Cohen - The missing link: librarians and the teaching identity
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The document discusses developing a teaching identity among librarians. It argues that cultivating a teaching identity can combat burnout, improve classroom effectiveness, and facilitate collaboration. Some obstacles to developing a teaching identity include lack of time, reluctance to learn from others, and lack of support. The document provides suggestions for how librarians can cultivate a teaching identity, such as forming teaching-focused communities, conducting peer observations, developing teaching philosophies, and engaging in reflective practices. The goal of this work is to increase librarians' confidence, improve teaching, and foster stronger teaching communities.
Cohen - The missing link: librarians and the teaching identity
- 1. THE MISSING LINK Librarians and the Teaching Identity Sarah Faye Cohen Champlain College, Burlington, Vermont
- 2. • Why focus on developing Session Goals the teaching identity? What are we here to talk about today? • How can we cultivate the teaching identity? • What are obstacles to cultivating the teaching identity, said and unsaid? • What are the results of this work?
- 3. Why focus on developing the teaching identity? In two parts.
- 4. 1. Professionally and logistically • Combats burnout and isolation. • Improves effectiveness in the classroom. • Facilitates collaboration and “groupthink” for more diversity of ideas. http://www.flickr.com/photos/catheroo/1474795920
- 5. But what is “teaching identity”? http://www.flickr.com/photos/drewleavy/753717493
- 6. “We rarely talk with each other about teaching at any depth—and why should we when we have nothing more than ‘tips, tricks, and techniques’ to discuss? That kind of talk fails to touch the heart of the teacher’s experience.” (The Courage to Teach, 13)
- 7. “the heart of the teacher’s experience” • What does it mean to be teaching librarian? • What does it mean to be a teacher? • Are you a teacher? • What does that look like, sound like, feel like, taste like?
- 8. Getting things out in the open.
- 9. Exposing the truth behind our challenges http://collegeteachingtips.com/wp- content/uploads/2011/01/PonderingInstructor.jpg
- 10. Is it something else? A crisis. • Fear • A fear of obsolescence • A fear of not knowing • A fear vulnerability • A fear of judgment • Lack • A lack of confidence • A lack of voice • A lack of agency • A lack of faith in http://www.flickr.com/photos/vblibrary/4993073773/ ourselves as teachers
- 11. A clean start to a difficult topic. http://www.flickr.com/photos/phipag/6839447970
- 12. At the elemental level. “Look within. Within is the fountain of good, and it will ever bubble up, if you keep digging.” (Marcus Aurelius) • To understand our students, our objectives, our pedagogy, and our teaching, we need to understand ourselves. http://www.flickr.com/photos/rrrodrigo/5998696169
- 13. HOW DO WE DO THAT?
- 15. Standing Meetings • Specific time for the people who teach to address teaching • Time to acknowledge, vent, experiment, design, share • Expression of value and importance
- 16. Group Readings • Why? • The group that reads together, stays together. • An environment that is informal, relaxed, and supportive. • How • A book of one’s own • Various formats • Using meeting time to read • Focused. http://www.flickr.com/photos/benobryan/3386185638
- 17. What to read: • Pieces that address our challenges, not reinforce our expertise. • Exploring yourself as a teacher: The Courage to Teach • Who are today’s students? Born Digital • Helping students to “get it” Made to Stick • Unplugging: Hamlet’s Blackberry http://www.flickr.com/photos/anna/199723292
- 18. Developing a Teaching Philosophy • Motivation. • What is your “modus operandi” for being in the classroom? • Vision for the classroom and teaching experience. • A focus on you, not the students. http://www.flickr.com/photos/apc33/2445600596/
- 19. Debrief sessions • Designing sessions are a process, not a product. • Before • What is our “CI” and our “takeaway”? • What learning styles are we addressing? • What problems can we anticipate? • After • What worked? What didn’t? • What will I do differently? • What will I do again? http://www.flickr.com/photos/johnji/6907148829
- 20. Peer to Peer Observations • An opportunity to learn about the physical • Non-verbal communication • Intonation • Back of the room view of students • What will I try from http://www.flickr.com/photos/ulfbodin/4404742562 their way of teaching?
- 21. What observations are not. http://www.flickr.com/photos/estherase/976581518
- 22. My own learning experience http://www.flickr.com/photos/30571787@N00/307814064/
- 23. The tenor of the conversation • Listening • Safe spaces: a judgment free zone • Welcome challenges and failures • Marinating • Conflict as a need expressed in another direction http://www.flickr.com/photos/riz94107/3357665840
- 24. USING INQUIRY TO BUILD THAT TONE AND SPACE
- 25. Give voice • Nostalgia • Animosity • Hard conversations • Open-ended questions • “Not our problem to solve.” • Uncertainty
- 27. WHAT ARE OBSTACLES TO CULTIVATING THE TEACHING IDENTITY, EXPLICIT AND IMPLICIT?
- 28. Common Obstacles • Time • “I’m fine in the classroom.” • “I don’t need help.” • “I have nothing to learn from them.” • Not supported • Not important to my evaluations http://www.flickr.com/photos/neilspicys/2349798104
- 29. Fear of the unknown and unchartered http://www.flickr.com/photos/pelcinary/4958173169
- 30. IS IT WORTH IT?
- 31. Yes. And we will do it together. http://www.flickr.com/photos/pelcinary/4958754738/
- 32. What do we get out of this work? • Teams • Authentic support • Collaboration • Creativity • Trust • Confidence • Better teachers • Fun http://www.flickr.com/photos/notsogoodphotography/3434414425
- 33. How do you know? • Word of mouth • Statistics speak • Reference • Distributive leadership • Stronger sense of teaching community
- 34. HOW CAN YOU BEGIN?
- 35. Start here http://www.flickr.com/photos/elmada/5416602201
- 36. Share your experience http://www.flickr.com/photos/ruminatrix/3755296805
- 37. Invite others http://www.flickr.com/photos/mintlipgloss/251326649
- 39. “We cannot know the great things of the universe until we know ourselves to be great things.” (The Courage to Teach, 113)
- 40. THANK YOU. Always happy to talk further. thesheckspot@gmail.com @thesheck
- 41. I’D LOVE YOUR HELP. • What do you consider to be the obstacles to teaching identity work? • What kinds of research would help shed light on this issue? • What would support for teaching identity work look like at UK libraries? • How can we demystify this work and how can we help it gain traction in the academy?