PLUS Framework: guidance for practice educators

Abstract

Summary Background The practice educator role is complex and becoming more so with changes in placement configurations since the COVID‐19 pandemic. The role requires practitioners to manage clinical activities while providing learning opportunities and supervision for students. This can be time‐consuming in often stretched clinical settings. This research investigated how experienced practice educators in occupational therapy tailored their approach to supporting student learning to make the most of limited supervision time. The results were developed into the Professional Learning through Useful Support (PLUS) Framework, which revealed how experienced practice educators focused their supervisory approach with students to maximise learning. Methods An Action Research methodology was used across four cycles. Semi‐structured interviews and naturally occurring placement documentation were gathered to determine the critical features of practice educator supervision. Template analysis was used to explore the approaches employed by practice educators to support student learning. Key focal points were linked and situated within educational theory to create the PLUS Framework. Findings Three key focal points for practice educators were identified: (1) guiding learning, (2) making the theory‐to‐practice links explicit and (3) supportively challenging students. Discussion The PLUS Framework is an educational tool that describes a set of guidance strategies used by skilled practice educators, whilst acknowledging the critical influences of workplace and university contexts. The proposed key features could be useful target areas for busy practice educators to help make the most of limited supervision time. Future research will explore the PLUS Framework in different countries and professions’ practice education environments.

The Nature of Theory Used in Practice Education: A Scoping Review

“…Therefore, developing an awareness about the varied sources of discipline-specific and related knowledge from which practice educators draw to inform their reasoning and decision-making is a useful first step. The Professional Learning through Useful Supports (PLUS) Framework (Dancza et al, 2021) focuses on guidance strategies for practice educators to support students’ learning on placement. The PLUS Framework identifies the value of practice educators reflecting on their own theory-to-practice links to enable them to make intuitive decisions explicit as they articulate and model their own use of theory in practice (Dancza et al, 2021).…”

“…The Professional Learning through Useful Supports (PLUS) Framework (Dancza et al, 2021) focuses on guidance strategies for practice educators to support students' learning on placement. The PLUS Framework identifies the value of practice educators reflecting on their own theory-to-practice links to enable them to make intuitive decisions explicit as they articulate and model their own use of theory in practice (Dancza et al, 2021).…”

Using the PLUS Framework to support supervisors to make the most of practice education supervision: Experiences from Singapore

“…The Professional Learning through Useful Support (PLUS) Framework aims to address this gap through guiding supervisors in optimising educational opportunities for students (Dancza et al, 2021). The PLUS Framework presents a practical approach for supervisors to consider their teaching strategies, making explicit connections between theory and practice, while challenging students to learn and grow.…”

“…The PLUS Framework presents a practical approach for supervisors to consider their teaching strategies, making explicit connections between theory and practice, while challenging students to learn and grow. It places the students' learning at the core of the Framework and is structured around three primary focal points: guiding learning, making explicit the connections between theory and practice, and supportively challenging students (Dancza et al, 2021; Figure 1). Previous studies in the United Kingdom have shown that providing students with time and opportunities for experiential learning, including learning from both successful outcomes and mistakes in a supervised setting, enhances their confidence and competence (Dancza et al, 2019(Dancza et al, , 2021.…”

“…It places the students' learning at the core of the Framework and is structured around three primary focal points: guiding learning, making explicit the connections between theory and practice, and supportively challenging students (Dancza et al, 2021; Figure 1). Previous studies in the United Kingdom have shown that providing students with time and opportunities for experiential learning, including learning from both successful outcomes and mistakes in a supervised setting, enhances their confidence and competence (Dancza et al, 2019(Dancza et al, , 2021. However, potential differences in learning contexts mean there is a need to explore how the PLUS Framework supervisory strategies are used and how they may need adaptation for students and supervisors in Singapore (Chua and Lateef, 2014).…”