Becoming Confident Teachers

Book excerpt: Becoming Confident Teachers examines the teaching role of information professionals at a time of transition and change in higher education. While instruction is now generally accepted as a core library function in the 21st century, librarians often lack sufficient training in pedagogy and instructional design; consequently finding their teaching responsibilities to be stressful and challenging. By exploring the requirements and responsibilities of the role, this book guides teaching librarians to a position where they feel confident that they have acquired the basic body of knowledge and procedures to handle any kind of instructional requests that come their way, and to be proactive in developing and promoting teaching and learning initiatives. In addition, this book suggests strategies and methods for self-development and fostering a "teacher identity, giving teaching librarians a greater sense of purpose and direction, and the ability to clearly communicate their role to non-library colleagues and within the public sphere. - Specifically examines the causes of stress among teaching librarians, zeroing in on recognisable scenarios, which are known to 'zap' confidence and increase teacher anxiety among librarians - An up-to-date and easily digestible take on the role and responsibilities of the teaching librarian - Identifies the major trends that are transforming the teaching function within professional academic librarianship