Teaching philosophy series: Navigating my path to university

In the “Navigating my path to university” section, I describe my unconventional journey into the world of academia and university life. As the first student in my family to attend university, I broke the mold and took a less conventional route. This experience has influenced my teaching philosophy by emphasizing the importance of understanding the needs and interests of both students and faculty, fostering critical thinking, and helping new university students acclimate to the academic environment.

Teaching philosophy series: An introduction

Explore a librarian’s growth from a Carleton University library technician, overcoming challenges to develop an inclusive teaching philosophy. Witness the evolution towards dynamic, collaborative instructional sessions that foster critical thinking. Delve into the personal journey of overcoming obstacles, guiding students to become discerning information consumers and adapt to the academic environment.

Why is front-page news so disheartening? Teaching historical newspaper searching

Okay, so maybe ALL front-page news isn’t disheartening… but let me give you some context. As the Communication and Journalism Librarian, I am preparing for a first-year workshop. In first-year journalism courses, I typically cover the following: Basic library instruction This workshop will cover the basics of library instruction (webpage, … Read more

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