WHAP Instructional Design

Apologies to readers that this blog is going to turn pedagogy for the next few weeks. Today was day one of Concordia Language training. One idea that seems particularly relevant to library instruction is the WHAP instruction plan:

Welcome--Something that establishes for students that class is starting

Hook--Something to get them interested (a prop, relevance, etc.), explanation of concepts

Action--A chance to apply said concept

Praise--Assessment and Feedback

I acknowledge that this isn't applicable in every situation, but I do think it has potential in  info lit teaching. How often do we try to capture student interest and really make it clear why they should pay attention? I know for myself that I am sometimes lazy about including a visible assessment piece and gaining feedback each and every time I teach. Today's lessons were a good reminder of that.

Summer Updates

Summer has been a whirlwind! Here are some quick updates:

• Just as summer started, my job changed. My new title is "Teaching and Learning Librarian," and I'll be working with instruction as well as e-learning because of a colleague's retirement. I'm really excited about the chance to spend more time in the classroom.
• My student intern from this year is off to IU Bloomington SLIS, and while I am of course delighted for her, I am selfishly very sad. I will miss her quick wit, infectious enthusiasm, and thoughtful questions. I have another intern lined up for fall, as well as a student worker, but no one can replace Bri or this special position as my first intern. 
• ALA 2011 was fantastic. This was a quick trip, with only two days of conference. Because of that, I felt like I didn't get to see and do much beyond my required meetings and presentation. This was also the first ALA where I felt comfortable and like I knew what I was doing. It was a joy to see friends and colleagues and Emerging Leader cohort members. My NMRT conference mentor from 3 years ago and I also met up, which was fun and really speaks to the kindness of many people in this profession. Eating my way through NOLA was also a joy.
• I am on a 10 month contract, which means I have some free time in the summers. I spent last week visiting family and friends in IL/IN, and leave tomorrow to work as a for-credit teacher for El Lago del Bosque. Beyond camp counseling duties, I'll be teaching an intensive Spanish program for high school students. I spent four summers as a camp counselor prior to to this, and really love working with students. I also desperately miss speaking Spanish regularly, so here's to this next adventure!

Kathleeen Zar Symposium

I spent Friday attending the Kathleen Zar Symposium on Library Assessment at the University of Chicago. I really liked the one day format, the small size, and the focus just on library assessment. I also love that it was in Chicago and enjoyed seeing the new Mansueto Library.

As ever, Megan Oakleaf said a lot of really smart stuff and presented it in a way that was engaging. Although she made many excellent points, I think what really struck me is the idea of assessment as a way of motivating students. For many students, feedback, which can effectively integrate with assessment techniques, provides students motivation to continue. I guess I had always thought of assessment as this separate thing that had to be done for administrators and only benefitted our students as a fringe benefit. While this may not be anything revolutionary, it's definitely changed my mindset and approach.

She also mentioned the point of collaborating with colleagues. While collaborating with faculty colleagues is something that makes complete sense, she also mentioned the importance of student affairs. I'm stewing on ideas there on what, if anything, that could look like on our campus.

Rebecca Starkey also gave a really interesting presentation talking about the design and evolution of an instruction rubric. It was helpful to see the revisions they went through, as well as be reminded that sometimes it's better just to get something out and then revise later, rather than not trying.

As with most conferences, I think much of the value here was the chance to meet colleagues from a variety of institutions and to informally exchange ideas. I thought this conference was set up very nicely to allow that to happen.

On a somewhat related note, I had one of the best meals of my life at a Cuban restaurant while in the area and highly recommend the 90 Miles Cuban Café if you are ever near  Chicago. Wonderful service, fun atmosphere, and simply amazing food. They also have soy meat substitutions for the non-vegetarian meals and a variety of gluten free options.

Student Happiness

It's graduation day, so sending out a mega congrats to my rockstar intern Bri and wishing her, and all the other UW-L class of  2011 seniors all and only the best. The students here really are a delight.

Thursday was my birthday, and while there were many happy surprises and moments, one interaction with a student stands out. G is a junior I've worked a lot with this year, helping her with her senior capstone that she took early, finding resources to help her with her upcoming field work in Germany, and just general cheering on. G knows I normally work the Thursday afternoon reference shift, but our hours were adjusted for finals week. She came to my office when I wasn't at the desk, and said that she really wished I were at the desk. I offered to help and answer any questions she might have, but she whipped out a plastic, singing, dancing birthday cake instead. Once the show had ended and she started to pack up, she told me that if I'd been on the desk, it would have been waaay more funny.

I'm not sure how she knew or what sparked her to come visit me, but working with students is by far the highlight of my job. I'm so thankful for them and all the life and humor they bring to campus.

At the end of the day...

We're in the last two days of finals and all the snow has finally melted :) 

Now that the cycle of guide students through their last few chaotic weeks is winding down, I'm able to shift focus to summer projects. The main goal for this summer is working with a professor to create onlin modules for the required freshmen communications course. The traditional model for instruction that we've applied is between one and five instruction sessions throughout the semester. This prof would like to try having all of the content presented electronically, and then having in-person instruction for review, questions, and guidance as they work on their assignments.

I'm really excited about trying this new model, but also struggling with streamlining, At the end of the day, what is absolutely key for our students to know? Yes, this model allows us to be a little more self-paced, but it also offers tremendous potential for information overload. I also won't have the same flexibility to adjust, based on their reactions. We'll have student and faculty testers for these and make continual adjustments along the way. But at least for now, my main question is how to make this as simple, basic, clear, and comprehensive as I can!

Why DO I teach??

Sarah Faye Cohen over at The Sheck Spot poses the fascinating and perhaps deeply personal question of  Why do you teach? Especially as librarians, I think this is something worth reflecting on and asking from time to time.

• I teach because it's who I am and I teach all the time, even when that may not be the required response. I started "formally" teaching in eighth grade when I was put in charge of a Sunday School class and assigned to tutor a classmate who was failing eighth grade science, and I've never looked back.  If I weren't a librarian, and even on days when I'm not in a classroom or at the desk or in my teaching volunteer work, I feel like there are teachable moment all the time to harness! 

• I teach because I love learning.

• I teach because I care deeply about our students. I want them to have positive, encouraging, challenging experiences with whatever subject I'm teaching. I want to provide a safe space for students to be challenged, encouraged, and where they can stretch themselves beyond what they thought possible.

• I teach because I believe learning changes lives, that really good learning often requires us to be uncomfortable, and because I want to be a supportive, encouraging presence at the same time as I challenge.

I encourage you to read Sarah's post, join in the conversation, and really dig deep into the question.

Reflections and Ramblings and Cries for input :)

Hello end of the year! La X has finally warmed up and turned green and my focus is a bit scattered as I help students wrap up the end of the semester, delight in the greenery and warmth, and prepare for ALA and summer projects. So, lots of excitement and sharing, though I don't really see the connections between the following ideas, and I would (as always!) certainly appreciate your comments and insights. 

• My friend Cara Stone (a soon-to-be MLS graduate) did an awesome post on one of the best sessions I attended at the Library Technology conference. I direct you here to read more about how to successfully convert face-to-face instruction to online teaching without losing goodness. 
• Now that ACRL and Library Technology are done, the next conference I'm gearing up for is ALA Annual. I'm chairing the Student Reception Committee (library school students, please come! We'll feed you!) and also speaking on a panel of "Emerged" Leaders. It's a lightning talk (5 minutes) and I've been asked to speak on something that would be useful for other librarians. Help? What would you want to hear about? Any ideas welcome. 
• The big summer project that I'm trying to lay groundwork for now is a grant with a teaching faculty member for one of the classes we work most closely with, an introductory communications course. This is currently the only course in this university that has a required library component, and they are now offering sections of it online. The prof and I will jointly create a series of online learning objects that would help with the library skills--both for online sections and face-to-face classes. In the fall semester, the chair of the department and the many faculty who teach it will evaluate them, give feedback, and our dream is for these to be unveiled for the online courses and fully integrated into face-to-face courses by next January. We really want these to be helpful for all students who take this course. Janet, the prof I'm working with, is in communication studies, and one of her areas of interest is communication and community within online environments. I'm really excited about this project, though also feeling a little intimidated :) Again, ideas and suggestions and insights welcomed.
• As all of you faithful readers know by now, Char Booth is one of my library heros. I just finished her book Reflective Teaching, Effective Learning: Instructional Literacy for Library Educators and would highly recommend it to anyone with an interest in teaching and/or instructional design. She makes a lot of smart points, provides practical models for designing and assessing instruction, and does all this while being funny and inspiring without being cheesy. She also echoes and expands a lot of what I learned from Carrie Donovan, and it was nice to have so many of those reminders all tidily wrapped up in one book. 
• And on a final note of reflection, preparing my annual portfolio and going through the annual review process has provided a much-needed time to reflect on what's happened since I've started here and what I want to be able to report a year from now. We've also hired a new colleague, and already in the few months she's been here, I've learned a ton from her. Beyond professional accomplishments for next year, I've also got a list of "year two resolutions" that I'm posting here in hopes that all of you, and this scarily public act of declaration, will hold me more accountable.
• I need to focus and slow down. I have so many ideas, and while I certainly don't want to lose that, I do need to improve my skills in prioritizing, saying no, and really thoroughly seeing projects through to their completion before moving on. 
• I need to really learn my community here and adapt to meet their needs, rather than mourning that they aren't the students and colleagues I had before. I have phenomenal students and colleagues here. This year, I cringed when I used the Green Bay Packers and ice fishing as teaching examples. Next year, to embrace them and to come to better know and treasure the community I'm part of right now.