Class Act: Producing and Presenting Library Instruction

Over 400 people attended LIRT's Annual Conference Program, "Class Act: Producing and Presenting Library Instruction." The program was held Sunday morning, June 25th at the Chicago Hyatt Regency Hotel.

Randall Hensley, Reference Center Head, Hamilton Library, University of Hawaii at Manoa, was the first speaker. Randy focused on presentation basics by describing and demonstrating creative strategies for making presentations more dynamic and effective. Randy discussed "the basics" - attention, appropriateness, and application. The method of teaching, the voice, media, humor, examples and enthusiasm can be used to capture the attention of the audience. The goals you set, the organization of the session, and sequencing aid in determining the appropriateness of how and what is presented. Practice, feedback, rewards, and summarizing aid students in applying what was learned in the classroom.

Randy believes that it is important to limit goals and objectives and teach what the audience can do the most with in the amount time that you have with them. Let visuals, handouts, and doing do the telling. When determining the best teaching method, consider the audience's perceived need for instruction, their motivation, and preparation. Also, consider your ability to utilize a specific method and the available facilities and equipment.

Michael Molenda, Associate Professor of Instructional Systems Technology at Indiana University, Bloomington spoke next. Mike has developed the ASSURE model for designing instruction sessions. The model is:

• Analyze learners
• State objectives
• Select methods, media, materials
• Utilize media and materials
• Require learner participation
• Evaluate and revise

These are the steps he follows when designing courses. Both speakers focused on learning styles. Depending on the type of learner, different methods of teaching are more effective than others. Mike also discussed different methods of teaching based on learning tasks. For example, if the learning task is understanding, then a demonstration, a tutorial, or a discussion are effective ways to insure understanding. Mike offered the following in summary:

Plan systematically: ASSURE learners you have done your homework. Use special measures to overcome inertia and resistance:

• Keep it light
• Keep it fast-paced with active participation
• Emphasize the benefits
• Provide options

Following the presentations by the speakers, those attending the program discussed and shared instruction successes and ideas with 11 poster session presenters. The poster sessions focused on innovative and creative ways to teach library users. Topics of the sessions were varied and included such things as local training for remote users, managing large group instruction, evaluating library instruction, and Internet workshops.

The following is a list of references provided by the two speakers:

Randy's favorite's

Branch, Katherine and Carolyn Dusenbury, eds.  Sourcebook for 
 
	Bibliographic Instruction. Chicago: ALA, Association of 
 
	College and Research Libraries, Bibliographic Instruction 
 
	Section, 1993.

Hahner, Jeffrey C., Martin Sokoloff, and Sandra I. Salisch.
 
	Speaking Clearly: Improving Voice and Diction. 4th ed.  New 
 
	York: McGraw-Hill, 1993. 

Hoff, Ron.  I Can See You Naked. Kansas City, MO: Andrews & 
 
	McMeel, 1992.

Kurtz, Patricia L.  The Global Speaker: An English Speaker's Guide 
 
	to Making Presentations Around the World.  New York: AMACOM, 
 
	1995.

MacDonald, Linda Brew, and Mara Saule, et al.  Teaching 
 
	Technologies in Libraries: A Practical Guide. Boston: G.K. 
 
	Hall, 1991.

Roberts, Anne F. and Susan G. Blandy.  Library Instruction for
 
	Librarians.  2nd rev. ed.  Englewood, CO: Libraries 
 
	Unlimited, 1989.

Mike's List

Planning Instruction:

Heinich, Robert, Michael Molenda, and James D. Russell.
 
	Instructional Media and the New Technologies of
 
	Instruction. 4th ed. New York: Macmillan, 1993.  (5th
 
	ed. available 10/15/95)

Jolles, Robert L.  How to Run Seminars and Workshops
 
	Presentation Skills for Consultants, Trainers, and
 
	Teachers. New York: John Wiley & Sons, 1993.

Bourner, Tom, Vivien Martin, and Phil Race.  Workshops That
 
	Work: 100 Ideas to Make Your Training Events More
 
	Effective.  New York: McGraw-Hill, 1993.

Learning Styles:

Butler, Kathleen A. Learning and Teaching Style: In Theory
 
	and Practice. 2nd ed. Columbia, CT: The Learner's
 
	Dimension, 1987.

Coping with Resistance:

Kaeter, Margaret. "Coping with Resistant Trainees." Training.
 
	May 1994: 110-114

Thiagarajan, Sivasailam. "Participants from Hell: Checklists
 
	for Handling Disruptive Behaviors in Meetings."  Performance 
 
	and Instruction.  August 1993: 25-28

Slick Ideas for Opening and Closing Workshops:

Hart, Lois B.  Saying Hello.  2nd ed.  King of Prussia, PA:
 
	Organization Design and Development, 1989.

Hart, Lois B.  Saying Goodbye.  2nd ed.  King of Prussia, PA:
 
	Organization Design and Development, 1989.