Making APA Style fun and engaging

Recently, I was approached by a colleague who requested my assistance in creating a fun and engaging activity to teach APA (American Psychology Association) citation in the classroom. Given that “APA citation” and “fun” are not often used in the same sentence, I knew this would be a challenge. However, … Read more

Pick 2: A simple approach to library instruction

Image depicts a young man between 2 paths

Years ago I saw this image popularized on social media and shared by an engineer friend of mine. Such a simple image had a huge impact on me and I have been reflecting on it as I consider my professional teaching philosophy. The image is clean, simple and concise and … Read more

Teaching Philosophy: Building good foundations

I love talking about teaching and more specifically innovative teaching practices. One of my goals this year is to actually sit down and write an official teaching philosophy. A teaching philosophy helps you define your values, goals, and beliefs regarding both teaching and learning. This is really challenging! So I’ve … Read more

Expertise in conversations

How we talk is greatly influenced by our audience’s level of expertise on a topic. In my last few posts, I have reflected on authentic conversations in the classroom. Creating authentic conversations in library information instruction is extremely important in ensuring that students understand the role of the library in … Read more

Academic writing is boring

Memorable teaching moments are usually authentic It’s funny how some of our most memorable teaching moments are the most authentic. I remember once, I was teaching an entry-level psychology class. One of the exercises I use is to have students look at five different types of sources. Typically, these include … Read more