Exploring how we can improve nursing education together! Practical active learning ideas and interesting thoughts about nursing education.
🎭 [Part 2] Lights, camera, learn! The power of emotion and context in nursing education
Published about 1 year ago • 5 min read
Welcome to the second part of this series! 🎭
I was fortunate to see the stage performance of Wicked a few years ago with my mom (and I’m excited to see the movie with my kids soon!)
The singing, dancing, and movement across the stage are all perfectly timed and precise. But their ability to remember those lines isn’t just rote memorization—it’s deeply tied to the emotion and context of the scene.
In this series, we are exploring ways we can use this “elaborative rehearsal” with our students. This type of practice helps students retain and recall information because the lessons connect to emotional cues and real-world scenarios.
In the second part of this series, we’ll explore how embedding emotional and contextual significance into your teaching can transform the learning experience for your students. I’ll also share practical examples for both the classroom and clinical settings that you can adapt right away.
And if you missed the first installment, no worries. You can read it here:
🤗 Emotion and Context: A Formula for Memorable Learning
Memory research shows that we’re more likely to retain information when it’s connected to meaningful experiences. For actors, this might mean envisioning a character’s heartbreak or joy. For nursing students, it’s about seeing the human impact of the content they’re learning.
Abstract concepts like lab values or pathophysiology can feel distant until students see how they affect an actual patient’s life. By placing these concepts in the context of patient care, educators can create emotional anchors that help students recall and apply knowledge more effectively.
This is where a patient-centered approach to learning enters the theatre! Introducing emotional or personal details about patients gives the learning context and resonance, helping students make meaningful connections between knowledge and practice.
📝 Below are two activities—one for the classroom and one for clinical—that bring this idea to life.
A movie camera with Practical Tool #2: Use Emotion and Context
Practical Tool #2:
Use Emotion and Context
Classroom Activity: Using a Patient Blog
📋 Objective: Help students understand the emotional and human dimensions of patient care through first-person narratives.
📚 Setup: Find a patient blog where someone shares their experience with a chronic condition, illness, or recovery journey. You can use one that you found or ask students to find their own.
During class, guide a discussion where students share the patient’s emotional experiences with their medical condition.
Ask students to consider how this perspective might influence their nursing approach.
Discussion prompt: “How would you address this patient’s concerns during a care plan meeting? What nursing actions might help build trust with this patient or their family member?”
Consider support systems as the patient: Sometimes, the blog's writer may be a family member or friend. Consider this person’s emotional landscape and how the nurse can promote well-being for this person as well.
💥 Impact:
Students learn to empathize with patients, seeing them as whole individuals, often with rich, complex lives beyond their illness. This approach mirrors how actors connect with their characters' emotional nuances, making the material more memorable and engaging.
Clinical Activity: Emotional “Clues” in Patient Interviews
📋 Objective: Ask students to uncover emotional and personal "clues" that offer insight into a patient’s experience with their condition and care needs outside of the hospital.
📚 Setup: Encourage students to go beyond clinical assessments by asking questions that reveal the patient’s emotional state, values, and personal context.
📊 Activity Steps:
During Clinical: Instruct students to interview their patient and ask about how their condition affects their daily life, relationships, or emotional well-being. For example, a student might ask a patient with COPD, “What’s the hardest part of managing your breathing day-to-day?”
Post-Conference: Each student shares one personal detail about their patient that helped them better understand the patient’s needs.
Example detail: “Mr. Jones struggles to use his inhaler properly because he feels self-conscious using it in public.”
Discuss as a group how these emotional “clues” could inform personalized care plans or improve patient outcomes.
💥 Impact:
By identifying and reflecting on these emotional details, students develop a deeper understanding of how physical and emotional health are intertwined. This mirrors real-world nursing, where listening to the patient’s story is a cornerstone of compassionate care.
Why This Works
Both activities emphasize the emotional and human context of patient care. By embedding this approach into both classroom and clinical experiences, educators help students develop not only their knowledge but also the empathy and critical thinking skills they’ll need as future nurses.
Final Thoughts
Teaching nursing students isn’t just about transferring knowledge; it’s about preparing them for the emotional and practical realities of patient care. By weaving emotion and context into your lessons, you play a crucial role in shaping how students remember and recall clinical information. Setting up moments of elaborative rehearsal creates meaningful connections that will stay with them long after the classroom.
End of Semester Sale 💥
Active Learning Decks
The semester is coming to a close, but your opportunity to build an engaging, active learning library is still available! For just this week, I am offering a discount of 20% on ALL interactive unfolding case study card decks.
These small-group activities help nursing students build confidence, apply knowledge, and strengthen clinical judgment.
Don’t miss this chance to invest in resources to make planning for the next semester easier and more impactful.
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This customizable template helps you organize every aspect of your teaching, from lesson plans to clinical schedules, all in one intuitive platform.
Now is the perfect time to implement this system before the next semester. Learn more about the Nurse Educator OS as a tool to improve your organization as an educator.
Next week (December 9th) will be the last installment of this newsletter for 2024! I will take a holiday writing break and return to your inbox on Monday, January 13th.
I’d love to hear how you bring emotional and contextual learning into your teaching! Feel free to reply and share your stories or questions.
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