| Preparing Facilitators of Practice Learning and Assessment

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The purpose of this assignment is to critically reflect on strategies used to mentor a second year mental health student in a community mental health team. The essay will refer to interpersonal skills used to develop the mentor-mentee relationship, and the practical steps taken to facilitate learning; to make this more tangible the focus will primarily rest on the author’s approach to teaching the learner how to administer an antipsychotic depot injection. The discussion will encompass major theories that underpin learning, explore the relevance of learning styles, and draw on relevant literature.

Any discourse on mentoring ought to begin with …show more content…

Laura was familiar with Honey and Mumford’s (2006) Learning Styles Questionnaire, had previously completed one, and her dominant learning styles were reflector and theorist. Honey (2006) suggests that learning is most likely to happen when activities match the learner’s preferences. According to Honey and Mumford (1982), theorists tend towards an analytical approach and learn best when they have an opportunity to ask questions and understand the subject as a whole; reflectors learn best by thinking about things, obtaining and reviewing information and evidence, before forming conclusions. With Laura’s learning preferences in mind, the author and she discussed and agreed upon the following course of action: 1) Laura would research about administration of antipsychotic depots. 2) The author would provide a basic teaching session about the subject and facilitate a post-session discussion. 3) The author would demonstrate the skill in a depot clinic. 4) Laura would carry out the skill. 5) The two would reflect upon the process. 6) Laura would have further practice throughout the placement.
According to Fitts and Posner (1967) the learning process is sequential and we move through specific phases as we learn. There are three stages to learning a new skill:
Cognitive Phase - Identification and development of the component parts of the