Jeff Liles at Conference

Jeff Liles, education professor at St. John Fischer College, gave an amazing presentation at ALA Annual. His title for the session was "You can lead a dog to the fridge but can you make him think?" Here's what I took away from the session:

What we believe about learning guides how we view learners and teachers and guides how we teach. If we don't know learning theory, how do we figure out what to teach and how to teach it? If we teach the way we learn best, how many students are not reached? We need to be cognizant of different learning styles and learn different ways to teach to reach a wider audience.

We can be instructional leaders on campus if we're good at teaching. When we have more substantive interactions with students in our one-shot library sessions than professors have with the students all semester, professors may see us in a different light. They may seek us out as partners.

Some attendees of the session mentioned faculty apathy during class and asked how to deal with this. I've finally figured this out. I lay out my expectations in the email exchanges with professors as we're negotiating class dates and learning outcomes. I invite professors to ask questions, participate, and I give them a heads up that I'll give students time to clarify assignment requirements. It's a good way to catch folks who just want you to babysit.

A subject-centered approach is better than a student-centered one. Why? Becuase then you put yourself on the level of the student and learn about the subject together. It changes the dynamic.

The nature of the experience matters. An educative experience will cause students to want to come back. A miseducative experience will make them never want to come back.

The session reinforced many things I already know about teaching and learning in a library setting. It helped to reinvigorate me. Thanks Jeff!