03-05-07
Collaborative Learning: The Student Perspective
Melissa Dour, Christine Grey, and Stefanie Michaelsen
Remember when you were a fieldwork student? Picture this...your Level II psychosocial fieldwork assignment requires you and two other inexperienced students to work on an adult inpatient psychiatric unit full-time for the next 3 months. Your supervisor is on site 2 to 3 days a week (or more, if needed) and is always available via e-mail and phone. This model may be a very different approach to learning in the field than when you were a student.
The thought of this situation initially made our hearts race and our palms sweaty. Recently, two of us were first-year students coming from the same school, and one of us was a third-year student from another school, but we were all equally apprehensive. We shared concerns, including preparedness for running groups, getting along with each other and the staff on the unit, client interactions, and not always having an occupational therapy supervisor present. Were those long hours sitting in the library with our double espresso enough to pull us through this experience? Did we know enough about symptoms, conditions, treatment planning, and our role in this field to effectively work with this population? Some may say that this collaborative learning model is too unstructured for a proper educational experience. However, this was not the case for us.
The collaborative learning model has been in place at this particular site for several years. It requires two or more students together on a full-time basis with moderate supervision. The supervisor can always be contacted by the students, but may not always be present at the fieldwork site. An essential component of this model is, "Rather than relying solely on the fieldwork educator, learners help each other learn, each according to their abilities" (p. 73).1 This is not to say we had no supervision at all. Several days a week our supervisor was present to observe groups and offer guidance. For example, after a successful cooking group, our supervisor met with us to discuss our reactions to the various dynamics of the group and other situations that arose. These meetings offered us a safe environment to voice concerns, ask questions, give each other feedback, and receive suggestions for future intervention techniques. We wrote daily logs, which provided us with an opportunity for one-on-one communication with the supervisor. These reflective journal entries were read thoroughly by the supervisor, who then addressed our issues privately. In our logs and meetings we received positive feedback that reinforced our efforts to meet our supervisor's increased expectations. This motivation was carried over when our supervisor was not present, as we learned to adapt our approach and build a network of support among ourselves.
After completing 12 weeks of fieldwork within this model, the three of us have fulfilled the roles of student, supervisor, and friend. As students, we learned to lead and co-lead successful groups and to modify the activities to engage a diverse client population. We experienced our textbooks coming to life as we encountered different presentations of psychopathology. The staff on the unit guided us and enriched our educational experience by allowing us to participate as team members and observe the various roles they play with this population. Coming together from different schools has also afforded us the opportunity to teach and share our unique perspectives. According to Cohn, Dooley, and Simmons, "students from different academic programs often find an additional richness in their collaboration due to their diverse backgrounds and curricula" (p. 77).1 We have also acted as peer supervisors by offering each other constructive feedback and suggestions to improve our techniques and approaches. We were lucky enough to become friends throughout this experience and care about the success of one another. We shared encouragement and enthusiasm, which promoted positive interdependence and mutual learning goals.1
Here are a few things we learned that may help other students in their Level II psychosocial fieldwork placement:
- Ask questions; the staff respect your purpose as a future health care professional.
- Don't expect perfection. Learn from your mistakes and the mistakes of others; even the pros have an "off" day once in a while.
- Keep alert. Report your observations. Your input is necessary to the staff as well as for your own safety.
- Be genuine. Clients are people. You will elicit a positive response when you possess this therapeutic attribute.
- Share a little bit of yourself with the group; you can relate to the clients more than you think.
- Be smart. Brush up on symptoms, medications, conditions, and behaviors.
- Be open to this experience; you will learn more than you ever imagined. The knowledge you gain here will be useful in whatever area of practice you ultimately choose.
Supervisors considering using this model should be aware that it is not "sink or swim." It is a continual process of studentÐsupervisor interaction. However, a large component of this model is the students building interdependence to learn from and teach each other. A student assigned to work within the collaborative learning model will gain immeasurable therapeutic and leadership skills.
Reference
1. Cohn, E. S., Dooley, N. R., & Simmons, L. A. (2001). Collaborative learning applied to fieldwork education. In P. Crist & M. Scaffa (Eds.), Education for occupational therapy in health care: Strategies for the new millennium (pp. 69–83). New York: Haworth.
Melissa Dour is a third-year student in the Occupational Therapy Program at Stony Brook University in Stony Brook, New York. She just completed the second of her three Level II fieldwork experiences.
Christine Grey is a second-year student in the Occupational Therapy Program at Touro College in New York City. She has just completed the first of three Level II fieldwork experiences.
Stefanie Michaelsen is a second-year student in the Occupational Therapy Program at Touro College in New York City. She has just completed the first of three Level II fieldwork experiences.
All three completed their Level II fieldwork experiences in mental health at North Shore–Long Island Jewish Health Care System, Syosset Hospital in Syosset, New York, under the supervision of Donna M. Costa, MS, OTR/L.
Reference Information:
Dour, M., Grey, C., & Michaelsen, S. (2007). Collaborative learning: The student perspective. [Electronic Version]. OT Practice, 12(4), 9–10.
©Copyright 2007. The American Occupational Therapy Association. All rights reserved.
