Use hands-on practice and immediate feedback in bibliographic instruction for ESL students¶

Strategy · All strategies
Evidence · no claims cited

Description¶

For students learning English, the paper recommends emphasizing hands-on instruction because verbal directions alone are often not enough, and many international students are too shy to approach the reference desk. "Librarians can help students learn more by including hands-on practice in their bibliographic instruction sessions. Immediate feedback is extremely important because librarians must assess their audiences quickly in order to avoid wasting class time." Librarians are also cautioned not to assign ESL students to quadrant one because of a language problem rather than a research-skill problem.

Design Implications¶

Context¶

Requirements¶

• Awareness that international students may not know librarians are employed to assist them and may experience culture shock

Constraints¶

• Drawn from the authors' practitioner experience with international students rather than from reported data

Target Learners¶

• international and ESL college students

Target Learning Goals¶

• library research skills and comfort seeking assistance in an academic library

Affordances¶

• Situational Leadership Model Library Instruction

Related Strategies¶

• Start adult learners in homogeneous small groups and use individual instruction with gradual release
• When uncertain about a learner's level, begin with high direction and support and keep reassessing
• Switch to written notes when verbal communication with a hearing-impaired patron breaks down

Examples¶

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Key Sources¶

• Carder, Linda; Pracht, Carl; Willingham, J. Robert. (1996). Using Situational Leadership to Reach the Whole Population. https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED406998