Library & Information Services Peer Teaching: An Aston Experiment Amanda Poulton Information Specialist – Engineering and Life Sciences

Library & Information Serviceswww.aston.ac.uk/lis/

Peer Teaching: An Aston Experiment

Amanda Poulton

Information Specialist – Engineering and Life Sciences


Outline

• My teaching background

• Context

• CILIP ‘teaching skills’ course

• Learning theory

• Redesign of sessions

• Reflections and recommendations

• The future at Aston


My teaching background

• No formal teaching qualification• Dissertation and optional module on user

education during MA • Teaching for six years• ‘Trial and error’• Interest in teaching and learning• Member of ILTHE• CILIP ‘Teaching Skills’ course


Context

• 180 Year 2 Pharmacy Undergraduates

• Hands-on

• Ten 2 hour sessions over 5 weeks

• Part of Module (indirectly linked to assignment)

• Worksheet-based


Concerns

• Information overload

• Boredom

• Principles of searching

• Too many handouts/worksheets


CILIP course – ‘Teaching Skills’

• Focus on learner not teacher

• Consider learning theory

• Kolb’s Experiential Learning Cycle

• Honey and Mumfords’ Learning Styles

• Practical application


Kolb’s ‘Experiential Learning Cycle’

ReflectiveObservation

Abstract Conceptualisation

ConcreteExperience

Active Experimentation

Actual learning

experience

‘doing’

Comparing what learnt with what already known

Thinking about what happened

Putting it into

practice

‘relevance’


Honey and Mumfords’ ‘Learning Styles’

Activist

Reflector

Theorist

Pragmatist



• Pragmatist– Relevant and practical– Try things out with support from an expert– Given immediate opportunities to implement

what learnt– Problem solving

• Activists– New experiences– ‘Have a go’– Problem solving– Team work



• Reflector– Thinking things through– Observation– Paired discussions– Opportunity to review and reflect

• Theorist– Models and concepts– Lectures– Following step-by-step instructions– Opportunity to ask questions and probe ideas


The Learning Pyramid

Taken from: http://www.tcde.tehama.k12.ca.us/pyramid.pdf


Redesign of sessions

• What am I trying to achieve?– Principles of information retrieval– Differences between full-text and

bibliographic databases– Skills can be applied to any database– Reduce handouts– More varied session


Redesign of sessions• One handout• Brief introduction• Demonstration of a database• Practise (reflection) – applying to assignment• Teach a colleague from other group -

discussion• Practise (reflection) – applying to assignment• Apply to alternative database• Summary


Redesign of sessions

Demonstration

Teach colleague

Lecture

Practise (reflect) Practise (reflect)


Practicalities

• Two staff

• Two separate demonstrations require two separate locations

• Only possible with small groups

• Monitoring students – NetOp School

• Odd numbers

• Latecomers


Student comments

• What did you find valuable about the session?– Opportunity to interact and share

knowledge within group– Chance to practice by ourselves– Interaction with other students– Having time to apply information– Teaching each other what we learnt


Reflections - positive

• More problem-based which reflects teaching at Aston

• Gets students thinking - more active learning

• Encourages discussion• More engaged with the session• Opportunity to find out student concerns

and gaps in their knowledge• Less repetitive for me as each session

unique


Reflections - negative

• Can never suit everyone's learning styles• Classroom management• Some students struggle whilst some

advance quickly• Not suitable for all resources, e.g. Beilstein• Risk that students won’t teach everything

that was covered


Recommendations

• Use variety of techniques• Be aware that behaviour might be an issue

and consider tactics to get class back on track

• Monitor students• Have more advanced exercise prepared• Provide contact details for follow-up• Provide a checklist of what should be

shown when teaching colleague


The Future?

• Extended to Psychology• Further subject areas• Postgraduates• Regular review• Stay up-to-date with teaching and

learning techniques• Teaching and learning course for all

Information Specialists

Documents

Library & Information Services Peer Teaching: An Aston Experiment Amanda Poulton Information Specialist – Engineering and Life Sciences