health related information on a global scale. The goal of nurse education is thus to prepare nurses to meet the challenges of contemporary nursing practice. However, despite this rhetoric, pedagogy in nurse education has not kept pace with societal, organisational and technological change. Instead nurse education displays elements of apprenticeship style training reminiscent of nurse training prior to the introduction of Project 2000. Apprenticeship style training in nurse education relies on occupational expertise and identity, social and personal maturity, and locational or close association between the qualified nurse and the student. Apprenticeship models, whereby novitiates learn from experts through induction into a community of practice (Lave and Wenger, 1991) work well in situations of relative stability. However, when ideal conditions for apprenticeship cannot be met learning within a community of practice is compromised, with the result that leaner’s find themselves having to `sink or swim`. Despite the best efforts of nurse educators and practitioners to` bridge` the theory practice gap by recourse to strategies such as mentorship, continuous assessment of practice, reflective assignments, and other collaborative learning and teaching strategies, these attempts are thwarted by environments which are not conducive to, and cannot effectively support the learner. Critical pedagogy offers an alternative approach, remaining as relevant as in the 1960s and 70s, where it developed as a reaction amongst academics to the repeated failure of socialist governments around the world to deliver promises of economic equality (Hicks, 2004). The goal of critical pedagogy is to challenge conservative, right wing and traditional philosophies and politics. For this reason, critical pedagogy is essential to contemporary nursing practice, in that nurses, while constituting the largest part of the health sector
health related information on a global scale. The goal of nurse education is thus to prepare nurses to meet the challenges of contemporary nursing practice. However, despite this rhetoric, pedagogy in nurse education has not kept pace with societal, organisational and technological change. Instead nurse education displays elements of apprenticeship style training reminiscent of nurse training prior to the introduction of Project 2000. Apprenticeship style training in nurse education relies on occupational expertise and identity, social and personal maturity, and locational or close association between the qualified nurse and the student. Apprenticeship models, whereby novitiates learn from experts through induction into a community of practice (Lave and Wenger, 1991) work well in situations of relative stability. However, when ideal conditions for apprenticeship cannot be met learning within a community of practice is compromised, with the result that leaner’s find themselves having to `sink or swim`. Despite the best efforts of nurse educators and practitioners to` bridge` the theory practice gap by recourse to strategies such as mentorship, continuous assessment of practice, reflective assignments, and other collaborative learning and teaching strategies, these attempts are thwarted by environments which are not conducive to, and cannot effectively support the learner. Critical pedagogy offers an alternative approach, remaining as relevant as in the 1960s and 70s, where it developed as a reaction amongst academics to the repeated failure of socialist governments around the world to deliver promises of economic equality (Hicks, 2004). The goal of critical pedagogy is to challenge conservative, right wing and traditional philosophies and politics. For this reason, critical pedagogy is essential to contemporary nursing practice, in that nurses, while constituting the largest part of the health sector
SD-Perspectives-on-Critical-Pedagogy-in-Undergraduate-Nursing-programmes.docx