Handout from the 2010 California Clearninghouse on Library Instruction presentation I gave on <a> RTEL</a>, which will be available from ALA Editions in the fall of 2010.

1. Reflective Teaching, Effective Learning Char Booth CCLI 2010
1 : Qualities of Effective Instructors
> List three adjectives that describe the best and worst educators you recall from your time as a learner.
Best Instructor = _______ _ __ ___ _ ____ __ ___ _ ____________
Worst Instructor = _____ _ ___ ______ _ ___ ___ ____________
2 : Instructional Literacy
Reflective practice is the process of understanding and shaping your skills and abilities
throughout the teaching process, not just assessing your performance at the end of an
interaction. Metacognition is the internal element of reflection, while collaboration is its
external element.
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Educational theory is evidence-based insight into teaching and learning, which consists of
learning theory (how people synthesize information and create meaning from instruction),
instructional theory (teaching methods in on-site and e-learning contexts), and curriculum
theory (content knowledge specific to subjects and audiences).
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Teaching technologies are the tools and media that facilitate learning in face to face, online,
and blended instruction, as well as methods for evaluating and selecting them effectively.
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Instructional design is a systematic and learner-focused method of integrating reflection,
theory, and technology into the teaching and training process.
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2. 3 : the USER Method Char Booth – CCLI 2010
1 | Understand. Become familiar with the learning scenario.
a | Start by identifying a problem that instruction can solve by assessing needs.
In this step, you ask, “What is the challenge learners face, and how can I help them
meet it?”
b | This is followed by analyzing the scenario, which involves considering the
conditions and constraints of each element of instruction – learner, content,
context, and educator.
2 | Structure. Define what you want learners to be able to accomplish as a result of the
interaction, and the strategies you will use to present active and learner-focused content.
c | Begin by creating targets – goals, objectives, and outcomes – that help you
streamline your instructional messages and evaluate if learning has occurred.
d | Brainstorm methods to a) involve learners using differentiated delivery
techniques, technologies, and activities, and b) extend the interaction through
scaffolding and support.
3 | Engage. Create your instructional objects and deliver the learning experience:
e | Develop the materials you will use to instruct. This begins with creating
prototypes, gathering feedback, then revising and finalizing your learning objects.
f |Deliver instruction by capturing learner attention, presenting streamlined
instructional messages, and communicating your teacher identity.
4 | Reflect. Consider whether learning targets have been met and how you might improve
your instructional product.
g | Assess your impact by determining if participants have met the desired
learning targets.
h | Based on this assessment, consider ways to revise and reuse your content in
the future.
Excerpted from Reflective Teaching Effective Learning by Char Booth, ALA Editions, 2010 | charbooth@gmail