Start with the learner

Abstract

Who comes first – the learner or the teacher? The growing body of literature on information literacy is focused more often on content and process rather than the transformative impact on learners. The learner needs to be at the heart of the process, especially in the many informal learning engagements with library and information services. Combining extensive experience and evidence from small-scale studies in the UK, this paper will argue that in order to create empowered and engaged learners, irrespective of our occupational context, we need to focus on their needs, wants and expectations. This requires us to professionalize our practice in pedagogy. This session is intended to be complementary to the conference workshop, ‘Shrugging off the cardigan: learning and teaching identities for the information professional”, although it will be of value in its own right. The facilitators are both senior librarians in UK universities and have been recognized for their outstanding impact on the student learning experience through the award of prestigious National Teaching Fellowships. They co-authored Teaching information skills: Theory and practice (2004)