Learner Narrative as an Instructional Device: Developing Professional Conversations

Authors

  • Lynn McAlpine McGill University Author

Abstract

Professional training in fields such as nursing, dietetics, and education requires that students learn the content of a discipline, achieve mastery of many discrete skills, and integrate these into a coherent practice in dealing with their patients, clients, or learners. This training is delivered largely through campus-based programs, where the relatively artificial context tends to separate theory from practice. This article develops an argument for using learner narrative as an instructional device to help professionals-in-training respond positively to the tension between classroom-based content and skill learning and the real world of the practica or field experiences. Points discussed are (a) using learner narrative as the basis for professional conversations between learner and instructor, (b) conceptualizing this relationship as that between a mentor and advisee, (c) articulating the relationship between theory and practice within this dialogue, and (d) implementing the process in the preservice classroom.

Published

2024-03-22