“Cultivating an individualized practice of nursing education, yields a collection of your best ready for harvesting.” –The Ignite Letter: A Quarterly Connection, SUMMER 2020
Nurse educators require subject matter expertise and strong understanding of their own teaching philosophy, along with how to best apply it, to better support students to form connections to the material and prepare for today's and tomorrow's healthcare climates. In arriving prepared, nurse educators are equipped to address misconceptions and cultivate fresh understandings that build upon material previously studied. We stimulate growth across cognitive, affective, and psychomotor domains, which demands a solid grasp of the content and resources that sustain delivery and engagement.
Fortunately, professional development of today is inserted into our daily lives. We are not in pause waiting for an in-service, a continuing education course, or even a long-awaited book to be released to engage with our craft and deepen our abilities. While, of course, these resources for development are absolutely worthy and should be included in professional progression plans, nurse educators may also find ways to connect with one another to share new pedagogical ideas and innovative approaches to teaching and learning every day. Personally, we have come to greatly enjoy the connections made with others via Ignite and Twitter. While Ignite is new for us since 2018, and Twitter even newer since 2019, it didn’t take long to embrace social connection, article swapping, and firsthand tip sharing into our everyday introspection and reflection.
We believe that great leaders are great learners. As we work our way through our profession as change agents and path makers, we must embrace learning opportunities and seek authentic and objective feedback whenever able. Our fundamental integrity, commitment, and dedication drives us to do the right thing, even when no one is looking, and that is what supports our practice to transcend suitable to reach incredible.
As we shared in The Ignite Letter: A Quarterly Connection, SUMMER 2020 (members/subscribers), we have decided to dedicate our time this season to developing new downloadable content. Our plan is to establish a broad-reaching array of resources, so that all of our friends in The Ignite Community find something (or many somethings!) that work well for their needs.
Member Downloads currently includes:
Flipped Classroom Notes
Looking at the Year Behind and the Year Ahead
The Going Home Checklist
Teaching, Learning, and Assessing: A Guide for Nurse Educators- NEW!
Lesson Plan: A Guide for Nurse Educators- NEW!
Clinical Coordination: A Guide for Nurse Educators- COMING SOON!
Hold tight to your learning mindset and organize your time to allow for space to develop. Education is a team sport; therefore we must all be in the game. Build self-awareness through intimate observation and establish a personal mission statement, because mission statements are not just for programs or institutions. By designating space for self-reflection, inner work, and prioritization, we remain forward moving and ensure that first things are first things. And as we wrap up this post we would like to leave you with this simple word: listen. This humble premise holds far-reaching impact as we explore its application to our growth, which in turn applies to the growth of those we partner with to learn.