Nursing E-Portfolio

Teaching Philosophy

My teaching philosophy is centered on creating a supportive, respectful, and psychologically safe learning environment where students feel confident to engage, ask questions, and grow. Edmondson (2018) defines psychological safety as a shared belief that people won’t be punished or humiliated for speaking up with questions, concerns, or mistakes — and that’s really the environment I want to build in my classroom. I believe learning is most effective when students aren’t afraid of making mistakes. In clinical education, especially in simulation, errors are valuable learning opportunities, not something to be ashamed of. This lines up with Dewey’s theory of intelligent action, which says that real learning happens when students connect new knowledge to their own experience through active engagement and reflection (Bates, 2019). I emphasize that students won’t be penalized for mistakes made during simulation; instead, those moments become chances to build critical thinking, reflection, and skill in a safe space.

I saw this play out firsthand this past summer while teaching dosage calculation to my Bridge students. A few of them were falling behind early on, and instead of assuming they just weren’t getting it, I asked them what was actually making it hard to follow. Their answer — that I was moving too fast — pushed me to rebuild my whole approach into a simpler, step-by-step framework. Their confidence improved, and so did their test scores. That experience taught me that psychological safety isn’t just something you say you believe in; it only means something if students actually feel it.

None of that works, though, without structure. I believe in keeping clear professional boundaries between educator and student, because that predictability is part of what makes a space feel safe in the first place. Boundaries build mutual respect, accountability, and professionalism — things nursing students need to carry with them into practice. At the same time, I try to stay approachable. I want students to feel like they can come to me with questions, ask for help, or talk through whatever’s tripping them up, academically or clinically.

At the end of the day, my goal is to balance structure with support: hold high standards while still leaving room for growth, confidence, and honest conversation. If I can build that kind of trust, I think students walk away not just more clinically competent, but more confident in who they are as future nurses.