Creating teaching plans for the adult learner.

www.homehealthcarenurseonline.com Creating Teaching Plans for Adults Jan, an RN and case manager, arrived at Mrs. A’s house armed with wound care pamphlets and instruction sheets. This 64-year-old client was admitted to home care the previous day for assistance with dressing changes to a belowthe-knee amputation resulting from complications of diabetes. Jan’s plan was to review the information with Mrs. A and enlist her full cooperation, which would result in an uneventful recovery. When Jan arrived, Mrs. A seemed uninterested in the information and responded with, “Oh, I’ll look at this later when I have some extra time.” Jan left, feeling concerned that Mrs. A would not adequately participate in her own care. Creating a teaching plan based on the adult learning concepts discussed below likely would have been more effective. Each adult learner is unique in his or her accumulation of experiences; however, all share general learning characteristics that are relevant in implementing a personal learning plan. Seven steps that can be used to develop teaching plans for adult learners, corresponding adult learner characteristics, and strategies for the creation of effective teaching plans are provided (Cross, 2000) (Figure 1). fault if I have problems. There’s nothing I can do about it.”