Page 264 - Nutrition Counseling and Education Skills: A Guide for Professionals

—Confucius

Introduction

How does the educator or trainer successfully educate clients and employees? With clients, the practitioner
seeks to promote health and reduce the risk of chronic disease. With employees, the manager seeks to enhance
their ability to do their jobs. The initial three steps in planning learning, as discussed in Chapter 11, include a
preassessment of the learner’s current knowledge and competencies; the development of performance
objectives in the cognitive, affective, and psychomotor domains; and the determination of educational content
based on the performance objectives.

This chapter continues with the discussion of the implementation and evaluation of the learning plan. The
final four steps begin with the selection of appropriate learning activities for the cognitive, affective, and
psychomotor domains. These planned learning activities are implemented along with opportunities to apply
theory through application and practice. An evaluation of the outcomes of learning is then completed, and if
necessary, an evaluation is repeated at intervals to assure mastery of the learning plan. Finally, documentation
of the educational process is completed.

Selecting Techniques and Methods

Various techniques and methods of educational presentation are available to deliver the learning plan to the
audience. Techniques are the ways that the instructor organizes and presents information to learners to
promote the internal processes of learning.1 They establish a relationship between the teacher and the learner
and between the learner and what he or she is learning. These include activities such as lectures, discussions,
simulations, and demonstrations. All are not equally effective in facilitating learning, and each has its
advantages and disadvantages, and uses and limitations as summarized in Table 12-1.

Teaching Method Strengths Weaknesses

Lecture Easy and efficient. Conveys most Learner is passive. Learning by

information. Reaches large numbers. listening. Formal atmosphere. May

Minimum threat to learner. be dull, boring. Not suited for

Maximum control by instructor. higher-level learning in cognitive

domain. Not suited for manual

learning.

Discussion (e.g., panel, debate, More interesting, thus motivating. Learner may be unprepared. Shy
people may not discuss. May get
case study) Active participation. Informal side-tracked. More time-
consuming. Size of group limited.
atmosphere. Broadens perspectives.

We remember what we discuss.

Good for higher-level cognitive,

affective objectives.

Projects More motivating. Active Size of group limited.

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