Collaborative Action Learning Sets

Innovation

Enhancing Practice Teachers knowledge and skills for practice learning by utilising collaborative action learning sets

This innovation was implemented following a successful teaching development grant from the Higher Education Academy. The innovation is the development and utilisation of action learning sets as a teaching and learning strategy at postgraduate level. The students are all trainee Practice Teachers and the action learning sets have now been included in the module as a teaching and learning strategy. This was agreed following revalidation. The Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) representative felt this innovative approach was an excellent strategy to develop, enable and empower trainee Practice Teachers to support and assess students in practice.

What prompted innovation?

The increasing demand for Health visiting students and the need to develop health visitor practice teacher who can develop critical thinking and problem solving. This, with the combined and relentless government reforms, makes the dual role of Practice Teachers (clinical and educational) increasingly more complex, causing challenges to facilitation and assessment of students in practice. The module team wanted to give the Practice Teachers an enhanced ‘toolkit’ to draw upon in these challenging times.

What makes innovation different?

Action Learning as a teaching and learning strategy is very powerful, by placing the trainee Practice Teacher at the heart of the learning experience. The fundamental element that makes utilising action learning sets different is the utilisation of the trainee Practice Teachers tacit and professional knowledge. The value that is placed on the tacit and professional knowledge also enhances confidence, knowledge and enhances relationships with other Practice Teachers and students.

Changes in practice

• The action learning sets have now been incorporated in the Practice Teacher taught module and was also commended as best practice by the Nursing and Midwifery Council at a recent validation event.
• The action learning sets as a teaching and learning strategy have been developed further following this small scale research project.
• Action learning sets will be utilised at Practice Teachers days to develop current and experienced Practice Teachers in the strategy to support students undertaking Health Visiting and other Specialist Practice Programmes.
• The practice teachers involved with the research project have emphasised the benefits of action learning and plan to use the approach with groups of mentors in practice, they also plan cascade wider within their organisations.

Impact

• Student and employer feedback and evaluation
• Data from pre and post intervention questionnaires
• Data from trainee Practice Teacher, student and employer focus groups

Dissemination

• Education in Clinical Practice theme presentation ‘Enhancing Practice Teacher’s knowledge and skills for practice learning by utilising collaborative action learning sets’ at the 24th International Networking for Healthcare Education conference 3-5 September 2013
• Final report September 2013 will be shared on the University website, with stakeholders and Practice Teachers.
• Online resource being developed for Practice Teachers to engage with each other and share best practice. This has been funded following a successful bid for a knowledge transfer grant.
• Literature Review to be submitted for publication to Nurse Education in Practice Journal.