LOEX Conference Proceedings 2010
Document Type
Expansion: Utilizing Nontraditional Instruction Methods
Publication Date
2012
Abstract
Getting - and keeping - students' attention during library instruction sessions is an increasingly Herculean task. We all know the best practices for teaching: be engaging, ask questions, provide opportunities for active learning. But what if those techniques just aren't enough? By experimenting wildly with the presentation of my library instruction sessions, I have found that a lot of teaching power lies within the unexpected. Often, topics with very little direct correlation to libraries make interesting and engaging platforms for teaching information literacy concepts. Some of the add-ons I have used in classes include: slideshows of LOLcat pictures to impart research lessons at the end of a session; a series of celebrity gossip pictures and stories to provide real-life examples of the principles of evaluating information; music videos and amusing clips from YouTube; and Toby, the Houston Zoo's red panda, who has become an unofficial library instruction mascot. In this session we'll talk about what makes teaching (and learning) fun, I'll show some zany examples from my instruction sessions, and we'll brainstorm how you can adapt these ideas to fit your own classes. Think outside the (search) box and get the creative juices flowing - no idea is too far-fetched for this session.
Recommended Citation
Moser, Mary T., "LOLcats and Celebrities and (Red Panda) Bears – Oh, My!" (2012). LOEX Conference Proceedings 2010. 15.
https://commons.emich.edu/loexconf2010/15