1. Statement of Teaching Philosophy
"Knowledge is of two kinds. We know a subject ourselves, or we know
where we can find information upon it” - Samuel Johnson
“The secret of education lies in respecting the student” - Ralph Waldo Emerson
Today, we live in the era of information, to be more exact – we live in the era of
information abundance and overload. Welcome to the real world! Each day we fight our
way through a massive storm of information that comes from different sources: books,
journals, movies, newspapers, radio, television, emails and, last but absolutely NOT least,
the Internet - the monstrous information producer. This information overload affects
every aspect of our lives: whether we are at home, at work or in school. How do we sort
and evaluate these loads of information? Is it possible for our students to retain all the
information that comes their way during their years in school? The new era dictates new
rules.
Back in April of 1775 Samuel Johnson said, “Knowledge is of two kinds: we know a
subject ourselves or we know where we can find information upon it.”
Today this statement reflects our reality as powerfully as never before. If yesterday
“to know” meant “to possess” the information, in today’s world it is accurate to state that
“to know” means “to have access” to the information. Simply because it is unmanageable
for our minds to absorb and retain all the information that we listen to, read or watch. It
is time to realize that becoming successful in the information age we live in now starts
with becoming an information literate individual, and that means to become skilled in
finding, accessing and using information. To prepare future doctors, lawyers, educators,
administrators, researchers and scientists, academic institutions must teach their students
the skills that promote critical thinking and life-long learning. And this is where academic
librarians and teaching faculty come together as the key players in guiding the students to
the path of becoming information literate critical thinkers and life-long learners.
How I See Myself, My Goals and Objectives as an Educator
What does the word “academic librarian” mean to me? I see academic librarian first
and foremost as an educator. A good academic librarian is a student-centered educator
with excellent customer service and communication skills that enable him or her to work
with students and faculty one-on-one or in classrooms. Academic librarians are servant-
leaders who “want to serve and serve first” and who “make sure that other people’s
highest priority needs are being served” (Robert Greenleaf). This vision of an academic
librarian is a role model that I follow in my everyday work.
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2. Academic librarians are instructors by profession. Academic librarians who provide
reference, research and instruction services participate directly in the educational process,
not only support this process as it is very often stated in the mission of an academic
library. As a reference and instruction librarian, I not only provide the students and other
library users with an answer, but also I teach them to find it. I teach them the skills to
find, access, evaluate and use information they need for their educational or personal
purposes. The skills that are proven to be indispensable in becoming a successful
professional in every field.
Needless to say that I want my students to learn the content of my instruction
sessions or my course, and most importantly I want them to utilize the knowledge they
learned from me in future. But beyond that, my goal is to nurture critical thinking,
facilitate the acquisition of life-long learning skills and to prepare students to function
successfully and efficiently in an information society. I strive to ensure that my students,
after they graduate, are capable of independently finding, accessing, evaluating and using
information for their future needs without relying on intermediaries.
What I Do in My Classroom…
My job, as an instructor, is to create an atmosphere that fosters learning in my
classroom and beyond it.
Where do I start?
I start with respecting my students and creating the atmosphere of respect and
fairness in my classroom.
Ralph Waldo Emerson once said, “The secret of education lies in respecting the
student.” I strongly agree with him, and this statement represents the guiding principle of
my teaching philosophy, of my teaching approach. In my classroom I am always “with”
my students, not “above” them. The nature of my work requires an open mind, sensitivity
to the thoughts and ideas of others. I work with students from different social and cultural
backgrounds and take this fact always into consideration. To build a sound productive
discussion with the students, I show respect to their opinions and stay open-minded by
creating and maintaining the atmosphere of intellectual freedom. I not only encourage
their openness to the material I am presenting, but also inspire my students to respect
one another in the classroom and beyond it.
How Do I Teach?
First of all, I am very passionate about the subject that I am teaching. I show my
passion, energy and enthusiasm to the students, and by doing this I try to share this
passion with them. I believe that this is one of the best ways to foster learning. From my
teaching experience I know that if the instructor does not show interest and enthusiasm in
the subject that is being presented and a passion for this subject, students are less likely
to put any effort to learn in that class. In other words, to start the flame of interest to
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3. learn in my students, I need to have this flame burning in myself all the time. I show love
for my profession. It pays.
I energize my students. I also engage them, which is fundamental to keep the
students motivated. Active learning is the key ingredient for engagement and motivation.
Active learning and student-centered learning are the two major approaches that I utilize
in my instructional work. I see my teaching role more as a facilitator rather than a
lecturer. Nevertheless, even when it comes to a traditional lecture, which is sometimes
the case with a library instruction (specifically with a basic library-resources-overview
type), I try to modify it so that the students get engaged and stay active during the
lecture, which in the end turns into an interactive discussion. Questions-answers technics,
playing and discussing a brief video, incorporating brief demonstrations followed by brief
search exercises are some of the strategies that I utilize on a regular basis during my
instructions. As for questions-answers methods, Cephalonian method of library instruction
is one of the best and easy ways to get students engaged. I am a big fan of this method.
It becomes very handy when I need to cover a lot of material and fit it within a 30-50
minute session, which pretty much leads to a teacher-centered lecture type of instruction.
Cephalonian method helps me keep the students engaged, active and attentive. In
addition, I utilize regularly group-work activities in my library instructions, especially
during the course-integrated assignment related types of instructions. I do believe in
learning by social interaction, and I am a strong advocate of this pedagogical method.
L.S.Vygotsky once stated that social interaction plays a fundamental role in the process of
cognitive development. Learning is a social process, and students should communicate
with one another and share what they already know or expect to know.
Technology is an effective pedagogical tool in my classroom. I recognize the need
for technology, and how it can empower the learning process. Technology has now
become an integral part of active learning, which I am a big supporter of. I utilize modern
technology tools in my classroom. Wireless Internet connection across the campus, fully
equipped classrooms make it possible. For example, when I teach students search
strategies of a specific database, I ask them to bring their laptops to the class. I always
use an overhead projector, which allows me to search the database together with the
students. I can also show them a brief video about the database. They work on search
exercises individually or in groups. Technology gives me the opportunity to teach not only
in the class setting, but also in the online environment. I like merging these two teaching
environments. When I teach a full credit course, I tailor the course in a way that the class
activities take place in the classroom and on Blackboard. When I teach one-session library
instruction, my goal is to stay with the class at least in the online environment and help
the students with their research needs. There is an opportunity for this.
Course management systems, such as Backboard, have a great level of potential
for librarians’ instructional or course support role. Academic libraries can integrate their
services into a course via their institution’s course management system, and stay closer
to the students even in the virtual environment. The practice of embedding library
services into, i.e. Blackboard, represents a breakthrough initiative in providing student
centered learning and is now supported by many academic institutions.
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4. I advocate and promote…
I advocate and promote various innovative methods that involve collaboration with
faculty in teaching information literacy skills to students. One of these methods is, as I
mentioned above, integration of library services or librarians into the course management
systems.
Embedded library services in the course management systems are becoming an
integral part of the student centered approach in providing library services, such as library
instructions, reference and course content support (electronic reserves). The review of the
current literature has revealed that the most compelling arguments for academic libraries
to embed library services in the course management systems, such as i.e. Blackboard,
reside in its familiarity to faculty and students, its convenience to use and access and its
potential for “one-stop shopping” (Cubbage 24).
Moreover, some of the most recent studies on the students’ information behavior
and information search have shown that today’s students want to search a single, unified
place to find the information they need. For their courses it is their course management
system (Peterson 6).
“I hate it when an instructor uses their own course website instead of WebCT. It is
much easier to just go to one place to check into all of your classes” (OIT’s Net
Generation Of Students at the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities Survey 2007 1-
cited in Peterson)
I strongly believe that the integration of library services and/or a librarian into a
Blackboard course will expose students to and get them acquainted with professional
literature in their field sooner and will add to their successful completion of the course. It
will also contribute to modeling students’ research behavior and overall improve their
information literacy skills. It will also allow the library to become an integral part of the
course and of the educational process, as it definitely should be.
I have experience in serving as a course embedded librarian. This innovative
teaching initiative requires close collaboration with the course instructor so that the
content that will be taught by the librarian integrates efficiently into the course.
How I Improve…
I strive for excellence and good quality in everything that I do. Making my
instructions more efficient is not possible without knowing what the students and faculty
think about the instructions. For this reason, collecting feedback from students and faculty
about the instructional services that I offer is essential part of my work. I usually
distribute short evaluation forms to the students in the end of my instructions. I also
contact faculty (in-person or by email) to ask them for their comments. I have received
compliments, constructive criticism and useful suggestions, which, no doubt, helps me in
improving my instructions, their content and format.
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5. I also improve my skills by learning. Denis Diderot said, “People stop thinking when
they stop reading.” I would like to add “when they also stop learning.” I like learning
about new things: new trends and technology in my profession. To be able to serve
efficiently to library users, I need to be current with my field. I completed my Master’s
degree several years ago, but I have never stopped reading and learning. Learning
process for me is improving myself professionally. I am a life-long learner, and my goal is
to teach my students the important concept that learning is a process that never ends. As
long as you live you learn, as long as you learn you live. That is the key to success.
Works cited
Cubbage, Charlotte. "Electronic Reserves and Blackboard's Course Management System."
Journal of Interlibrary Loan, Document Delivery & Information Supply 13.4 (2003): 21-
32. Library, Information Science & Technology Abstracts with Full Text. EBSCO. Web.
14 Jan. 2011.
Greenleaf, Robert. “The Servant as Leader.” Robert K. Greenleaf Center: 1982.
Peterson, Kate et al. “Course Integration Exploratory Subgroup: Final Report and
Recommendations to the Web Services Steering Committee.” DigitalConservancy. University
…….of.Minnessota. Library Reports. Web. 14 Jan. 2011. http://purl.umn.edu/50801
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