The Four-Quadrant Model of Facilitated Learning (Part 2): strategies and applications

Occupational therapists routinely use a variety of learning strategies as part of their engagement with clients. This paper is the second of a two-part presentation of the Four-Quadrant Model of Facilitated Learning (4QM), a client-centred means of employing teaching–learning approaches to intervention. The first paper examined the way teaching–learning approaches can be used in occupational therapy. The current paper discusses the ways that various learning strategies can be used as therapeutic tools. Useful learning strategies are grouped according to purpose and presented in the 4QM as a coordinated way of organising therapeutic intervention. In this way, the 4QM is posited to enhance the repertoire of strategies from which therapists can draw, and to help coordinate the learning process over time. The 4QM is advanced as a way of informing clinical reasoning in teaching–learning approaches to occupational therapy by providing a means of understanding how and when various strategies are most appropriately used. Although grounded in theories of child learning, applications to adult learning may also be possible.     

Implementing a problem-based learning curriculum in occupational therapy: A conceptual model

Problem-based learning in occupational therapy education has enjoyed increasing attention in recent years. Drawing on concepts from general systems theory and organizational theory, this paper presents a conceptual model of an occupational therapy education program as an open and dynamic system that interacts with and is responsive to the external environment. The model is described in the generic context of developing, implementing and evaluating a problem-based learning curriculum. The Bachelor of Health Sciences (Occupational Therapy) program at McMaster University in Canada is used to provide a practical illustration of the various components of the model. The model is considered to be sufficiently generic and adaptable for use by any occupational therapy program in any sociocultural environment in the world, and will be of particular interest to those who are considering problem-based learning as an alternative to traditional educational approaches.     

Students Teaching Students: Learning Through Doing,Being, and Becoming

This paper describes a creative teaching strategy that may be used by occupational therapy educators. The strategy is illustrated through the learning experience of five occupational therapy students in Pi Theta Epsilon (PTE) who participated in a project which involved teaching first year occupational therapy students. With guidance from their faculty advisor, the students developed a lecture on Occupational Science and designed a pre and posttest instrument to measure the first year student's learning as well as their own performance and learning. Qualitative data from the five PTE students provided insight into their teaching experience. This project afforded an opportunity for the five students to apply and strengthen their problem-solving, interpersonal, and leadership skills, and teamwork. The doing aspect of preparing a lecture required various skills and knowledge that will benefit the students as future practitioners. The actual teaching of others allowed the students to experience being in the role of an educator. Such learning activities help to prepare students for their journey to becoming occupational therapists.     

Online learning: the potential for occupational therapy education

Online learning continues to have a significant impact on higher education. Increasingly students seek a combination of online learning and face-to-face instruction at undergraduate and graduate levels and occupational therapists ask for online continuing professional development opportunities. However, occupational therapy educators have been slow to adopt web-based instructional technology. This paper presents background information on the use of web-based learning in the general sphere of higher education and outlines the current range of usage in occupational therapy education. Research findings are presented to stimulate discussion regarding online learning and occupational therapy professional socialisation, student satisfaction and outcomes. There is a fine line between full and partial online course delivery, so research on technology-enhanced campus-based delivery is also included in the review. Evidence suggests that blending combinations of technologies with computer mediated learning enhances interaction and could address the higher order learning needs of professional programmes such as occupational therapy.     

Achieving Curricular Themes Through Learner-Centered Teaching

This paper focuses on the use of the four specific learner-centered teaching approaches: service-learning, learning through discussion, team-based learning, and a structured research course sequence in an occupational therapy curriculum. These methods are used to develop the four curriculum themes of engagement, critical thinking, innovations in practice, and clinical reasoning. The outcome of these approaches has been that students have taken more responsibility for their learning and shown increased maturity while promoting faculty creativity. Additionally, students have developed skills and interests in social and community engagement, and have sought jobs in community-based practice areas.     

Learning style preferences of Australian occupational therapy students

Background/aim:  The learning styles and teaching implications for nursing and health science students have been well researched in other countries. Less research has considered the learning styles and implications for occupational therapy students. The current study examines the learning styles of occupational therapy students at one Australian university.
Methods:  The learning style preferences of first year undergraduate occupational therapy students ( n  = 120) were investigated. The students completed the Kolb Learning Style Inventory (LSI) and Fleming's VARK (Visual, Aural, Read/Write, and Kinaesthetic) Questionnaire in the first weeks of their course.
Results:  The response rate was 97% ( n  = 116). Learning style preferences as determined by the Kolb LSI were spread over all four Kolb LSI learning styles with 'diverging' (30.2%) and 'converging' (28.4%) being the most preferred. Instructional preference as measured by the VARK Questionnaire was kinaesthetic learning (33%), followed by the multimodal preference VARK (18.1%). Visual and aural categories were these students' least preferred methods of learning.
Conclusions:  The results of the current study support previous research indicating a range of teaching methods should be utilised to accommodate for the variability of students' learning styles within educational programs. To accommodate the range of learning experiences encountered in fieldwork and later in professional practice, students need to strengthen their capacities to use a variety of learning styles. This paper proposes that student learning for evidenced-based practice be facilitated by a range of learning opportunities including practical experiences.     

Concept Mapping as a Learning Tool in Occupational Therapy Education

This paper describes concept mapping and its use as a teaching and learning tool in an entry level occupational therapy program. In order for students to demonstrate their mastery of the concepts associated with a particular topic or body of knowledge, assignments involving concept maps were developed and used in two courses in an entry level occupational therapy program. Students were then surveyed about their perceptions and attitudes regarding the assignments. Students found the process of creating concept maps valuable to their learning of the content and the majority also enjoyed the process as a learning activity. The use of concept mapping as a way to encourage independent, individualized, and student-centered learning is discussed.     

Effectiveness of interactive, online games in learning neuroscience and students' perception of the games as learning tools. A pre-experimental study

Neurological concepts applicable to a doctorate in occupational therapy are often challenging to comprehend, and students are required to demonstrate critical reasoning skills beyond simply recalling the information. To achieve this, various learning and teaching strategies are used, including the use of technology in the classroom. The availability of technology in academic settings has allowed for diverse and active teaching approaches. This includes videos, web-based instruction, and interactive online games. In this quantitative pre-experimental analysis, the learning and retention of neuroscience concepts by 30 occupational therapy doctoral students, who participated in an interactive online learning experience, were assessed. The results suggest that student use of these tools may enhance their learning of neuroscience. Furthermore, the students felt that the sites were appropriate, beneficial to them, and easy to use. Thus, the use of online, interactive neuroscience games may be effective in reinforcing lecture materials. This needs to be further assessed in a larger sample size.     

Sharing Stories: Using Narratives to Illustrate the Role of Critical Reflection in Practice with First Australians

This paper aims to fill a gap in existing literature by using examples of reflective practice and how these informed service delivery and development with First Australians within a population health paradigm. Population‐based approaches have been proposed as useful for providing services that reach beyond the individual. They may be particularly helpful in providing a framework for occupational therapists working with First Australians, when modified appropriately. “Healthy Ears” is a statewide ear health programme for First Australians. It is an example of a health promotion programme working to partner with First Australian communities using a community‐driven and strengths‐based approach. The occupational therapy role within this service has been recently established. Collaborative autoethnography was used to produce narrative reflection and discussion between the first and second authors in order to illustrate the role of critical reflection in developing this new occupational therapy service. The narratives presented are based on three main themes, which emerged as important guiding principles; these are core occupational therapy knowledge and skills, partnerships with communities and organizations and cultural safety. Each theme comprises narrative excerpts followed by interpretations based on the literature. The findings from these narratives, whilst limited to a particular context, suggest there is a need for greater professional preparation and support for occupational therapists working cross‐culturally through undergraduate training and professional development opportunities. This paper highlights the usefulness of reflective practice as a tool for developing culturally safe occupational therapy services and emphasizes the importance of relationships with key First Australians as a platform for culturally safe practice. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Evaluation of the effect of using online database to enhance students’ learning of occupational therapy theories in occupational therapy education

BackgroundLearning about occupational therapy theories is crucial to occupational therapy education, and an online database is developed to facilitate students’ learning of occupational therapy theories in this study.AimThis study was conducted to evaluate the effect of this database on users’ experiences.MethodsA mixed-method approach, including surveys and focus groups, was used. First- and third-year students who had studied occupational therapy theory at a university participated in this study.ResultsOne-hundred-and-twenty students completed the surveys, and 11 students participated in the focus groups. The students demonstrated a significant increase in the number of theories they named and their perceived understanding of theories after the semester. They rated the content, utility and satisfaction with the database in facilitating their understanding/learning of theories as moderate-good. Based on qualitative data, it appeared that the database provided specific information about occupational therapy theories and facilitated students’ learning and level of interest in learning about them. However, the first-year students who accessed the database showed a significantly decreased level of interest in learning about theories, but such the decrease was not found in the third-year students.ConclusionThe study findings suggest that the use of an online database may enhance students'' learning about occupational therapy theories in educational settings.     

Fieldwork Supervision: Roles,Tasks and Responsibilities

Fieldwork constitutes approximately thirty-five per cent of occupational therapy undergraduate programme of study. It is of concern to occupational therapy educators that the fieldwork portion of the curriculum be planned and implemented to provide educationally sound learning experiences. Whatever the level of training and experience of fieldwork supervisors, implementation of a fieldwork training programme which will provide the necessary levels of learning, is dependent on the supervisor's understanding and use of methods of supervision. These include a knowledge of learning theories, skill in directing, supervising and guiding students in the performance of desired action. This paper will focus on effective and ineffective supervisors and how an understanding of student learning styles can increase the supervisor's ability to provide quality learning experience.     

Distance Education Pedagogy and Instructional Design and Development for Occupational Therapy Educational Programs

Distance education in occupational therapy programs is increasingly becoming an instructional norm. Technological advances and the common expected use of the Internet and its multiple options to communicate and share information have made its use also commonplace for occupational therapy educators. As with any instructional modality, Web-based instruction can offer a vibrant learning environment created through different teaching strategies, activities, and technologies. This article briefly outlines educational models and instructional designs that can be part of every occupational therapy program as they incorporate distance education and Web-based learning into their programs. The primary focus is on the incorporation of the constructivist approach.     

Activities of Daily Living: An Area of Occupational Therapy Expertise

If occupational therapists are to provide services in the area of activities of daily living in such a way as to demonstrate their uniqueness and expertise, they must be clear in their own minds as to their uniqueness and the value of their contributions. They must also be able to communicate these effectively to others. This paper approaches the problem from two perspectives. Firstly, stimulated by the results of a survey of Royal Perth Hospital occupational therapists and a review of the literature, the authors describe a definition and classification of activities of daily living developed in order to standardise terminology and organise the content of treatment reports. Secondly, a professional model is presented to explain the uniqueness of occupational therapy in terms of activities of daily living. The use of these approaches in justifying occupational therapy intervention and communicating it to others is discussed.     

Using Service-Learning to Teach Mental Health and Research Skills

ABSTRACT

This paper describes how an occupational therapy program used service-learning to integrate the learning objectives for mental health and research curriculum content. The service-learning program assisted participants diagnosed with mental illness to achieve success in higher education and/or related goals and served as a clinical program within a research curriculum for entry-level graduate occupational therapy students. The occupational therapy students served as mentors for the participants. The purpose of the program for the occupational therapy students was to teach research skills, clinical skills, and increase comfort in working with the mental health population. Seventy-eight occupational therapy students participated in the program over four academic years. A case example of a student/participant mentoring relationship is provided. Results indicated that the occupational therapy students gained comfort with the population and competence in their clinical and research skills.     

Process-Oriented Guided-Inquiry Learning: A Natural Fit for Occupational Therapy Education

ABSTRACT

After a brief review of the major group cooperative learning strategies, this article presents the format and use of Process-Oriented Guided-Inquiry Learning (POGIL) as a recommended teaching strategy for occupational therapy classes. This recommendation is based upon evidence of effectiveness of this strategy for enhancing critical thinking, content retention, and teamwork. Strategies for learning the process and suggestions for its use are based upon literature evidence and the authors’ experiences with this strategy over 4 years in a class on evidence-based practice.