Sometimes titles can be ambiguous. This book is not directly concerned with the issues of information literacy. Rather its focus is on explaining the basics of instructional design to library and information professionals. This topic is important because less and less of our work is about “doing stuff with information by ourselves” and more and more of it is about “helping others to do stuff with information”. This will necessarily require that we must communicate, coach and teach. These skills are not a specialist niche but a baseline condition of entry within our profession.
The contents of the book are as follows:
1. What Is Learner‐Centered Teaching?
2. How Will You Know Learner‐Centred Teaching When You See it?
3. Where Did Learner‐Centered Teaching Come From?
The first three chapters set the scene and position learner‐centred approaches in contrast to traditional lecturing techniques that are still common in classrooms.
4. What Will Learners Do? Learner‐Centered Teaching Methods?
5. How Will Learning Be Measured? Learner‐Centered Assessment'.
These chapters explore planning, teaching methods and assessment. The latter is a key element of the learning experience that should not be forgotten. It is worth noting that the standard vocation teaching qualification here in Australia is the Certificate IV in Training and Assessment.
6. Creating the Face‐To‐Face Learner‐Centered Experience.
7. Creating the Online Learner‐Centered Experience.
8. Creating the Blended Learner‐Centered Experience – A Case Study in Transformation.
N.B. “Blended” here does not refer to a good mixer. In the education world, blended approaches incorporate both face‐to‐face and online learning environments.
9. Learner‐Centred Teaching in Action – Vignettes from the Field.
10. Where Do We Go From Here.
The final half of the book is focused on detailed examples of delivering learner‐centred training.
There is a lot to like in this book and I fully support Joan Kaplowitz in her efforts to advocate for more effective teaching methods among information professionals. If I have a criticism, it is that the approach does not go far enough. A truly “learner‐centred” approach would recognise that formal teaching is a small (but often crucial) element in process by which individuals develop their information literacy. The debate in the education and training world is currently focusing on whether the classroom (physical or virtual) is where we get the best bang for our buck.
