Mastering the art of teaching in oddly configured spaces

Teaching is a challenging skill that demands adaptability and resourcefulness. I’m always interested in developing my teaching and one of the most memorable and impactful was reflecting on my physical teaching spaces. As educators and library instructors, we often find ourselves in situations where we have to teach in oddly … Read more

The 8 Bit Experiment: a place for digital play

A discussion that continues to emerge in my time in academia is how can we support digital learning. Many institutions support faculty and staff by giving them digital space on their servers to host websites, blogs, etc. Unfortunately, that isn’t the case at our institution. So I started exploring my … Read more

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