Describe the teaching experience and discuss your observations. The written portion of this
assignment should include:
- Summary of teaching plan
- Epidemiological rationale for topic
- Evaluation of teaching experience
- Community response to teaching
- Areas of strengths and areas of improvement
Prepare this assignment according to the APA guidelines found in the APA Style Guide,
located in the Student Success Center. An abstract is not required.
This assignment uses a grading rubric. Instructors will be using the rubric to grade the
assignment; therefore, students should review the rubric prior to beginning the assignment
to become familiar with the assignment criteria and expectations for successful completion
of the assignment.
Community Teaching Plan: Teaching Experience Paper
Summary of teaching plan
I, Mrs. Albert, a graduate in Masters in Public Health, conducted the teaching. The
teaching took three days, with the target group as all mothers in the community. Their spouses
were permitted to attend. The planned venue was the Chief’s camp and the estimated cost was
150 USD. The teaching aimed at creating awareness to mothers on the need of exclusive
breastfeeding, since is increased the baby’s and mother’s health.
The teaching was founded on the basis that failing to breastfeed a baby exclusively for
the recommended two years or preferring to feed them on formula feeds posed critical health
risks to both the mother and baby. This lead to a number of diseases in mothers including
myocardial infarction, type 2 diabetes, retained gestational weight, metabolic syndromes, ovarian
cancer, and premenopausal breast cancer while babies were vulnerable to diabetes type 1 and 2,
sudden infant death syndrome, leukemia, as well as childhood obesity. Based on this, it was
important to ensure that mothers and babies acquired evidence-based and proper care starting at
birth. This promotes bonding, which is very essential for the two (Connelly & Clandinin, 2010).
COMMUNITY TEACHING PLAN: TEACHING EXPERIENCE PAPER 2
The attendants’ readiness for learning was assessed beginning from the time they were
entering the venue. The behaviorist learning theory was used in the teaching and all things were
observed. The teaching was based on the Maternal, Infant, and Child Health objective of Healthy
People 2020, based on the fact that the health of these people is a cardinal public health goal.
Moreover, the health of the nest generation depends on the present and this can assist in
predicting future health problems (Zeichner & Liston, 2007). Various behavioral domains as well
as objectives were assesses; food for increasing milk production, proper positioning and latching,
benefits of exclusive breastfeeding and risks of not doing so, and indicators of when to start and
stop breastfeeding.
Creativity was very crucial in the teaching and every behavioral objective was evaluated
separately. The overall goal of the teaching would be evaluated two months after through
assessing the mothers’ breastfeeding practices, the retained knowledge, assessing breastfeeding
indicators and proper latching and positioning, increase in weight in babies, and number of
infections. The teacher and lesson would also be evaluated. The barriers included mothers being
ashamed of demonstrating how to latch and position the baby in the presence of their spouses.
One of the ways of promoting communication was by beginning with introductions, clarifying
misconceptions, and having a community and public health provider assess it before
implantation (Clark, 2008).
Epidemiological rationale for topic
Breastfeeding babies exclusively for 2 years prevent numerous health risks. About 44% babies
are treated of otitis media episodes within the first year of life. However, babies who are not
breastfed possess a double risk. Without exclusive breastfeeding, there is a 3.6 fold escalated risk
of suffering from lower respiratory tract infections. In addition, there are more risks of obesity
COMMUNITY TEACHING PLAN: TEACHING EXPERIENCE PAPER 3
and metabolic diseases. The risk for necrotizing entereocolitis escalates by 2.4 fold. Babies are
guarded from diarrhea if they breastfeed exclusively through the maternal antibodies being
transferred to the baby via breastmilk. In addition, the chances of the baby being affected by
bacteria from the contaminated formula and other complementary foods are reduced (Connelly &
Clandinin, 2010).
Three studies proved that breastfeeding exclusively for the first six months was linked
with a 3-4 fold reduced vulnerability of HIV transmission compared to using mixed feeding. As
a result of the all the mentoned diseases that result from failing to breastfeed exclusively,
unbreastfed babies have higher mortality and morbidity rates (Zeichner & Liston, 2007).
Breastfed babies have approximately fourteen times higher survival chances during the early
months compared to their counterparts. Exclusive breastfeeding ensures a baby gets white cells
and antibodies that protect against infection, prevent jaundice, has adequate vitamin A, and gives
the baby growth factors that assist the intestine to mature. There is increasing proof of the vital
impact of initiating babies early to breastfeeding (within the 1 st hour and 1 st day following birth)
on decreasing overall neonatal mortality.
Evaluation of teaching experience
The only crucial indicator that the teaching was effective is that the mothers will put into
practice all the information that was taught to them. In addition, the elaborated benefits on the
side of the mother and baby will be realized. Various methods will be used to evaluate the
teaching experience. One is self-monitoring where the teacher monitored her performance while
teaching. After every session, the teacher filled a short self-evaluation form regarding whether
the intended objectives and goals were met, what was done properly, and what would be
improved. Second, the teacher had a video and audio recording of her teaching sessions, which
COMMUNITY TEACHING PLAN: TEACHING EXPERIENCE PAPER 4
enabled her to keep a record as well as investigate the actual teaching performance
comprehensively. These records were reviewed with other colleagues and their commented were
embraced (Zeichner & Liston, 2007).
Third, the feedback of the mothers on teaching was relied upon heavily since their
perception is the most outright way of weighing the effectiveness of the teacher in delivering the
information. Worth noting, any training session aims at making the students learn as well as
understand. The teacher used the feedbacks to address poor practices. Basically, this was done
through questionnaires and interviews. Finally, the teachers used feedback from observations by
her fellow colleagues. The colleagues were invited and they sat with the mothers and observed
directly as the training was going. They observed everything that was going on including noise
making and sleeping this indicated that the mothers were bored with the manner through which
the teacher was teaching (Louis & Marks, 2012).
Community response to teaching
The women who participated in the training were thrilled after since they learnt many
things they were not aware of. In addition, regardless of the fact that some of the mothers were
breastfeeding exclusively, they were not aware of the reasons why they should do so. However,
these mothers expressed their gratefulness as they now knew the reasons they should breastfeed
exclusively. The mothers who participated were able to share with their friends who were unable
to attend because of various reasons. The mothers also formed a group aimed at promoting the
information they had learnt. Whenever a new mother was about to deliver, she would be invited
to this group and educated on why to breastfeed her baby immediately after birth and exclusively
for 2 years, how to latch and position the baby, what foods to consumer, and how to note that the
baby needs to breastfeed.
COMMUNITY TEACHING PLAN: TEACHING EXPERIENCE PAPER 5
Some mothers also started using breastfeeding as a natural family planning method, and
this ensured that they spaced their children well. Men increasingly became supportive towards
the course and working mothers adopted the practice of squeezing milk so that their husbands
could feed the baby while they were away (Louis & Marks, 2012). Breastfeeding mothers were
very insistent on this and as a result, working mothers were allowed their babies being brought to
their places of work for breastfeeding. In addition, churches started leaving out some seats at a
place where the environment was conducive and mothers with babies could breastfeed
comfortably. All these factors indicate that the mothers took the teaching positively and
embraced everything that was taught. The information was so valuable and beneficial to them
that its implementation started right away.
Areas of strengths and improvement
One of the strong areas in the teaching was the use of the baby toy. Mothers were able to
learn practically how to latch on the baby and position him when breastfeeding (Zeichner &
Liston, 2007). Mothers who were interested with the session but did not have babies yet were
thrilled in using the baby toy. The interactive discussions were useful in that mothers were able
to learn the explanations from other mothers and this promoted retaining the information.
Mothers were also permitted to attend with their husbands, which meant that they would also be
equipped to assist and support their wives (Clark, 2008).
The training period was inadequate. Mothers were asking questions relating to areas that
were outside the objectives and if there was more time, more information would have been
covered in detail. The venue was not very appropriate. The training session was taking place
under a tree since there were no vacant rooms. Mothers were often distracted by other events
within the compound and it rained on one of the afternoons, which lagged the session behind.
COMMUNITY TEACHING PLAN: TEACHING EXPERIENCE PAPER 6
References
Clark, C. M. (2008). Asking the right questions about teacher preparation: Contributions of
research on teacher thinking. Educational Researcher, 17(2), 5-12.
Connelly, F. M., & Clandinin, D. J. (2010). Stories of experience and narrative inquiry.
Educational researcher, 19(5), 2-14.
Louis, K. S., & Marks, H. M. (2012). Does professional community affect the classroom?
Teachers’ work and student experiences in restructuring schools. American journal of
education, 532-575.
Zeichner, K. M., & Liston, D. P. (2007). Teaching student teachers to reflect. Harvard
educational review, 57(1), 23-49.