Design instructional programs based on learning principles and theories.
Introduction
Something I really love is teaching people: whether it’s how to conduct efficient searches or how to bake delicious brownies from scratch, I have found that sharing knowledge makes me incredibly happy. This is something of a recent discovery; I never imagined myself as someone who enjoys teaching, but I slowly began to come to that realization when I noticed that as soon as I learned something new I couldn’t wait to share it with someone else. I find it fascinating to learn about the different ways people take in information and I enjoy finding ways to adapt my delivery accordingly. I know that I am a very visual person, but not everybody is and even though it can be a challenge to understand other ways of learning, I strive to address multiple learning styles when creating teaching materials.
Evidence
Self-Study Packet for Art History Undergraduates: Presentation and Questionnaire
My first piece of evidence is a learning packet aimed at students studying art history at the undergraduate level. The packet is composed of a slideshow presentation and a companion exercise. It is intended to orient students with the resources available through the King Library, give them hands-on experience with differentiating between scholarly and non-scholarly sources, and take them through the steps of writing a research paper. In creating this packet, I used methods based on David Kolb’s Experiential Learning and Lev Vygotsky’s Social Development theories to address a number of learning preferences. These methods are described in an essay that accompanies the presentation materials.
My second piece of evidence is a game I made for a more general audience to get them comfortable with using the King Library’s website. This quiz is the starting point for what will eventually become a game designed to teach college students about information literacy. The parameters for making this particular game were that it had to be related to library and information science in some way, it had to address at least one learning theory, and it had to use badges as a reward system. I chose to use the Cognitive Apprenticeship theory of Collins, Brown, and Newman and put students in the position of having to use the website to answer the questions as they would if they were doing research on their own. At the end of the game, depending on how many points are scored, there is an opportunity to earn one of three badges.
Professional Development
As a librarian, I know that I will be responsible for creating instructional programs for different audiences, depending on what type of library I find myself in. Knowing different learning theories and models can help me adjust my techniques so that I can reach the largest number of people no matter what their learning style is. Coupling this knowledge with the ability to evaluate programming will allow me to design the best possible programs for my library.