Learning Stations: Actively Engaging Students in the E-Classroom Shelly Davis, Information Technology Librarian Judy Steere, Head of Technical Services Mantor Library, University of Maine at Farmington

Learning stations Areas where small groups of students work simultaneously Students Given processes and tasks to guide exploration Develop/practice skills and gain knowledge Rotate – experience all activities Inclusion of all materials needed to explore a concept

New-fangled teaching method? Learning stations Role of the instructor? Develops processes and tasks / provides materials Spends minimal time on whole group instruction Provides brief intro. to goals / explains logistics Circulates and interacts Becomes facilitator of learning Effective teaching strategy for library instruction for undergraduate students?

Assignment: children's literature author or illustrator study The librarians Summer 2000 Faculty member requested library instruction session Lit(eracy) Block – undergraduate elementary ed. majors Our task Library instruction for “Lit Block” students

Mantor Library’s Peter Mills Electronic Classroom

Instructor station with Robotel controller box

The library instruction session Lecture and demonstration Print resources Subject guides, book reviews, biographical info. Electronic resources URSUS – library catalog Academic Search Premier – periodical database ERIC – education index Selected Web resources Independent practice

Reflecting on the session Fall same faculty member and assignment New resources – Gale Literature Databases, NoveList Still 75 minutes Why learning stations? Divide students into small groups Hands-on Reinforce and put into context pre-existing skills Gain new skills and knowledge

Developing the stations ERIC & Gale Literature Databases Academic Search Premier Selected Web resources NoveList URSUS (library catalog) Print resources

Revised library instruction session Learning stations Print – URSUS – NoveList – ERIC & Gale – ASP – Web 10 minutes each (60 minutes total) Wrap up “Neatest” resource 5 minutes Introduction Presented goals, handed out resource guides, explained activity 5 minutes

Reactions to learning stations Many requested copies of activities Instructor feedback Felt content of session valuable Utilized effective active learning strategy Modeled importance of varying teaching methods to maximize student learning Students automatically took turns “driving” and reading

Our thoughts on the revised session Successful and effective instruction session Room for improvement Assess student learning Formal evaluation? Look at students’ finished products? Revise activities – some too long Revamp the stations?

Learning stations in the e-classroom Utilize space creatively Determine best teaching method Decide how to use e-classroom Benefits to students Actively engaged Collaboratively learning Do not let e-classroom dictate teaching method Good match?