A great script deserves great actors.

Abstract

This article discusses how the practical employment of dramatic skills evaluation in the assessment and development of information literacy teacher-librarians. By providing an observation rubric, suggestions for teacher-librarian motivation, and some ways to cultivate dramatic talent in teacher-librarians, this article will assist library instruction coordinators in their efforts to maintain a successful information literacy program.

Introduction

On the Waterfront is, arguably, one of the greatest scripts ever written, but an examination of what it became when acted on by Marlon Brando yields a different perspective. A metamorphosis occurs when an actor is able to transform a great script to great performance. This transition has an interesting corollary to library instruction. Teaching is an exercise in performance art therefore the impact of any instruction program is based on the dramatic talents of the teacher. [1]

For library instruction coordinators transitioning from bibliographic instruction to information literacy programs, talented teacher-librarians are crucial elements to the success of that transition. It may be useful to the coordinators of such programs to examine the effectiveness of their current faculty concerning their classroom-teaching abilities. The Association for Academic and Research Libraries (ACRL) Information Literacy Standards provides a wonderful script for teaching information literacy. (Anonymous, 2003) A library instruction coordinator must utilize and train their faculty to take that script and transform it into a great performance. This article will assist in developing a strategy to assess faculty by providing an evaluation technique that assists in reviewing the performances of teacher-librarians.

Acting and Teaching in the Library Classroom

For many library instruction coordinators, the pool of available teacher-librarians is drawn directly from the members of the public-services faculty. These teacher-librarians may or may not have had formal training as classroom educators. Regardless of training or the lack thereof, there must be a process of performance evaluation that regularly reviews how effective that teacher-librarian is in the delivery of instruction. As the person responsible for overseeing the delivery of information literacy instruction, it is important for library instruction coordinators to adopt a clear approach to observation and evaluation. One such approach would be to view the teacher-librarian as actor or performer and conduct observations accordingly.

If a library instruction coordinator chooses to adopt this methodology, then a gauge of an effective teacher-librarian may be found in the dramatic aspects of their delivery of a session. To assess this requires multiple observations and an eye for theatrical or acting talent. Due to the nature of the ACRL standards, the teacher-librarian must be able to impart information as well as inspire thought and inquiry. Using a dramatic-performance rubric to assess potential, a coordinator can gauge the abilities of the teacher-librarian to present abstractions and concrete information simultaneously.

Great performances are founded on the ability to form a meaningful connection to the script both in the text as well as the sub-text. (Griggs, 2001) In the case of library instruction, an academic understanding of the ACRL standards is needed, but more importantly the teacher-librarian must have a real sense of what the standards are trying to accomplish. The ideas of access, evaluation, and use are meant to pave the way for active and independent inquiry. This form of learning will allow the student formulate new ideas, challenge existing patterns, and develop personal philosophies. A talented teacher-librarian will use this to drive the discussion. Linking to this sub-text of the standards will allow the teacher-librarian to address not only the standards themselves, but also the spirit of those standards.

Connecting to the audience is also an important task when performing. In an instruction session, the teacher-librarian must be willing and able to open an avenue of dialog between the students and themselves that allows for this connection. This may be accomplished in a number of ways. The most important aspect of the connection is that it is based on an understanding of the students' needs and interests. A truly effective classroom performance is one in which the students are left with an understanding of the standards as well as a sense of relationship to the teacher-librarian. Observing a teacher-librarian during an instruction session can yield clues to their ability to connect to the script and the audience. When observing a teacher-librarian, the coordinator can use the following rubric to make certain determinations about the teacher-librarian's abilities.

Observation Rubric

1) Is the focus of attention directed at the teacher-librarian? The teacher-librarian must possess the ability to gain and hold the attention of the students for the length of time needed to impart the information. In theatrical terms, this is called stage presence and relates to the actor's ability to make the audience aware of their existence. [2]

2) How does the teacher-librarian's tone, inflection, and emotionality change in relation to the material? There should be a distinct change in the way information is present that correlates to the import of the topic being discussed. Dramatic performances use these variations to convey the sub-text; teacher-librarians must use them to emphasized noteworthy elements of the library instruction session. [3]

3) Does the teacher-librarian understand the real purpose of the assignment? An understanding of what skills, cognitive abilities, and/or academic principles the assignment is looking to develop can offer evidence that the teacher-librarian is delving into the subtext. In method acting, the actor will create an entire persona which is founded in the script, but is also a construct of the actor's own interpretation of the character (Mills, 1995).

4) Can the teacher-librarian improvise? What Wheeler and McLeod refer to as "in-the-moment events" are inevitable in a library classroom. These incidental occurrences may be both of a positive or negative nature. Regardless of their character, the teacher-librarian's ability to quickly and effectively handle them "is positively related to teaching effectiveness." (Wheeler, 2002) Stage actors develop adroitness in being able to handle these events and to even incorporate them seamlessly into a performance. An accomplished teacher-librarian will have this ability also.

5) Are the students being motivated to use the skills to accomplish more than the task at hand? The ability to inspire the application of information literacy skills outside of the confines of the assignment is an essential element of a successful performance by the teacher-librarian. Truly outstanding acting also strives to inspire and motivate thought, action, or emotion well beyond the context of the actual performance (Griggs, 2001).

It is crucial for library instruction coordinators to understand that this portrait will take several studies in various situations for it to be accurate. A single observation will never yield an appropriate understanding of the teacher-librarian's abilities. Even the greatest performers have failed on occasion. What matters is that the attempt to make the connection to the script and the audience is present, consistent, and evolving. Accomplished teacher-librarians will know that there is always a different avenue of connection that can be explored. For less-experienced or reluctant teaching-librarians, they must be given direction. In these instances, there should be a post-observation consultation in which the session is reviewed and the teacher-librarian is asked to respond to the evaluation of all five points. The key to an effective post-observation is in the difference between recommendation and recognition.

The Directorial Approach to Post-Observation

In situations where the teacher-librarian is observed over time and yet they do not meet the performance-quality criteria needed for effective teaching, there are options that may be employed. By holding regular discussions with teacher-librarians, library instruction coordinators have the opportunity to introduce new approaches or ways of modifying potential performance-based issues. At this stage it might be useful for the library instruction coordinator to assume the mantle of theatrical director or coach. Instead of attempting to be corrective or prescriptive, the coordinator would attempt to create a realization and adoptive attitude on the part of the performer/teacher-librarian. [4] By employing some widely accepted dramatic exercises in this attempt, the coordinator can begin to elicit from the teacher-librarian a performance that is organic as opposed to manufactured. In the case of a teacher-librarian that demonstrates an inability to improvise while teaching, it may be of use to practice simple theatrical improvisational exercises. These exercises can instill the confidence needed to handle "in-the-moment events" such as disruptive students, failures in technology, and extra-classroom intrusions. Creating a series of events that could potentially occur in any class and asking the teacher-librarian to list coping strategies within a set time-limit could be an effective improvisational exercise that would help the teacher-librarian to realize that there are ways of manipulating random events and still remain on-task. [5]

For issues of presence and emotionality, the teacher-librarian may need to develop a mask or persona that is a hyperbolic iteration or extension of their real self. By donning a teaching-persona, the reluctant teaching-librarian can more easily project a presence and convey emotions. Often the lack of prior classroom experience limits the ability of the teacher-librarian to feel comfortable bridging the perceived divide between student and teacher. To mitigate this, librarian-instruction coordinators should work with their teacher-librarians to identify certain characteristics or elements of the teacher-librarian's personality. Once identified, these characteristics are used by the library instruction coordinator to aide in the creation of an alternate persona for use in the classroom. In time, this ersatz persona will begin to fade, but it may ease the process for the reluctant teacher-librarian. There will be occasions in which the creation of abstract connections to the library instruction session is weak. In these cases, the program coordinator may suggest the teacher-librarian create anecdotal fragments. These fragments should imagine the results of a single student successfully learning an information literacy component. These fragments, when re-read, can aid in the development of theoretical connections. A sample fragment may read:

   Student Z learns how to effectively locate information pertaining
   to a film studied in her media arts class. The information that
   Student Z found leads them to view the film in light of its social
   commentary. Student Z then uses that new perspective to inform her
   decision to become a volunteer at a community center and to pursue
   a career in public service.

In all, the approach to the post-observation must be conducted with an eye towards allowing the performer/teacher-librarian to make changes based on their own realization versus the mandated need for change. Performances are a series of choices that the performer makes in relation to the script, the audience, and the sub-text. The library instruction coordinator may find it more useful and more successful to modify the way those choices are made rather than attempting to change the choices directly.

Conclusion

Effective assessment of teacher-librarians can be achieved through a rubric of observation that is based on dramatic/performance skills. Examinations of stage presence, connectivity, and other dramatic talents, if employed properly during the observation of an information literacy class, can be useful gauges of a teacher-librarian's ability to successfully empower their students. By careful observation of their ability to perform, a coordinator may be able to delineate existing or emerging talents as well as pinpoint areas of concern. This observation must be conducted regularly and with an open-mind. Great performers develop over time. They use missteps and difficulties to develop their craft, teacher-librarians can do this as well with the help of a coordinator who is capable of allowing that evolution to occur. By employing some very basic directorial approaches to the post-observation, the library instruction coordinator can help in this evolution. Using exercises culled from the world of theater, such as improvisation and persona-creation, a coordinator may be able to overcome the reluctance and fear that inhibits great performances from teacher-librarians.

ACRL has, in its Information Literacy Standards, scripted an excellent way to create life-long learners on the college and university level. That great script deserves a great performance and those performances are possible with the appropriate direction from library instruction coordinators.

Endnotes

[1] Authors such as Clandinin and Connelly have written on the importance of using theatrical training techniques in the development of both in-service and pre-service teachers. For a detailed discussion of this aspect of education, Sarason's Teaching as Performance Art is strongly recommended.

[2] Antonelli, et al is a useful resource for library instruction coordinators in assisting teacher-librarians attempting to incorporate theatrical techniques in their instruction sessions. The authors' recommendations for the employment of voice, humor, and movement techniques are useful, but the use of props, music, and costuming may not be appropriate in all cases.

[3] The employment of humor as a way to enliven library instruction is handled very nicely in Trefts and Blakeslee.

[4] The literature regarding peer-coaching techniques in the development of effective library instruction refers often to the need for direction versus dictation. Articles by Arthur, Burnam and Levene can provide more information on peer-coaching in library instruction and reference services.

[5] For other useful improvisational exercises, refer to Spolin.

References

"Standards toolkit". (2003). Retrieved July 1st, 2004 from http://www.ala.org/ala/acrl/acrlissues/acrlinfolit/infolitstandards /standardstoolkit.htm

Antonelli, M., Kempe, J., Sidberry, G. (2000). And now for something completely different ... theatrical techniques for library instruction. Research Strategies, 17(2/3), 177-185.

Arthur, G. (1990). Peer coaching in a university reference department. College and Research Libraries, 51(4), 367-373.

Burnam, P. (1993). Fine-tuning classroom technique: a peer coaching experience. Research Strategies. 11(1), 42-46.

Clandinin, D. J., & Connelly, F. M. (1995). Teachers' professional knowledge landscapes. New York: Teachers College Press.

Griggs, T. (2001). Teaching as acting: considering acting as epistemology and its use in teaching and teacher preparation. Teacher Education Quarterly, 28(2), 23-37.

Levene, L. & Frank, P. (1993). Peer coaching: professional growth and development for instruction librarians. Reference Services Review, 21(3), 35-42.

Mills, M. (1995). The actor's studio: A look at Stanislavski method. Retrieved 07/01, 2004 from http://www.moderntimes.com/palace/method.htm

Nelson, R. S., & Stepchyshyn, V. (2003). Paths to understanding. Academic Exchange Quarterly, 7(3), 322-325.

Sarason, S. B. (1999). Teaching as a performing art. New York: Teachers College Press.

Spolin, V., Sills, P., & Sills, C. (2001). Theater games for the lone actor. Evanston, Ill.: Northwestern University Press.

Trefts, K., & Blakeslee, S. (2000). Did you hear the one about the Boolean operators? incorporating comedy into library instruction. Reference Services Review, 28 2000(4), 369-377.

Wheeler, J. V., & McLeod, P. L. (2002). Expanding our teaching effectiveness: understanding our responses to "in-the-moment" classroom events. Journal of Management Education, 26(6), 693.

Robert S. Nelson, Long Island University, NY

Assistant Professor Nelson is the Library Instruction Coordinator, Brooklyn Campus and an Adjunct Professor, Palmer School of Library and Information Science.