Learning is integral to human development. We are born without many of the skills we have as adults, such as walking, talking, cooking and riding a bike. These skills have to be acquired, yet we rarely stop and think how we have learned a new skill.
Since the 1970s, there has been increased interest in the different ways in which we learn. According to Howles (2006), by 2006, over 650 books on learning styles had been published in the USA and Canada. Over 4500 articles had been written about learning styles in professional publications and over 26 000 websites were available for measuring and addressing learning styles (Howles, 2006).
As an adult learner it is important to take responsibility of your own education. A midwifery degree is very demanding, and it is up to the student to identify what they want to learn and how much effort they are going to put in—only they can successfully complete the course. It is important to note that not everybody learns in the same way. To be successful, a student must identify how they learn best and develop their learning style accordingly. Honey and Mumford (1992) identified four basic learning styles: the activist, the reflector, the pragmatist and the theorist. Despite there being many descriptions of learning styles, teachers commonly use the visual, auditory and kinesthetic range of styles to understand these differences in a practical way (Pritchard, 2009). Moreover, learning styles are not fixed traits, learners are able to adopt different styles in different contexts. For most of us, one or two styles are preferred above the others.
Being a student midwife made me realise that we all learn in different ways and that acquiring midwifery knowledge can be really hard at times. I remember revising for the anatomy and physiology exam, struggling to remember all perineal muscles and structures. I realised back then that we need new resources to aid our learning, and our lectures and mentors need information and teaching aids to support learners exhibiting diverse learning styles. I thought, ‘Why not make it easier more and enjoyable?’ In response, I have created the ‘Midwifery Learning Toolbox’, which aims to produce series of individualised resources specific to each learning style that would help midwives and student midwives to not only educate themselves but also educate women in their care.
The first tool I created was a perineum model called the ‘woolgina’ (Figure 1). It was created for problem-based learning considering effects on the perineum with hands on and hands poised. The model aims to support students and other health professionals involved in maternity care to better understand perineum and pelvic floor anatomy and associated perineal trauma. It is a visual aid to help students to visualise pelvic floor anatomy, how are muscles placed and which muscles are involved in perineal trauma. Flash cards are also provided with the model which have coloured wool on one side, and the name of the muscle it signifies and brief description on the other side, so it can be used as quiz for individual learning but also in groups. I am also working on developing interactive fetal skull model, the clinical placement buddy notebook and perineal suturing practice set.
Figure 1. The woolgina
It is important to remember that learning is more than the mere acquisition of facts, it involves a range of intellectual activities including the ability to make judgements on abstract matters (Mallik, 2005). ‘Excellence’ and ‘enjoyment’, the two words in the title of the UK Government's policy produced by the Department for Education and Skills (2003), sum up what we should aim for. We can achieve an excellence and, in the process, drive satisfaction and enjoyment from our work.
If you would like to find out more about the Midwifery Learning Toolbox or new innovative learning resources visit my Facebook page ‘Midwifery Learning Toolbox’.