Learning Contracts: Bane of my existence!

I don't know if these "things" are used as much by other programs, but here at McMaster they are used extensively as part of the self-directed learning approach. They are intended to be a tool that helps a student to identify their learning gaps, set SMART goals, and create a plan for achieving those goals by identifying the resources, strategies and evidence of accomplishment that will be required. We use them for everything, and while they're a good idea in principle they are currently the bane of my existence!!

We have goals (aka Learning Objectives) for Foundational Knowledge, goals for our Problem-Based Tutorials, goals for improving our interviewing skills, and a 12-goal Learning Contract for our placements! Now, I have to say... I DO get it. I understand why we use the tool and I can even see how it's useful. I will even concede that they will get easier to do as time goes by. But right now I hate them. The process feels very contrived, it doesn't come naturally, and it takes a LOT of time.

So, what is this tool I speak of? The Learning Objective (or Contract... a series of objectives) has four parts:

1. Objective - The end result you're looking for (ie. Become an expert at using the CPPF in practice).

2. Identify Resources and Strategies - What tools do you have access to and what will you do with them (ie. Resource = Textbook Enabling Occupation II, Strategy = Read the chapter about the CPPF and make notes about how it could be applied in my placement setting). You'll list every possible Resource and Strategy you can think of, but at minimum will identify one text, one human, and one other resource.

3. Evidence of Accomplishment - Here's where the SMART goals come in. These are all "I" statements that are measurable and timelined and all the other things that SMART goals should be. As with the Resources and Strategies, there will be a number of different evidence statements (ie. At the end of week one, I will discuss with my preceptor the different stages of the CPPF as they applied to one client during the week and ask for feedback regarding the accuracy of my understanding).

4. Grading Scheme - How will your success be evaluated. Must include specific measurable outcomes for a grade of Excellent, Good, Incomplete, and Fail (I'm not doing an example for this... it takes too freakin' long! lol).

So, as you can see... setting proper learning objectives can be a really lengthy process, especially when it comes to detailing exactly how you would demonstrate evidence of accomplishment and evaluate your success in the grading scheme. Just talking about it now makes me feel like I'm dying a little on the inside.

The upside of all of this... and I'm glad to say that there is an upside... is that in time (I'm told) it gets easier. And the great part about that is this: Once we are practicing OTs we will be required to create professional development plans each year that include identifying our learning gaps, resources, strategies, and evidence of accomplishment... and we'll be required to submit our professional portfolios, which include these learning plans, to our regulating body (in Ontario it's COTO) every two years. So, if it's something I'm going to have to do for the rest of my professional life, and my license depends on it, I'd rather get some practice in now! That way it won't be quite so stressful when the time comes that my professional life depends on it.

So the moral of my story is this... hate them now all you like, but find it in your heart to learn to love Learning Contracts. Perhaps that should be my next Objective? ha ha ha ha... um NO. That's not going to happen.

One day I will love them.

For now, I strongly dislike them.

I hope everyone else's objectified learning is going well!! All the best, :)SweetPea

Week 2.0

Thought I'd do a quick mid-week post on my mid-week break! And by "break" I mean day off from classes to do research and get caught up. The pace of the program is pretty fast, and I'm told it only gets more so as the terms go by. I think part of why it feels so hectic at the moment is that I have yet to find my groove... how to pace things, when are good times to do library research vs. reading texts at home, when's a good time in my schedule for writing or organizing, etc. Plus, with the PBL it's very difficult to get the hang of it. We really are given a LOT of free rein and very little structure or guidance. For instance, my group got a problem scenario dealing with a senior who has osteoarthritis and needs to do prehab in preparation for a full-hip arthoplasty. Then they just kind of say "Go!", and all of us are looking at each other like "go where?!" lol. In response to the uncertainty I, and it seems like many other students, try to research EVERYthing. When you're not sure what you need to know, it's hard to know when to stop. You also end up researching a lot of things that are interesting, but irrelevant to what an OT will do. And finally, you end up missing some important stuff because it didn't blip on your radar as "need to know."

The good news is that (I'm told) it's all part of the learning process. Every student feels lost on the first attempt at PBL. Every student spins their wheels and learns inefficiently. But you learn from the mistakes and get better. Next time (I'm told) I'll be more efficient, I won't waste time on needless information and I will remember to look at the relevant theory (a huge oversight in my first attempt). Then I'll make other mistakes and miss other important details, lol.

In the end it's left me feeling pretty disoriented, but I'm hopeful. I AM new at this. If I was expert then I wouldn't need the schoolin'!

All things in time, I keep reminding myself.

All things in time.

SweetPea

Term One - Week One

First week down!

It’s funny because I imagine that the first weeks of our program will be the lightest… nothing is yet due, we’re still doing a lot of introductory stuff… but for me it felt HUGE. It’s a lot to take in at first, plus we had a number of extra sessions scheduled, like CPR and library orientations, and we’re doing all of that first of the year settling in type stuff, like getting OSAP and trying to get OGS applications together. It’s all very new and very busy! Coming from an undergrad program that had few in-class hours and a lot of independent research, plus a very limited social life (I really focused on academics in undergrad, practically to the exclusion of all else), this new schedule for school and life is a big adjustment.

The other thing that’s a big adjustment for me is the McMaster culture… both in regard to the problem-based learning (PBL) and just the OT department’s culture in general. Group learning is a new challenge in the sense that you’re learning on two fronts… the content of whatever topic you’re dealing with, plus adjusting to the group dynamic. It takes a lot of self-awareness to see not just what you need to get out of the class, but to also see how you are affecting the participation and/or development of others. And at first, while you’re just getting to know one another, it’s really hard. Other than that I can’t really say much about problem-based learning because I’m still so new to it myself! I will try to talk about it more as time goes on though… I know people who are not in the program are curious about how it all works.

The other culture kind of thing that I’m trying to wrap my head around has to do with grades, and I’m really conflicted about this one. We have basically been told that students who meet all the expectations of the program will get B-grades… that B’s are perfectly acceptable and that we should not be motivated by the need to get A’s any longer. Now, part of me is freakin’ out about this revelation. I’ve been so driven for the last three years in order to get the grades that would make me a competitive candidate for grad school and scholarships that I’m not sure I can turn that instinct off right away. Plus, there’s a part of me that thrives on the external validation that grades provide. But on the other hand, the more time I have to sit with the idea of focusing on my own process and not just the end goal, the more there is a piece of my self that unclenches and starts to breathe. I’m not a competitive person by nature and I’m only now starting to really appreciate the internal burden I was carrying around in order to throw myself into the rat-race and succeed. So I guess what I’m saying is that I’m actually glad that the culture in my program is more focused on the process rather than solely on the product. In both cases I will arrive at the same end… a MSc in Occupational Therapy… but with the Mac way I might also get to have a balanced life while I’m doing it! I simply need to convince the little voice in my head that is really unsure about this whole “grades don’t matter” thing that it will all be okay.

All things in time, I suppose. :)SweetPea

Interview Prep, Part II

Now that I've come down off of my scholarship high, it's on to Interview Prep Part II: Stuff you should know about Mac. I'm going to say right up front that most of this information is available right on the McMaster rehab webpages... and that's exactly where I've pilfered it from! But some stuff is also word of mouth, reputation type stuff. So read on...

First things first... McMaster's program is based around a pedagogical approach known as Problem Based Learning. The Mac webpage on this topic sites 4 articles that you can go and read if you're really curious. And if you have no idea what PBL is and aren't sure about how/why it differs from other pedagogical approaches then you probably want to read up on it. If you've taken some education/learning/memory classes then you're probably familiar enough to judge whether it's right for you.
I'll come right out an say it!! Just because it's right for McMaster doesn't mean it's right for YOU. Not everyone will excel under this approach, so know yourself well enough to decide if it is best for you. In the end you want to get into a program that will help you to succeed. If you do better with the more linear knowledge-then-application model, using lectures and seminars/assignments, then consider other programs as your first choice instead of Mac.
Now on to the details...

McMaster uses Problem Based Learning because evidence has shown that it is a better way to learn for most people. This approach is based on research that indicates:
- Knowledge is best remembered in the context in which it is learned.
- The acquisition and integration of new knowledge requires activation of prior knowledge (for all you Psyc majors, remember back to your cognition and memory classes!)

What does this mean? In a nutshell, if you learn something while trying to do it you draw on your current knowledge/skills, figure out what's missing, get info to fill in the blanks, and get the job done. Then when you go to do that same task again, you'll be better able to recall how you did it, what skills/knowledge you used, what worked/didn't work. Plus there's this whole idea in psychology about "priming"... where just being in the same situation automatically activates the parts of your memory that have had to deal with that situation before. This is a really, REALLY, simpled-down version of why PBL works... but I hope it helps for those who just want to get the gist of it.

What makes PBL different from other teaching styles isn't so much why they use it as how it's done. Walton and Matthew (1989) describe the 7-Steps of the PBL Tutorial Process (and my layperson version of each step is in brackets):
1. Identify the problem. (Hey group - here's your case study/scenario for the lesson)
2. Explore pre-existing knowledge. (Group info sharing about what we each know regarding aspects of this situation)
3. Generate hypotheses. (Brain-storm about possible causes of problem/solutions to problem/what the heck is going on in this case study).
4. Identify learning issues. (What knowledge is the group lacking to fully understand/deal with the scenario?)
5. Research and self-study. (Go get info - divide and conquer)
6. Sharing and discussion of new knowledge and insights. (Bring back info to group and examine situation with addition of new knowledge)
7. Assessment and reflection on learning. (How did we do? Did we figure it out? Did we work well as a team? What were our team/individual strengths and opportunities change?)

You'll notice that there's no lecture or expert "giving" us answers. There's also very little independent work. You succeed or fail as a team. But there's also lots of room to be creative and to synergistically (is that a word?) build off of one another! I like team work, so GO TEAM!

What else can be said about PBL?
Features of PBL:
- Integrated curriculum, not separate courses.
- Organized around problems, not disciplines.
- Emphasizes development of cognitive skills (learn how to learn) as well as the acquisition of knowledge (learn stuff you need to know).
- Can meet personal needs based on prior knowledge and experience.
- Allows independent study that you can tailor to your learning style.
- Allows integration of information from many sources (no drawing lines in the sand around "my" discipline and "your" discipline. it's all fair game!)
- Gives you the skills to deal with future problems.

So, other than PBL, what should you know about McMaster?!?!
- They are known for having a really diverse range of placement opportunities.
- They offer the Northern Studies Stream that up to 50% of each class can participate in over the course of the program. (and for anyone who's never been to Northern Ontario... you should definitely try to go!! It's the most amazing place in the world. Not that it's a single place... but you catch my drift ;)
- Although we're all applying to a professional Masters program, McMaster has an excellent reputation for research in the field of Health Sciences. You may not want to be a researcher, but you do want to be an evidence-based practitioner... what better place to learn than where they're doing the research?! Who knows, you may even catch the research bug :)
- Because they publish a lot of research, you may want to check some of it out! Key search terms are the McMaster Lens and C.O.P.M (Canadian Occupational Performance Measure) for starters. Then there's lots more depending on your personal interests.

And I think that's all I know!!
I hope this helps you get prepared... but remember that I don't know everything! I may be leading you astray... I've never done this before either, lol. But I do promise my intention is to help. Everything I put on my blog is the stuff I'm doing to prepare myself.
And tomorrow will be Part III: Self-Reflection. Easily the hardest part (is that an oxymoron?)! I don't know about anyone else, but I'm having a heck of a time articulating myself in a way that doesn't make me sound like a walking cliche. *sigh*
SweetPea