We started teaching from this week and we could observe/assist several classes which taught by pervious interns. We teach classes in workshop style, which means after introducing the library, we will separate students in groups and ask them work on different databases. The topics of which I observed were more or less about debatable topics and the intern whoever teaches the class selects databases. When I was watching them, I was not sure how they decide which databases to use in each class.
My first class was on Feb. 19. A day before I started my own section, I have met with Toby because I would be the first one to teach in three of our new interns and I asked her opinions for the databases. The topic was broadly about education, gender issues, religions, and monetary success. It is different from what I have observed, so I chose Academic Search Premier which is always a good one for freshmen students to start a topic; Academic Search Premier-Visual Search which is same with Academic Search Premier but in a more visual search rather than traditionally way of searching. Library Catalog is always needed. The last one I chose was JSTOR, but Toby thought JSTOR would be too advanced for freshmen students. Therefore, we changed to Omnifile.
I was worried if I forgot what I want to talk, what if I could not keep the class for full of one hour and fifteen minutes, what if I don’t know what to do while students work in groups, what if students do not follow me…
To help myself, I created a brief cheat sheet about what I need to tell the class about the library. Because I was too nervous when I started, I forgot to introduce myself to the class. However, thank to my cheat sheet, I told the class they could get help to start a paper at Reference desk; they could get help off-campus via call the reference, email librarians, and use online chat/AskNOW; they would be able to access databases off-campus too with their student ID and PIN of library card. I also showed them the academic gateway and how they could find appropriate databases in different subjects.
After introduction part, I separated students into groups and walk around to help them. The time went by fast and I have to remind them to discuss their presentations. Students liked to show the class what they discovered on the OPAC, databases, the full-text, GetText button, citation format, email the articles to themselves.
After the experience of the first class, I felt more confidence and it was my great experience. There was another section for the same professor right after the first class. While teaching to them, I could give them more organized instruction and asked students to read the handout of the database and work on their own first, discuss after they found out one record. By doing this, each student would have something talk rather than only one student talk about everything and other group members just standing during the presentation.
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