Teaching Techniques for Librarians Making Active Learning Simple Donna Kearley, Annie Downey, & Gayla Byerly TLA Annual Conference 2009

 UNT assessed 575 students  11% could perform a subject search after instruction  Added a worksheet to instruction  Success rate increased to 38%  Other studies prove it works as well

 1. Experience  Activity that brings the student’s experience into the teaching situation  Ex: Worksheet  2. Practice  Activity where the student is provided an opportunity to demonstrate their understanding of the new information  Ex: Assessment  3. Application  Opportunity to apply the information to a new situation  Ex: Research paper assignment

 Students take an active role in learning  Students are more engaged  Students feel more comfortable participating and asking questions  Takes into account that learning is a process  Facilitates assessment

 Learning is demonstrated to the learner BY the learner  Facilitates teacher learning  Different learning styles and domains can be accommodated and addressed  Learning becomes personally meaningful

 Honor Silence!!!  Expect participation  Give students time to think  When students answer questions, reward them  Make contact with students that look interested  Allow time for informal questions at the end

 Individually or in groups  Short and simple  Customized for a specific subject area or audience

 Divide into groups of four  Assign each group member with a role  Leader  Searcher  Recorder  Reporter  Assign each group a searching task

 Give each student a card  Ask students to hold up cards that meet specific criteria to illustrate Boolean concepts  Explain the concepts as you go  (have them hold up a card that meets the criteria for the search)

 Show a brief 3-5 minute video on a research topic  Ask students to brainstorm the questions the video brought up for them  Break students into small groups  Using the questions the brainstorm brought up, develop a research question the group wants to investigate  List keywords based on research question

 Show a brief 3-5 minute video on a research topic  Ask students to brainstorm the questions the video brought up for them  Break students into small groups  Using the questions the brainstorm brought up, develop a research question the group wants to investigate  List keywords based on research question

 Locate several websites you want students to evaluate – these should be a mix of “good” and “bad” websites  Print the web addresses on slips of paper – make one for each student  Either individually or in pairs, ask students to go to the website on their slip of paper and evaluate it  Have each student (as time allows) make the case either for or against their website  Ask the rest of the class to weigh in with whether they agree or disagree and why

Really Old More RecentMost Recent Older Really New Q $100 Q $200 Q $300 Q $400 Q $500 Q $100 Q $200 Q $300 Q $400 Q $500 Final Jeopardy

 Design a computer game to teach the concept.  Ask students to write or adapt a computer game to teach the concept involved.

 CPS Units – can be used anytime you would use a multiple choice test.  We have used CPS units with Kindergarten through adults

Baby Got Nitrogen

 Biography Hash – Anne Berry  This lesson was adapted from an article by Judy Freeman in Library Talk (September/October 2000).

 I do several museum walks with my students before they begin their Shakespeare unit, read the Odyssey, or study the Holocaust.  Think of it as "Learning Stations" from elementary days.  Who better than you knows where all of the great pictures are, the wonderful reference books that no one uses, and where the great articles from the databases are?

The great thing about the museum walks is that you tailor it to your collection. If you were doing Civil Rights, you might pull up the audio (DVD, cassette, or VHS) of Martin Luther King's speech, or the children's book about Ruby Bridges, or a clip from the movie, or any of the recent books about the murder of Emmett Till. I make colorful file folders with the questions on them and the number of the station.

 I adapted one done by a teacher in our district (Gretchen Birnaby) on lynching before students read To Kill a Mockingbird.  I went to the Handbook of Texas and found a great article on the lynching of Jesse Washington in Waco, TX.  I also found a great article about Hispanics that were lynched on one of the databases.  I also set up a computer station or two with Billie Holiday performing "Strange Fruit".

 February has a variety of themes: Valentine’s Day, President’s Day – for the birthdays of Abraham Lincoln and George Washington, Black History Month and Heart Month (Dress Red for Women).  The library would like to advertise these themes with posters. We may even share some with classroom teachers who are interested in having them in their room.

 Your assignment is to design a poster using Excel about any of the topics above.  I have the directions printed out if you need a copy.  To find information for your poster, please use one of the online encyclopedias.  Be sure to cite your sources for information and for your pictures. They need to be included on the poster in a text box or in small print below each item.

 If you select Valentine’s Day, add a library or reading theme to the holiday idea or some facts about the holiday.  If you choose to do people from Black History then have them grouped by area of recognition – authors, musicians, science, etc.  With the presidents, include some facts about them, or their presidency.  Heart Month you should include some statistics, warning signs of heart attack, or something similar.

 /Geothermal_Wanted_Poster.p df /Geothermal_Wanted_Poster.p df

 PhotoStory - Science Vocabulary

 /Biome_Brochure.pdf /Biome_Brochure.pdf

Introductory PhotoStory by Students  7/lib/ /5_R_Ogenche.wmv 7/lib/ /5_R_Ogenche.wmv

 7/blank/browse.asp?A=383&BMDRN=2000& BCOB=0&C= /blank/browse.asp?A=383&BMDRN=2000& BCOB=0&C=84517  7/lib/ /wedding_crashers_ by_Breanna.mp3 7/lib/ /wedding_crashers_ by_Breanna.mp3

Book Trailers  Naomi Bates /booktrailer-my-fathers-son-by- terri.html 02/booktrailer-my-fathers-son-by- terri.html  Interactive Book Reviews  ary/booktalks.htm ary/booktalks.htm

Origami Books Study Cards Miniature Books Fan Decks Pocket Portfolio Folding Venn Filmstrip  Tower  Pyramids

 Cascading Flip Books  Stretch Books  Post Cards  sd.org/ /lib/ / Instructions_for_Fol ds.pdf sd.org/ /lib/ / Instructions_for_Fol ds.pdf  Flap Books  Clue Square  Diorama  Contrast Square  Tabbed Books

 Harmin, Merrill and Toth, Melanie, Inspiring Active Learning: A Complete Handbook for Teachers, Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, 2006,ISBN  Bowman, Sharon, Preventing Death by Lecture, Bowperson Publishing, 2001,ISBN

 Bruff, Derek, Teaching with Classroom Performance Systems, Jossey-Bass, 2009, ISBN  Fontichiaro, Kristin, Active Learning Thorough Drama, Podcasting, and Puppetry, Libraries Unlimited, 2007, ISBN

Practical Pedagogy for Library Instructors: 17 Innovative Strategies to Improve Student Learning Doug Cook and Ryan Sittler Creating the One-Shot Library Workshop: A Step-by-Step Guide Jerilyn Veldof Teaching Information Literacy: 35 Standards-based Exercises for College Students Joanna M. Burkhardt, Mary C. MacDonald and Andrée Rathemacher

Designs for Active Learning: A Sourcebook of Classroom Strategies for Information Education Gail Gradowski, Loanne Snavely, Paula Dempsey Library Instruction Publications: Active Learning Series Active Learning Techniques for Library Instruction Information Literacy Activities Designed by Librarians, For Librarians

 Donna Kearley  Denton ISD   Annie Downey  University of North Texas   Gayla Byerly  University of North Texas 