1.

3 determinants of learning
A. Learning needs – what the learner needs to learn; learning needs may be determined through informal
conversation or interviews, structured interviews, written pretests and observation.
Steps in the assessment of Learning Needs:
a. Identify the learner – who is the learner? (individual? Or group?)
b. Choose the right setting – establish a trusting environment
c. Collect data on the learner – determine characteristic learning needs of the target population
d. Include learner as source of information – allow learner to actively participate in identifying his needs and
problems
e. Include members of the healthcare team – collaboration with other HCPs
f. Determine availability of educational resources – must be appropriate, available, affordable, easy and simple
to manipulate
g. Consider time – management issues
h. Prioritize needs – may use Maslow’s Hierarchy of needs.
Criteria for Prioritizing Learning Needs
a. Mandatory – must be immediately met since they are life threatening or are needed for survival
Ex. Patient with recent history of recent heart attack must be taught signs & symptoms of an impending
attack and what emergency measures to take.
b. Desirable – must be met to promote well-being and are not life-dependent
Ex. Importance of taking the full course of antibiotics for a patient with TB.
c. Possible – “nice to know” which are not directly related to daily activities
Ex. An obese patient who has just lost weight because of diabetes may not necessarily need information
on tummy tucking.
B. Learning readiness – time when the patient is “willing to learn” or is receptive to information
FOUR TYPES OF READINESS TO LEARN(PEEK)
A. P – Physical Readiness
Includes:
1. Measures of ability – strength, flexibility and endurance needed to learn.
2. Complexity of task – the difficulty level of the task
3. Environmental effects – environment conducive to learning
4. Health status – is patient in good health or ill health? Does he have the energy to learn?
5. Gender – men are less inclined to seek health consultation than women. Women are more health conscious
and receptive to medical care and health promotion teaching (Bertakis et al, 2000).
B. Emotional Readiness
Includes:
1. Anxiety level – may or may not be a hindrance to learning.
2. Support system – a strong support system gives patient increased sense of security and well-being; weak or
absent support system elicits sense of insecurity, despair, frustration and a high level of anxiety.
3. Motivation – emotional readiness or willingness to learn
4. Risk-taking behaviour – activities undertaking without much thought on the negative consequences. Role of
health educator is to develop awareness on how this behaviour can shorten one’s lifespan, how to
minimize risk, etc.
5. Frame of mind – depends on the priorities of the learner in terms of his needs.
6. Developmental stage – determines peak time for readiness to learn or “teachable moment”
C. E – Experiential Readiness- refers to the previous learning experiences which may positively affect willingness
to learn. Includes:
1. Level of aspiration – depends on the short-term and long-term goals the learner has set which will
influence his motivation to achieve.
2. Past coping mechanisms – how was learner able to cope with previous problems and how effective were
their strategies?
3. Cultural Background – consider language used; know the culture.
4. Locus of control – motivation to learn which may be internal/intrinsic (within the individual) or
external/extrinsic (motivation to learn is influenced by others)
5. Orientation – person’s point of view which may be parochial (close-minded thinking, conservative in their
approach to new situations, less willing to learn new materials and have great trust in the physician) or
 cosmopolitan (more worldly perspective and more receptive to new or innovative ideas like the current
trends and perspectives in health education).
D. K – Knowledge Readiness
Knowledge readiness refers to:
1. Present knowledge base – stock knowledge
2. Cognitive ability – lower level of learning
C. Learning style – indicate how people learn in uniquely different ways
Some are global thinkers while some are analytic; Some learn better from auditory sources than visual stimuli;
Some learn better when with the group than independently alone.
PRINCIPLES OF LEARNING:
1. Use several senses – It has been shown that people retain 10% of what they read, 20% of what they hear, 30% of
what they see or watch, 50% of what they see and hear, 70% of what they say, and 90% of what they say and
do.
2. Active Learner involvement – actively involve the patients or the clients in the learning process. Use more
interactive methods involving the participation of the learners.
3. Conducive learning environment – provide an environment conducive to learning. Always consider the comfort
and convenience of the learner.
4. Learning readiness – assess the extent to which the learner is ready to learn. Readiness to learn is affected by
factors like emotional status (anxiety, fear and depression) and physical conditions (pain, visual or auditory
impairment, anesthesia)
5. Relevance of information – determine the relevance of the information. Anything that is perceived by the
learner to be important or useful will be easier to learn and retain.
6. Repeat the information – continuous repetition of information over a period of time enhances learning; applying
the information to a different situation and asking the learner to apply the information to another situation or
rewording it and giving practical applications will help in the learning process.
7. Generalize information – cite applications of the information. Give examples.
8. Make learning a pleasant experience – give frequent encouragement, recognize accomplishments and give
positive feedback.
9. Be systematic – present information in an organized manner and with information that the learner already
knows or familiar with.
10. Be steady – present information at an appropriate rate. Mind your pacing.
2. assess the learning needs of your patient
 first step in the process of patient teaching is assessing the patient’s learning needs, learning style, and
readiness to learn. Assessment includes finding out what patients already know, what they want and need to
learn, what they are capable of learning, and what would be the best way to teach them.  Begin the process
by interviewing the patient. First, find out more about the patient as an individual and what his life is like.
second, start assessing the patient’s learning needs. Third, find out what the patient’s learning style is so you
can match teaching strategies as closely as possible to the patient’s preferred learning style. Forth, gather
information about the patient’s readiness to learn.
3. 2 tests to measure literacy
 Formal Assessment- Formal literacy assessments usually involve the use of some kind of standardized
procedures that require administering and scoring the assessments in the same way for all students. An
example of Formal assessment is state test, which evaluate proficiency in one or more literacy domains, such
as reading, writing, and listening.
 Informal Assessment- informal literacy assessment are more flexible than formal because they can be
adjusted according to the student being assessed or a particular assessment context. Teachers makes
decisions regarding with whom informal assessments are used, how the assessments are done, and how to
interpret findings. Informal literacy assessments can easily incorporate all areas of literacy such as speaking,
listening, viewing, and performing rather than focusing more exclusively on reading and writing. For example,
a teacher who observes and records behaviors of a group of students who view and discuss a video is likely
engaging in informal assessment of the student’s reading, writing, speaking, listening, and/or performing
behaviors.
4. Give 8 Teaching strategies for low literate patients.

 Establish a trusting relationship.

 Invite a second person to attend the teaching session, if appropriate.
 Discuss with the person what he or she can and want to do.
 Limit information to essentials for achieving desired behaviours. Be realistic.
  Plan what to say and organize information with the three most important points.
 Slow down!
 Use common words consistently — no medical jargon.
 Teach one step at a time.

5. Give 5 examples of patient educational materials and show a picture for each.
1. PEMAT-P for printable materials (e.g., brochures, pamphlets, PDFs)
2. PEMAT-A/V for audiovisual materials (e.g., videos, multimedia materials
BROCHURE

PDF presentation

Poster or chart

Video presentation

Group class