Learning Lab RN
Exploring how we can improve nursing education together! Practical active learning ideas and interesting thoughts about nursing education.
🎯 Captivate our Audience with Active Learning: The Final Chapter
Thank you all for continuing to read this newsletter - even when last week's subject line was a bit ... off 🤦♀️. The mysterious "🔄 How to" was not my intention - I started to write it, got distracted, and it was sent before I got to complete it. These things happen I guess, but I appreciate if you still read it! 🤍 And that brings us to the final week of this series - Creating Captivating Presentations. If you want to catch up on previous weeks, you can read about each topic below: Week 1 -...
🎨 Color Contrast Secrets: How to make your teaching materials POP!
Hey there! 👋 Are your slides looking a little lackluster lately? Then you are in the right place! Welcome to the fourth week in this series - Creating Captivating Presentations. Creating Captivating Presentations Outline If you have been bogged down by email, no worries! You can catch up on the series here: Week 1 - Guiding Principles Week 2 - Creating Engaging Visuals Week 3 - Text and Font Selection And this week's topic - color and contrast! Color is not just for visual interest - it's a...
🔠 Font-tastic Designs: 5 Secrets to Engaging, Accessible Slides
Hello again! It's another week in the series Creating Captivating Presentations! In case you missed previous weeks - we reviewed the guiding principles as well as choosing engaging visuals. You can catch up here: Week 1 - Guiding Principles Week 2 - Creating Engaging Visuals This week we are moving on to font selection. The right font choices can infuse your presentation with clarity, making even complex information clear and engaging. Creating Captivating Presentation Series Outline But...
🚛 Ditch the Data Dump: Create Better Visuals for Better Slides
Hey there! It's the start of a new week and we are moving ahead with the series Creating Captivating Presentations! As a nurse educator, I know how challenging it can be to explain complex medical concepts to your students. Incorporating the right visuals can be a total game-changer and make your slide decks stand out! So that is this week's topic: Creating Effective Visuals. 📝 I didn't like the graphic I created last week, so I made a new one - more engaging right? Creating Captivating...
[📊] Creating Captivating Presentations Series is here!
Hey there! 👋 Martha here, back in your inbox to start off a new email series! The goal of this series, “Creating Captivating Presentations,” is to empower you with practical tips for improving your slide decks. 🎊 New Year, New Skills The skills needed to be an effective communicator in 2025 are different. “Death by PowerPoint" has become a normalized presentation approach, but we need to change this. And it can start with a mindset shift. We cannot think of our slide decks as documents. We...
🎬 Got a great idea? Here’s why writing it down changes everything
It's the fifth and final week of this series - using Pixar’s storytelling framework in your work as a nurse educator. If you missed the previous editions, you can catch up here: Week 1 - Principle #1 Week 2 - Principle #2 Week 3 - Principle #3 Week 4 - Principle #4 On to the final topic! "Putting it on paper lets you start fixing it. If it stays in your head, a perfect idea, you’ll never share it with anyone." We often hold onto ideas for new activities, teaching methods, or course...
🎬 Missed the mark? Using ‘unfinished’ ideas in your teaching toolkit
Welcome to Week 4 of this series - using Pixar’s storytelling framework through the lens of nursing education to improve our case studies and classroom activities. If you missed the first few weeks, you can read the previous articles here: Week 1 - Principle #1 Week 2 - Principle #2 Week 3 - Principle #3 Here comes #4! "No work is ever wasted. If it’s not working, let go and move on—it’ll come back around to be useful later." As nurse educators, we pour time and energy into developing...
🎬 The secret to engaging activities? Start with the ending!
Welcome to Week 3 of the series, where we explore how nurse educators can use Pixar’s storytelling framework to improve their case studies and classroom activities. If you missed the first few weeks, you can read the previous articles here: Week 1 - Principle #1 Week 2 - Principle #2 Let's get started on #3! Come up with your ending before you figure out your middle. Seriously. Endings are hard, get yours working up front. In screenwriting, a strong ending gives purpose to the hero’s journey...
🎬 Use the "story spine" to build student engagement
Welcome to Week 2 of the series - using Pixar’s storytelling framework in nursing education. If you missed the first week, you can catch up below: Week 1 - Principle #1 Importance of Story in Nursing Education Storytelling is one of the most powerful tools we have as educators. When we engage with a story, we don’t just listen — we imagine ourselves in it, experiencing the emotions and situations firsthand. This connection makes stories stick with us longer, and it’s a tool we can definitely...
🎬 New Series! How Pixar's formula can inspire storytelling in nursing education
Welcome to this new series! 🎬 Storytelling is a powerful teaching tool. In the Pillars of Active Learning Series, we discussed the neuroscience behind how our brains are hardwired to learn from stories. Stories are estimated to be two to ten times more memorable than facts alone. When we hear a story, we connect with the speaker's message by imagining ourselves in the story and experiencing all the emotions involved. This engagement makes stories, or content with a narrative structure, more...
Exploring how we can improve nursing education together! Practical active learning ideas and interesting thoughts about nursing education.