Teaching
Working with a Student Instructor
While you are training, you will not have a student instructor, but when you are assigned your own class, you can have the opportunity to work with one. Student Instructor (formerly "TA") is a new student position designed to actively support your class. They are trained in learning theories, instructional design, and the latest research on research. Depending on your needs and preferences, they can assist you in a variety of ways, including the following:
- Co-designing the lesson plan.
- Leading class discussions.
- Running learning activities.
- Managing the classroom. This could be student behaviors, the use of space, distributing handouts/supplies, etc.
- Observing class dynamics to give you feedback.
- Running the technology in the classroom. This includes being ready to show any videos, slides, etc., you want to use. The student instructor can also follow along with any demos as you show how to do searches in databases or use other sites.
- Teaching the basics of RefWorks (saving to RefWorks, “Get It at BYU,” creating a Works Cited page).
- Doing 1-1 consultations during work time.
- Running Zoom (for the rare times when a writing instructor requests it).
- Taking and recording attendance.
If you think of other ways to collaborate with the student instructors, please do! We want to give them valuable teaching experience.
Other Helpful Tips
When the student instructor is assigned to your class, they will reach out to you beforehand to set up a collaboration plan with you. You are welcome to direct them in whatever way works best for you.
At the beginning of class, invite the student instructor to introduce themselves.
If no student instructor was assigned to your class
For the rare times you have no student instructor, you can check with someone in the Writing Programs unit if you need some classroom assistance (Toni Pilcher, Suzanne Julian, Stacey Hatch, or Karin Patrick). If you end up teaching on your own, make sure to write down how many students were in the class. Then please send your attendance numbers to Stacey Hatch, and she will make sure they are recorded properly so they become part of your stats record.
One-on-one Consultations
One-on-one consulting with students during a library session gives the students targeted help on their assignment and helps move them from wherever they are to the next step in their research process. You will find that each student is in a slightly different place. Some will have a general topic, some will have narrowed their topic pretty well, and others may not even know what topic they want to write on. Others may just want help with RefWorks or navigating databases.
It helps to have an idea of the kinds of questions you can ask to assist the students. Remember in all your asking, be sure to listen and make sure you really understand what they are saying.
Questions you could ask in a one-on-one:
- Tell me what you're researching about! What are you leaning towards talking about?
- What research have you done so far?
- Where are you at in the (research) process? Where have you been looking (to start your research)?
- Can you tell me more about why you chose this topic? Can you tell me more about your research? Why is this significant to you?
- What made you interested in this topic?
- Do you have experience with this topic?
- What have you learned about your topic so far?
- What can you tell me about your topic in your own words?
- How can you adjust this search to get better and more targeted results? What terms do you need to search to help you get to what you are looking for? What other words can you use to search for this?
- As you research, what is most interesting to you?
- How do you feel about this [concept, idea, demo]?
- How would you persuade someone to your point of view?
- What has been the barrier in your searching (for example, terms, finding articles related to your topic, where to go for sources)?
- What do you feel would be most helpful at this point?
- What research are you looking for? What do you feel like your research is missing?
- How do these search results seem to fit into your topic? Why are they (not) relevant?
- How do you think you could use this source in your paper?
Encourage students to…
- Use a personal experience as a starting point or whatever if it ties into their topic.
- Keep the paper at a level people will understand (lay people vs. experts).
- Target their search to the specifics of their paper. (There may be lots of other interesting stuff out there, which you can go to later, perhaps, but target to your paper.)
- Refer to specific library help desks to find more info for your topics (Which floor has which desks?)
To print a list of these questions, click here.
Teaching Tips
These classrooms are fun places! No grading! No disciplining! Remember, students will see your fear, but you know more than they do and you’re in a position to help them. Be confident in that.
Classroom Management
What if...
Students are talking while you are teaching?
- Walk over to where they are (move around the classroom)
- Stop and ask them what they think.
- Ask if they have a question/"Can I help you?" (probably during the work time, not during class?)
- Make eye contact.
- Be aware: Are they helping someone? (Pay attention to context clues.)
- If it's the professor talking: invite them to share with the class the important concept they are discussing
A student challenges a concept or source?
- Be humble. Acknowledge I don't know everything and offer to get back to them after having some time to look into it.
- Look at it as an opportunity to learn together; don't shut them down.
The teacher contradicts something you teach?
- "Interesting point … from my perspective I think … Can you explain … This is a conundrum in the research process, approaches are not always the same … research can be messy"
- "yes … and"
- Determine if the info is false vs. simply being another way/approach
- If it is bad info, challenge directly
- If different approach, teach that's how the research process works: it's messy
- Help the teacher keep authority/credibility
- What I've found is … But I can see how that would work, too.
- Use evidence in peer-reviewed sources because it's research driven. Encourage students to seek all sides.
- Sometimes you need to handle cognitive dissonance
A student is disinterested or distracted?
- If they are not disruptive, I can kind of let it go. Remember I don't know what's going on in their life.
- Pose a question to them.
Your Role as Library Instructor
Our goal as library instructors should be to create a learning atmosphere that is student-oriented and promotes knowledge transfer. That means we want students to take what they’ve learned from our library sessions and apply it to other research and writing projects both in and out of a scholastic atmosphere
Studies show that the best teaching practices are student based rather than teacher based. This means that instead of asking yourself, “what will I teach today?” you should ask, “what do I want my students to learn today?”
See yourself as a knowledge guide. This undoes the student/teacher dichotomy and helps you see yourself as someone who can help bridge knowledge gaps for students. As you guide them through the learning process, you’ll focus on providing the support (or the “scaffolding”) needed for students to learn how to become information-literate thinkers and researchers.
General Teaching Tips
Always carry your phone so you can do a CAS login.
Put in a plug for the Research & Writing Center (RWC) whenever you can. Students can make an appointment at rwc.byu.edu for research help. They just need to select one of the consultants who has (Research) by their name.
After answering a student’s question, confirm with the student whether you answered what they asked.
Make positive statements about the work the students are doing. (Great topics! I love your thought process! It will be cool to see where you go with this!)
Consider what to say if you don't know the answer to something. Don't be afraid to admit that you don't know something.
- Maybe give your email and invite them to submit the question so you can consult with others who know
- “I don’t know off the top of my head, but I can find the answer”
Start class with some get-to-know-you questions.
- What are some general conference traditions?
- Favorite holiday traditions?
- Favorite study spot in the library?
- Where are students from?
- What majors are they considering?
Remember that a librarian's job is not to give answers, but to give guidance so the students can find answers themselves.
The whole class generally focuses on EBSCO's Academic Search Ultimate; in the one-on-one consultations, you can give more specific database suggestions.
What to Do When Things Go Wrong
Sometimes things happen that are unexpected, and all we can do is know where to turn for assistance.
For this reason, each classroom has the following information posted:
- On the desk: A list of contact numbers you can call if you have any issues you need help with
- On the wall: A list of Classroom Emergencies and what to do in those situations (see below)
- On the wall: An “In Case of Emergency, What Do I Do?” information sheet from Library Security
Below is the information from the Classroom Emergencies posting so you can be familiar with what to do if any of the following go wrong: Student Instructor does not show
Call Toni Pilcher (2-1148) or ask for help in the Instruction hallway.
The Internet is down
Call LIT (2-1869)
Other Computer Problems:
Submit a help desk ticket and mark it as urgent (helpdesk.lib.byu.edu). They will usually respond within minutes.
Medical:
Bodily Fluids: Call Custodial (2-4774)
Call emergency personnel as needed (2-2222 or 911)
First aid kits in each classroom
AED (defibrillator) available in Family History)
Emergency Phone Numbers
Library Security (2-1515)
Sergeant Randy O'Hara (2-6249)
Police/Fire/Medical (2-2222 or 911)
Building Emergencies (water leak/noxious fumes, etc.) (2-1515)