Library and Information Science Commons^™

Helping Librarians To Encourage Critical Thinking Through Active Learning Techniques In Library Instruction, Cynthia Wright Swaine

Libraries Faculty & Staff Publications

Encouraging librarians to incorporate critical thinking skills and active learning techniques in their course instruction requires more than talking about it in a department meeting or distributing articles on the topic. At Old Dominion University (Virginia), librarians have tried conducting workshops, had readily-accessible binders of articles and suggestions for librarians to consult, and held idea-sharing sessions. They have also tried including a related library instruction annual performance objective for each reference librarian involved in instruction. This paper describes this latest attempt to incorporate active learning in library instruction and includes an active learning planning sheet which serves as an outline …