teaching small groups and one-to-ones

Small groups & one-to-ones

Sandy Buchanan

Coming up in today's episode...• Characteristics of small-group

teaching• Things to consider• Useful kit• The reference interview• Some (possibly) fun activities• The obligatory cat photo• Lots of stick-people

The workshop

The one-to-one appointment

The drop-in

The sudden pounce

The low turn-out

At a distance

Fun Activity No.1So, do you have any horror stories?

What is the most stupid/ inane/ pointless/ unanswerable/ difficult enquiry or piece of teaching You've ever been asked to do?

Did I miss out any sorts of teaching?

And now we've done that, what made those classes so tricky?

Where we earn our money

Jazz teaching

The superior wisdom of librariansOR( )

"AND

"

NOT

Training wheelsC

hildren Bicycle by Zeeshan99 (2009). C

reative Com

mons A

ttribution Share-A

like 3.0 Unported. From

Wikim

edia Com

mons

Not always a happy ending

You are not aloneLots of P

enguins, by Brian G

ratwicke,

2012

Time is on your sideP

rague Astronom

ical Clock, 2013

The rewards of the small

So happy sm

iling cat by Yumi K

imura (2009). C

reative Com

mons A

ttribution Share-A

like 2.0 Generic. From

Wikim

edia C

omm

ons

Things to consider: do you actually need a one-to-one?

© IW

M (A

rt.IWM

PS

T 0144)

Things to consider:preparation (you)

𝑓 (𝑥 )=𝑎0+∑𝑛=1

∞

(𝑎𝑛cos𝑛𝜋 𝑥𝐿 +𝑏𝑛sin

𝑛𝜋 𝑥𝐿 ) ?

Things to consider: preparation (them)

Preparation:That's Not My Teddy Bear!

© H

oria Varlan

© S

teve de Polo

© E

mily S

tanchfield

© A

ndrea Black

© Falcon1961

© Tim

Evanson

Things to consider: time limits

Am

pulheta by Michael H

imbeault (2010). C

reative Com

mons 2.0. From

Flickr

Things to consider:where

Theatrum O

rbis Terrarum by A

braham O

rtelius (1570).Public D

omain. Library of

Congress

Things to consider:Um...I've got a question

Shy ©

Andreas K

olleger, 2006. Taken from F

lickr

Things to consider: solving versus teaching

Things to consider:Not all fun and games

Chess pieces by A

lan Light (2013). Creative C

omm

ons Attribution S

hare-Alike 3.0. From

Flickr

Things to consider: mission creep

527

Things to consider: repeat customers

Kit: assignment details

Kit: notepad

Kit: laptop

Kit: clicker

Four candles:The reference interview

Four Candles by U

we H

ermann, 2006

Fun Activity No.2You will have noticed the paper and pens before you.

Take a pencil and a piece of paper: you have a minute to sketch or doodle a picture of whatever you like. Artistic merit is not a concern.

When you're time is up, fold over your piece of paper so your drawing is not visible, and await further instructions.

Ooh, I know the answer! Ask me! Ask me!Labrador R

etriever © E

duardo Millo, 2007, from

Flickr

What the @*%$ do you really

want to know?!!

Parts of the Reference Interview

• Welcome: – Hello!

Parts of the Reference Interview

• Overview: – So what's up, dude?

?

Parts of the Reference Interview

• Reassurance: – It's okay to ask

Parts of the Reference Interview

• Initial answer: – Your answer is X, but also...

Parts of the Reference Interview

• Confirmation 1: – Before I go any further, I am

about to do the right thing, aren't I?

?

Parts of the Reference Interview

• Intervention: – [Actually sorting out the issue]

!

Parts of the Reference Interview

• Confirmation 2: – Has that solved your issue?

?

Parts of the Reference Interview

• Finish: – So that's what you do next time.

TTFN!

Open Questions: I Need a Bit More to Go on ...

Desert R

ipples © P

edronet, 2011, from Flickr

'Satiable Curiosity

"I keep six honest serving men(They taught me all I knew);Their names are What and Why and WhenAnd How and Where and Who."From 'The Elephant's Child', from the Just So Stories by Rudyard Kipling

Illustration by Joseph Gleeson from

1912 Doubleday edition of Just S

o Stories, courtesy of N

ew York P

ublic Library

Closed Questions:Multiple Choice

OR

Any questions?

With many thanks to Deb Taylor, Zuzana Kalivodova, Karen Dolman, Em Finney, Rupert Kahn and Simon Quinn for their time and suggestions