It is not the answer that enlightens, but the question.
— Eugène Ionesco, Découvertes --
As an instructor, I believe that impactful teaching goes beyond simply imparting knowledge. Instruction is a mutual process, invested in an atmosphere of give-and-take. As such, effective instruction is not focused on my answers to students’ questions as much as it is in their critical formation of questions. My approach aims to inspire enthusiasm and eagerness among students.
Approaching students with an open mind is the most important aspect I bring to instruction. Teaching library instruction sessions or conducting reference interviews brings me into contact with a diverse population. I approach each session or student without expectations, as each interaction presents different circumstances. My foremost priority as an instructor is to remain cognizant of potential differences. These differences are neither good nor bad, they simply are. This mindset allows me to understand that each student approaches instruction in their own ways, making their questions more enlightening than my answers.
For students, entering a library instruction session or approaching a reference desk can be intimidating. Students may be unsure how to clearly describe their questions or may simply be afraid to. Recognizing potential obstacles ensures I treat classes or individuals with proper support. In library sessions creating a welcoming environment while adequately serving students is difficult. No matter the level of skill, it is of vital importance that I impart upon students that research is an ongoing, difficult, and often frustrating process. To address this issue, I strive to approach each individual at the appropriate research stage or skill level. The library is a place that should encourage students to freely express their thoughts, interests, and emotions. Students should feel encouraged to experiment with the understanding that “failure” is a relative term. It is imperative that I stress this fact when engaging with students. Although this produces anxiety, my purpose as an instruction librarian is to guide students through their emotions as much as their research. Although their initial search may not have been a success, there are ways to refine and adjust “failed” searches to provide improved results in subsequent attempts. In this way, although my approach to teaching is grounded in the mutuality of the instructor-student relationship and the enlightening path of intellectual inquiry, I also address my place as a professional passing on tangible skills to students.
I employ numerous strategies to create a welcoming, student-centered environment. I attempt to be as personable as possible. Relating to students as they enter the classroom by making small talk is a great way to remove traditional barriers in the instructor-student dynamic. This action aids the relaxed atmosphere I hope to create. I believe that students are more productive when learning outcomes are hidden in the background in a stress-free environment. I also enjoy incorporating students’ questions and topics into my sessions. Not only does this engage the class in a way that a predetermined demonstration does not, it also presents me with a challenge. These improvised demonstrations are an opportunity to show that even a professional does not develop a very productive initial search, thereby comforting students’ anxieties about their own abilities. Another strategy, when I am teaching from a devised outline, is adapting it to fit my personality. From experience as a student, there is nothing worse than sitting through an obviously canned presentation. Through observation and my own teaching, I’ve realized that instruction sessions vary greatly as individual instructors personalize them.
To personalize my instruction sessions, I adopt a critical perspective toward information literacy in my teaching. I believe in focusing less on information transfer and more on engaging students in critical learning. In the academic setting, instruction librarians should encourage students to critically engage and reflect in order to create their own understanding of and relationship to information. This approach allows students to encounter their academic pursuits on an individual level, where they can incorporate personal experiences, thoughts, and beliefs into their research, as the research process is one that provides students a great amount of flexibility.
In assessing students, I employ a number of formative strategies. In an attempt to gauge prior comprehension, I inquire about students’ previous research and search strategies, which allows me to grasp the general level on which students are operating. I can then tailor sessions as needed. I also include brief discussions throughout sessions as a check to make sure I am communicating with students at a suitable level. Additionally, I make use of in-class activities to listen to students’ discussions, where they may be more willing to address concerns. Because one-shot instruction sessions are restricted by time, adopting these strategies allows me to simultaneously teach and assess. That said, I am working to continually improve my monitoring and assessment, as it is easy for me to get caught up in teaching and forget to check-in periodically with students for questions or clarification.
After engaging with students it is my hope that they have a better understanding of their relationship to information. My student-centered and critical approaches to teaching are intended to invoke students to adapt the skills I have taught in a specific context to other areas of their immediate and future academic, professional, and personal lives. As lifelong producers and consumers of information, my ambition is to instill in each student I encounter a realization of how they effect and are affected by information. The tangibility of this lofty goal may be questionable, but in my quest to achieve it I strive to continually improve as an instructor.
— Eugène Ionesco, Découvertes --
As an instructor, I believe that impactful teaching goes beyond simply imparting knowledge. Instruction is a mutual process, invested in an atmosphere of give-and-take. As such, effective instruction is not focused on my answers to students’ questions as much as it is in their critical formation of questions. My approach aims to inspire enthusiasm and eagerness among students.
Approaching students with an open mind is the most important aspect I bring to instruction. Teaching library instruction sessions or conducting reference interviews brings me into contact with a diverse population. I approach each session or student without expectations, as each interaction presents different circumstances. My foremost priority as an instructor is to remain cognizant of potential differences. These differences are neither good nor bad, they simply are. This mindset allows me to understand that each student approaches instruction in their own ways, making their questions more enlightening than my answers.
For students, entering a library instruction session or approaching a reference desk can be intimidating. Students may be unsure how to clearly describe their questions or may simply be afraid to. Recognizing potential obstacles ensures I treat classes or individuals with proper support. In library sessions creating a welcoming environment while adequately serving students is difficult. No matter the level of skill, it is of vital importance that I impart upon students that research is an ongoing, difficult, and often frustrating process. To address this issue, I strive to approach each individual at the appropriate research stage or skill level. The library is a place that should encourage students to freely express their thoughts, interests, and emotions. Students should feel encouraged to experiment with the understanding that “failure” is a relative term. It is imperative that I stress this fact when engaging with students. Although this produces anxiety, my purpose as an instruction librarian is to guide students through their emotions as much as their research. Although their initial search may not have been a success, there are ways to refine and adjust “failed” searches to provide improved results in subsequent attempts. In this way, although my approach to teaching is grounded in the mutuality of the instructor-student relationship and the enlightening path of intellectual inquiry, I also address my place as a professional passing on tangible skills to students.
I employ numerous strategies to create a welcoming, student-centered environment. I attempt to be as personable as possible. Relating to students as they enter the classroom by making small talk is a great way to remove traditional barriers in the instructor-student dynamic. This action aids the relaxed atmosphere I hope to create. I believe that students are more productive when learning outcomes are hidden in the background in a stress-free environment. I also enjoy incorporating students’ questions and topics into my sessions. Not only does this engage the class in a way that a predetermined demonstration does not, it also presents me with a challenge. These improvised demonstrations are an opportunity to show that even a professional does not develop a very productive initial search, thereby comforting students’ anxieties about their own abilities. Another strategy, when I am teaching from a devised outline, is adapting it to fit my personality. From experience as a student, there is nothing worse than sitting through an obviously canned presentation. Through observation and my own teaching, I’ve realized that instruction sessions vary greatly as individual instructors personalize them.
To personalize my instruction sessions, I adopt a critical perspective toward information literacy in my teaching. I believe in focusing less on information transfer and more on engaging students in critical learning. In the academic setting, instruction librarians should encourage students to critically engage and reflect in order to create their own understanding of and relationship to information. This approach allows students to encounter their academic pursuits on an individual level, where they can incorporate personal experiences, thoughts, and beliefs into their research, as the research process is one that provides students a great amount of flexibility.
In assessing students, I employ a number of formative strategies. In an attempt to gauge prior comprehension, I inquire about students’ previous research and search strategies, which allows me to grasp the general level on which students are operating. I can then tailor sessions as needed. I also include brief discussions throughout sessions as a check to make sure I am communicating with students at a suitable level. Additionally, I make use of in-class activities to listen to students’ discussions, where they may be more willing to address concerns. Because one-shot instruction sessions are restricted by time, adopting these strategies allows me to simultaneously teach and assess. That said, I am working to continually improve my monitoring and assessment, as it is easy for me to get caught up in teaching and forget to check-in periodically with students for questions or clarification.
After engaging with students it is my hope that they have a better understanding of their relationship to information. My student-centered and critical approaches to teaching are intended to invoke students to adapt the skills I have taught in a specific context to other areas of their immediate and future academic, professional, and personal lives. As lifelong producers and consumers of information, my ambition is to instill in each student I encounter a realization of how they effect and are affected by information. The tangibility of this lofty goal may be questionable, but in my quest to achieve it I strive to continually improve as an instructor.