Improv and authentic discussion in the library classroom

Thanks to The Innovative Library Classroom Conference organizers for the opportunity to present, and the attendees for attending my session. We applied improv techniques to the art and practice of leading meaningful classroom discussions. We talked about how to build trust with your audience (students); structure questions to encourage learning and reflection in students; follow up on initial responses to get students thinking more deeply; and deal with that awkward silence that sometimes happens -- taking into account that in library instruction we often have very little time to work with. Attendees were good sports, volunteering right off the bat to engage in improv activities, and sharing valuable insights throughout. For more on my session, see slides.

Game: Keyword Taboo

Here's a little game to play with your students to get them thinking about alternative keywords.

How to play

• Librarian asks a student to share her research topic with the class. As the student describes it, the librarian writes on the board the key words that the student uses. Now the librarian asks the class to generate a list of words to use in researching this topic. But this time they cannot use any of the words written on the board.

• Example
  Student: I'm researching pay to play and college athletes.
  [Librarian writes pay-to-play college athletes on the board]
  Librarian: What words can we use to get at this topic without using the words on the board?
  Class: Sports athletics compensation higher education NCAA
• Variation
  Have students work in pairs or small groups, sharing topics, writing down "taboo" words, and listing alternative keywords.