Amanda: Welcome to the first episode of The Librarians Guide to Teaching! My name is Amanda Piekart.
Jessica: And I am Jessica Kiebler. Amanda: And welcome to our first episode! We're going to start this episode off by letting you know a little bit about ourselves. I am the Director of Research and Instructional Services at Berkeley College. I've been providing instruction workshops and training for about 10 years now in an academic setting. I provide on-site and online instruction. These days my interests include self-paced learning, assessment and demonstrating educational impact through IL instruction. I love to read historical fiction and look for inaccuracies. I’m a Pinterest junkie and since moving to Upstate New York I have slowly tried to perfect the art of composting and zero waste. Jessica: And my name is Jessica Kiebler. I am an instructional Services Librarian at Pace University in Westchester New York where I teach students about the library, information literacy, and how to use research skills for success. I'm currently fascinated with the climate of disinformation in society and how humans are adapting to interacting in digital spaces. I also have an unending love affair with coffee. I always enjoy a sci-fi or superhero movie and I am attempting unsuccessfully to chisel through my Goodreads book list. Amanda: So now we’re going to talk to you a little bit about what this podcast will cover, why we decided to start it and what we hope to achieve. So what will this podcast be about? We are interested in sharing our experiences in teaching information literacy, we plan to discuss current trends and we want to have meaningful conversations about librarianship. We decided to start this podcast because we both found that we have a passion for teaching and that there currently isn't a podcast that is thoroughly covering this topic the way we want to. We also previously had an internal work podcast that we loved creating so we wanted to continue working together. So what do we hope to achieve? We hope to build a community of librarians that share their teaching experiences so that we can all learn from each other. Jessica: And obviously discuss questions and concerns from our listeners about their information literacy teaching. Amanda: Yes! So that's actually one of the segments that we plan to have at the end of each episode. We are going to ask for you to share your thoughts on the episode, send us your questions about teaching, share a triumph or a fail and perhaps even recommend some topics for us to discuss for future episodes. Some of the other segments we are trying to include in this podcast would be our personal teaching triumphs or teaching fails, a tweet of the week, hot topics, recent articles, trends and definitely invited guests. (Upbeat Musical Interlude) Jessica: So for our first episode we're going to be talking about imposter syndrome. It's been in the news a lot recently and it's actually been around since about 1978 but it has become a bit more of a published about topic recently. And there's a few different reasons why we want to talk about it but I just want to start with getting us on the same page with a definition. So as I mentioned, the phrase was originally coined in 1978. According to Merriam-Webster, imposter syndrome is commonly understood as a false and sometimes crippling belief that one's successes are the product of luck or fraud rather than skill. And It was coined by American psychologists Pauline Clans and Suzanne Imes in their article “The Imposter phenomenon in high-achieving women”. And it was in the article of psychotherapy in the 1970s. So the initial study was focused on high achievers which kind of makes sense when you think about the syndrome and academia. As someone who lives with imposter syndrome, I've been reading about it a lot recently and was really interested by some of the motivation types I read in the book called The Imposter Cure by Jessamy Hibberdand we’ll include a link to the book in the show notes. But I just wanted to mention some of the types that she mentions as motivations or personality types that fuel impostor syndrome. The first one is a perfectionist. So those people have their primary focus on how things get done and if they're done in a way that they don't like they begin to feel like an impostor. Second is the natural genius. People that feel like they have to get things right on the first try. A soloist likes to be able to do things alone. If they have to ask for help they feel like a fraud. An expert is the knowledge version of the perfectionist so they feel like they need to know everything in order to be seen as successful. And the last one is a superman or superwoman. So they measure their competence in how many roles they can juggle and excel in. So that was definitely interesting to me and I saw myself in a few of those. (Laughs) Amanda: Yeah I'm trying to look at them now and decide which one I would be. Jessica: I think you’re a superwoman! Amanda: (Laughs) Well thank you! I also see myself as a perfectionist. Jessica: Right, right Amanda: Definitely interesting! So one of the reasons that we wanted to start with this topic as our first episode is because in our experience this is a theme that comes up fairly often when we're speaking with our colleagues and other librarians. We hope that by acknowledging this issue first, we’re setting the foundation for the need to the librarians to share our teaching experiences and ideas in order to move past this idea that we're imposters Jessica: And that's some of what I read about as well in a few other articles was that a lot of new librarians feel this because they're coming into a field where so many people know a lot and they have a lot of education and academia kind of makes us feel like we have to be experts like that experts type from the book so that was definitely something that was brought up a lot so maybe they're just needs to be more support for new librarians. I mean, there is a lot in certain ways but maybe we're just talking about this idea of supporting each other through the knowledge gap a little bit Amanda: Yeah yeah I agree. I guess just a question to start off would be, do you feel like an imposter and what aspect of instruction makes you feel like an imposter? Jessica: I do suffer from this. I feel like I have my entire life but it's definitely with me recently because I started a new job and it's a big change. I'm at a much larger institution doing double the instruction that I’ve done in the past. I'm having to get used to new standardized instruction. So when I think about it, it's not anything crazy or out of the box but it's new to me and so the anxiety and imposter syndrome are much more complicated than just telling my brain that this is new and I should be okay with it. It still appears whether or not I can talk myself out of it. I want to make sure that I fit in and I do well and and these types of job shifts can definitely exacerbate these feelings. It definitely applies in the classroom for me because I want to appear like I have the answer so I think there's that traditional view of a teacher as kind of having all the answers and while we know it's okay to say that we don't know the answer and that we’ll find out or just even not knowing the answer altogether is really okay, sometimes I fall into that trap of needing to be the expert and needing to know everything right away. I think that was definitely one of my types from the book was, um, I want to be the natural genius, right? I want to get things right on the first try and I want to be the expert. I want to know it all but that's not necessarily logical and it doesn't give myself a lot of grace. (Both laugh) Jessica: What about you? Amanda: So when I first started as an instruction librarian 10 years ago, tomorrow, I definitely had no idea what I was doing. I didn't have any teaching formal teaching experience or education. I literally watched my supervisor do one class and then I was thrown into the classroom. And it was...I definitely felt like an imposter and I also felt like an imposter because I looked very young. I mean I still look young and I felt like I needed to dress to the nines in a suit when I went into the classroom so that I can differentiate myself from the students because so many times I would get confused for student not only by faculty but also by the students. That definitely made me feel like an imposter. It was hard for me to get past that sometimes. I would constantly like be asked if I was a student worker so I definitely felt that way. Now as a director, I feel like an imposter when it comes to facilitating workshops sometimes. I feel like when I'm speaking to my peers that it might come off as that I'm acting like I know too much even though I don't. So I still 10 years later in some capacity feel like an imposter in front of my colleagues which is you know, nerve-wracking sometimes. Jessica: Right exactly you feel like you're helping on one level but at the same time you're you're not helping yourself because you're not feeling as confident as you feel like you should be. Amanda: Right, exactly. And then there's also like the other side of it where you know, we say this to our Honor students all the time when they're presenting at their research Symposium, “You're the expert on your topic”, you know? And it’s supposed to be kind of like a mantra to help them have more confidence and we should probably take her own advice when we're in front of the classroom and you know, realize that we’re the information literacy experts. But I don't always remember that so... Jessica: Right, exactly. Amanda: So what are some tips that you have for us that will help us overcome this imposter syndrome? Jessica: Well one thing that is helpful is really first to read about it and understand it so recognizing where it comes from for you because as we as we saw for certain personality types it comes from a certain place right? From a certain motivation. So reflecting on why you're feeling this particular way like you honed in on your own fact that you feel a certain way when you're presenting to your peers, right? So honing in on that feeling and understanding it can really be helpful in managing it and figuring out different thought patterns that could be more effective. Amanda: I think that's a great tip. And I think maybe this is something that you know people should really take the time to reflect on. I know it's easier said than done but I think it really would help people, or librarians, when they have to provide instruction because so many times, you know, like we talked about earlier this comes up constantly, “I'm not a teacher. I didn't get a formal education”. But I think you're right, you know, you have to first recognize where it comes from before we can move forward. Jessica: Right. And you know this is kind of a tangent from the tips but I was talking to someone the other day and he was saying that you know sometimes there's teachers who can write a really great lesson plan but they can't always perform it well. And then there's teachers who perform really well but they can't necessarily write a lesson plan. So we might always be struggling with one piece of the puzzle but that doesn't mean we're not good teachers. We just have individual things to work on and seeing our entire selves as impostors or frauds just because there's something we have to work on really isn't helping anybody. It doesn't help ourselves. It doesn’t help our students. But reflecting on our teaching...which is actually going into my second tip. I guess it’s really not too much of a tangent. Keeping a journal of your wins and fails and just realizing that it's all part of growth can be really helpful. The instruction journal for me has been super, super helpful in my growth because I can learn from my failures, see the growth on paper, and if I need support when I'm having a really having a bad day, I can just return to the wins and be like, “Hey, remember when you did that? That was great. You're okay.” Amanda: Yea, I mean, I wish I had the discipline to do that. I think it's a great idea. I'm all about reflection but I just, I can't remember to do it. It's just not my thing. I think I keep a mental running tab of how that went. At my institution we use LibInsights to track our instruction and we have a part of like comments so sometimes I'll put in the comments how I think it went whether it was a fail or not so I think that helps me reflect when I go and try and keep that class next semester. So I guess in a way that's my journal reflection but I don't have a traditional journal that I use. Jessica: Right, exactly. But I mean at least that's something. Amanda: Right Jessica: You know, if you really felt like you needed to look back you have a little bit of something. It might jog your memory. I know I have a terrible memory, so for me it's like I got to write it down in that moment or it’s not happening. (Laughs) So a third tip is to ask for feedback and build a network of supporters. You know I always know I can count on you for honest and constructive feedback and kind of give me a boost when I feel like I have no idea what I’m doing. So building that network can be helpful. And then if there is ever negative feedback, hopefully it’s constructive at least, you can reflect on it, and just make a plan to move forward and improve. Amanda: Yeah I mean, I think feedback is so important. I think people are nervous about feedback. I think they're already nervous about what they're doing so they’re being super critical of themselves and I think adding that level of having someone else give you feedback is kind of nerve-wracking. But I really wish that people were less afraid to give feedback, honest and constructive feedback. Actually, at Berkeley we came up with this whole great structure of reflective practices in teaching and it had a self-reflection. It had a specific things like that you wanted feedback on and it used to be required and people felt super uncomfortable about it so then we made it optional and now nobody's doing it. And I think it's a shame because I think we should be able to learn from each other and get different perspectives from our colleagues if we really are committed to improving our instruction skills. I think this is such a great step in that direction. So I definitely encourage building a network of people who are willing to give you honest feedback, for sure. Jessica: And at least starting with someone that you feel comfortable receiving it from. I mean, you may not feel comfortable with all of your colleagues, that's completely normal. But if there's somebody that you feel would be gentle with you in the beginning then start with that person and build from there. Amanda: Right, that's a great idea. Even if you can just find one person that you guys can just give each other feedback on in an informal setting I think that's, that's very valuable. Jessica: Yeah or maybe just starting with a lesson plan and then moving into observation, even if that works. Amanda: Yea, we used to do that all the time. We would share stuff and say hey can you come and take a look at this...side note, people, Jessica and I used to work together! Jessica: Right! (Both laugh) Amanda: We would share stuff and say hey can you take a look at this and give me some feedback on it and I feel like I've always walked away with a way to improve something. And you know it gave me perspective on things that I didn't notice so... Jessica: Yes definitely. And the last tip kind of relates to that is just do your best. I mean, at the end of the day you were hired for your skills and some days we just need to get out there and do the best we can. I mean, sometimes we're not feeling well, sometimes the students aren't feeling well. That'll come up later in my fail of the week but sometimes it's just, you know, sometimes we have bad days and they'll be good days and bad days and we just have to live with that and not see it as a reflection on our skills or our character and just see it as the day that it is. Amanda: I agree with Jessica. Definitely, just do your best. I think practice makes perfect and I think that it's important to just keep at it and keep going. When we provide instruction training for our virtual chat services, which is a form of instruction, I always say to the new librarian, “Don't be afraid! Just jump right in and start providing support. It's the only way you're going to get comfortable doing this”. And I think the same goes for whether you are doing online instruction instruction or on site instruction. Just keep it and try to really do your best. Jessica: Exactly and there were some tips - those are my personal tips - but there were more tips that we found in an article called, “Jumping into the Deep: Imposter Syndrome, Defining Success, and the New Librarian” by Sanji Lacey and Melanie Parlette-Stewart from Canada. So again, we’ll link the article in the show notes but they also had some interesting tips. And again their article focused on new librarians but I think what they talked about was still really relevant. We kind of mentioned this before, like keeping a healthy perspective on academic culture and work. The fact that in academia we like to do a lot of work and we like to get a lot of credentials and publish a lot of papers and some people have to for tenure. So just keeping a perspective that you don't have to keep up with the “Jones” work-wise, right? Amanda: Yea, agreed. Jessica: Another one that I always follow is [to] engage in social media in small doses. So especially with Library Twitter, I mean, you can go on there and feel really, really uneducated with the amazing people that are posting and everybody sharing. It's like everything with social media, everybody is sharing their highlights reel. So it can really make you feel less than and like a fraud, especially as a new librarian just jumping into those waters. So I definitely try to get on Twitter when I can but I don't try to get bogged down in it. Amanda: Yea, I like this tip but I also think that for me at least I think I just need to get better at, when it comes to Twitter, I see all these people, right, posting all these amazing things about themselves and their work and, I just, I could be doing it too. I just don't because I feel silly about it. And I guess I feel like even when I have something like solid I feel like an imposter posting about it. Jessica: Right (laughs) Amanda: So then I end up not posting about it. Like, I can’t tell you how many tweets I’ll type out and then I’ll say, I’m not posting that, that’s just ridiculous and I’ll just delete it. I definitely think people like us better at promoting ourselves and putting ourselves out there because we are and we have done amazing thing that's like people just don't know Jessica: Right, so maybe engaging in a conversation might actually make you feel like less of an imposter. Amanda: Exactly, exactly! Jessica: Exactly. That’s interesting. Yea, that’s true. Take on opportunities to learn when you want to as opposed to trying to learn everything. You know pick the things that you really want to learn about Amanda: Yea, that’s a good tip. Jessica: Another one that I thought was really interesting that I haven't done but I might now is really reflecting upon what success looks like in your career trajectory. Because there's so many different paths that you can take but what is success really look like to you. And you know, you and I have had this conversation before now that we're moms. You know we had some wake up calls as Type A librarians, right? About what we can really get done now in our days. So I think I'm at that point where it's deciding what do I want to do and what does success look like to me while not looking like or feeling like an imposter. Amanda: Yea, you know, my daughter is almost a year and it's completely changed the way I work and like you said what I decide to take on and I think I need to still reflect now what success looks like for me. And then to even think about career trajectory, that like just throws a monkey wrench in it. Jessica: So yeah, let's start a new podcast, right? (Laughs) Amanda: Yea, there you go! (Laughs) Jessica: Talk about imposter syndrome! (Laughs) So the last tip is something cool. Find something physical that you find power in. So a power pose, heels. You said, right, a certain outfit in the classroom. Maybe a mantra. So I think I need to find my thing too when I'm up there in front of the classroom like what makes me feel like I'm in control. Amanda: Yeah it's definitely clothing for me. Like I said, I mean, I still feel that way but I mean I don't look like a student so much anymore. So I don’t have to worry about it too much anymore but I still feel definitely feel more legit when I’m dressed professionally and not just in slacks and shirt. So it definitely does make a difference. At least for me. I always call it my power suit. One particular suit that I love, that looks so professional, it’s my power suit. Jessica: That's awesome Amanda: Yeah Jessica: Well those are our tips for conquering imposter syndrome. Some of them, like I said, I've definitely tried and they're definitely working for me. I don't think that I will ever be cured of it but I think just like anxiety it's something that I work with on a daily basis and manage and live with so hopefully maybe some of these can work for you, too. Amanda: Yea, I hope so. (musical interlude) Amanda: Okay, so now we're going to move into our next segment which is a Work Triumph and a Work Fail. Jessica, you want to start? Jessica: Sure! So actually my work triumph this week is really about temporarily conquering imposter syndrome. So as I said I'm at a new institution so I'm doing new standardized teaching that I've never done before and of course I expect myself to just knock it out of the park on the first try. Which really, I should just be honest with myself at this point. So I did a one class today that went really well and so I felt great about myself. I told myself you know, even though you did well on this you know, what if you don't do well on the next one? Like I had negative thoughts creeping in. And so I really had to have a sit-down with myself and say, talk to the imposter, right, and say, “You're new here. You're trying to adapt. You did well today. Take that as a win. You know, focus on one day at a time.” So it was good and I feel better afterwards having that little chit chat with myself. So that was my work triumph. Amanda: And your fail? Jessica: So my fail was the other day, I was doing just an orientation class. We have these 30 minute sessions that go for like the first month of the semester so I do like three or four of these a week. So I had one the other day and the students just kind of weren’t into it. Usually when I ask a question about one of the plagiarism case studies we talk about, normally somebody raises their hand but nobody raised their hand. So I picked on this one student and he was just not about it. Like I picked on the wrong student that day. So he was just like rolling his eyes and like trying to argue with me, that self-plagiarism doesn’t exist. And like I said, it’s a 30 minute orientation sessions so I wasn’t going to get into a whole to-do about it. And it wasn't really a fight or anything but it just didn’t...My response wasn't...it wasn’t the witty response I was hoping it would be so I’m counting that as my fail for the week. Amanda: (laughs) Ah, okay. Jessica: What about you? Amanda: So my triumph is that as a director, I've been trying for the past two years to get all of our content organized in one place. So I finally created a LibGuide and it's so beautiful. It has everything laid out perfectly and it’s clear and it just, it really has made the difference in terms of people being self-sufficient to support a class that they've never supported before. So I'm super excited about that. It's going great so far. My fail for the week is that I overbooked myself with two new faculty so then I had to go back and email the professor and say, “Sorry, I can't come into your class that week. I’m teaching another class”. And then because of other already planned classes, I can't go in for like another two weeks after the requested date. So I just feel like, ugh, epic fail! So I hope she doesn’t think that I’m like I don’t pay attention or that I can't keep track of my dates. Like, so we’ll see how that works out but it was definitely a fail. Jessica: Exactly. So all things we’ll survive but they still feel like fails either way. Amanda: Yes exactly Amanda: So that was our first episode! We hope you enjoyed it and we just want to share where you can find us. Jessica, where can we find you? Jessica: I am on Twitter @LibraryGeek611 Amanda: I’m on Twitter as well @HistoryBuff820. Don't make fun of me! I joined Twitter really early where everyone had like whatever made up handle. We are also looking for your feedback so if you have any questions or you want to share your triumphs and fails to be read on upcoming episodes, please send them in. Jessica: So you can email us at [email protected] or you can actually hashtag your own tweets with #LlibrariansGuideToTeaching. Amanda: Great! So we hope to hear from you and we can't wait to share another episode in the upcoming weeks! Jessica: Yes, thanks for listening! Amanda: Alright, thanks! (Upbeat Music)
0 Comments
|
About the podcast:The LGT podcast is hosted by two instruction librarians interested in sharing their experiences teaching information literacy, discussing current trends, and having meaningful conversations about librarianship. Archives
May 2021
Categories |