Creative learning: the mandala as teaching exercise.

Area of Science:

• Nursing Education
• Psychology
• Art Therapy

Background:

• Undergraduate nursing education requires innovative teaching strategies for contemporary students.
• The affective domain is crucial for developing interpersonal competence and self-reflection in mental health nursing.
• Traditional teaching methods may not fully engage the new generation of learners.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the effectiveness of a mandala creation exercise in an undergraduate "Nursing the Client with a Mental Illness" course.
• To explore the use of creative, active learning to meet clinical objectives and student needs.
• To integrate Eastern philosophy and Jungian therapy concepts into nursing education.

Main Methods:

• An experiential learning exercise involving group mandala creation using art materials on circular paper.
• The mandala technique, rooted in Buddhist tradition and adapted by Carl Jung, was employed.
• Students engaged in a creative, active learning process within a group setting.

Main Results:

• The mandala exercise successfully met clinical objectives for the mental illness nursing course.
• The strategy addressed the learning needs of the current generation of undergraduate students.
• Students gained insights into Eastern philosophy, group dynamics, self-awareness, and Jungian therapy.

Conclusions:

• Mandala creation is an effective active learning strategy in undergraduate nursing education.
• This technique fosters affective domain learning, including self-awareness and interpersonal skills.
• The exercise provides a unique approach to teaching mental illness nursing concepts and related psychological theories.