Library Instruction Sandbox

Short Description:

This lesson was delivered to students in an honors political science thesis colloquium, international studies senior seminar, and credit bearing library information literacy course. In all cases, students were in the topic development phase of their research and needed help in narrowing the scope of their research topics and formulating research questions. We used the technique of mind mapping to move from broad to more refined topics and preliminary research questions. Included below is the lesson as well as a recreation of the mind map we created as a class using "substance abuse" as the initial topic. I always tailor the topic of the class generated mind map to the course/discipline. You will find detailed notes in the notes section of my slides. You will find detailed notes in the notes section of my slides.

Attachments:

• Mind Mapping Lesson Plan
• Introduction to Mind Mapping Presentation
• Recreation of Mind Map Generated in Class 

Discipline(s):

• Any 

Target Audience:

• Students

Total Time:

• 75 minutes 

Short Description:

This session was for the international studies senior seminar. For their final assignment, students were expected to write a 20-25 page research paper. The professor requested a session that included strategies for pre-research and finding scholarly articles. I followed this session up with a second session focused on writing literature reviews. You will find detailed notes in the notes section of my slides. You will find detailed notes in the notes section of my slides.

Attachments:

• Lesson slide deck
• Building Your Keywords Search Strategy Worksheet (includes blank table and filled in example table)

Relevant Links:

• International Studies Course Guide

Discipline(s):

• Any

Target Audience:

• Seniors

Total Time:

• 75 minutes

Short Description:

For their final assignment, students were to write an ethnographic research proposal that required them to select their own anthropological topic and community to be studied, find and review evidence for how their topic and/or community has been studied in past disciplinary research, and demonstrate any two of the five moves anthropologists make in ethnographic writing. The professor was working from Harvard's A Student’s Guide to Reading and Writing in Social Anthropology. In preparation for the library research session, I prepared a research guide designed to help them identify a topic and community to study, find and cite sources, and think through ethnographic research methods. Through guided practice, the library session reinforced strategies presented in the guide for moving from topic to question, conducting disciplinary research, and thinking through the function of sources. You will find detailed notes in the notes section of my slides.

Attachments:

• Lesson plan 
• Slide deck
• Keywords worksheet

Relevant Links:

• ANTH 101 (Guzman) course guide
• Harvard's guide to reading & writing in social anthropology

Discipline(s):

• Anthropology

Target Audience:

• First Years

Total Time:

• 75 minutes