equipment used for monitoring blood pressure. 5. Demonstrate how a blood pressure is measured and recorded accurately. Invite Questions Allow learner to record blood pressure of peer teacher. Discuss learner’s performance, encouraging self evaluation by learner. Repeat performance. Invite Questions Describe the necessary communication and approach to patient when measuring blood pressure. 10. Take the learner to the ward. 11. Supervise learner measuring blood pressure. 12. Evaluate and discuss with the learner their performance, ensuring this takes place away from the patient.
APPENDIX
2
Questionnaire for peer tutors and learners T = for teachers only L = for learners only Other questions to be answered by both groups
References
1. Was the aim clearly stated?
Allen V 1976 Children as teachers: theory and research on tutoring. Academic Press, London Bond J 1982 Pupil tutoring: the educational conjuring trick. Educational Review, Vol 34, No 3 Calder J R 1980 In defense of the systematic approach to instruction and behaviour objectives. Educational Technology, May 1980, pp 21-25 Hagedon J 198 1 Special relationship. The Guardian (Education), July 15 Hut-ford A 1980 How peer tutors can help. Special Education: Forward Trends 7, pp 33-35 Mager R F, Clark C 1963 Explorations in studentcontrolled instruction. Psychological Report 13, pp 71-76 Norman S 1984 RCN association of nursing education conference ‘Computers in Nurse Education’ Stenhouse L 197 1 Some limitations of the use of objectives in curriculum research and planning in Paedagogica Europaea 6, 1970-7 1, pp 73-83.
Yes/No 2. (T) Did the lesson plan which you had prepared, meet the needs of your teaching session? Yes/No 3. (T) Please rate your teaching skills on the following scale. Very Good Good Fair Poor 4. (L) Please rate the teaching which you received on the following scale. Good Fair Poor Very Good (T) How could you have improved your teaching skills? (L) What would have made learning during the session, easier for you? (T) Did you have sufficient information? Yes/No (L) Was sufficient information given to you, to enable you to understand, how to measure and record a blood pressure? 9. What was positive about the session?
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