Reale, M. (2012) ‘Critical Pedagogy in the Classroom: Library Instruction that Gives Voice to Students and Builds a Community of Scholars’, Journal of Library Innovation, 3(2), pp. 80-88.
The article starts with the following statement that I felt inspired by and found very relevant to my research and studies.
“When librarians apply critical pedagogy in a classroom, they can both impart knowledge and ignite breakthrough thinking among students. By (…) decentralizing the “power” in the classroom, librarians can tap into knowledge that students already possess and encourage them to express their own ideas.” p. 80
The author very honestly describes her experience of teaching as a librarian. I can relate to many of her observations. I also find it difficult to employ critical pedagogy faced with the expectations of our audiences. In the case of library instructions or information literacy sessions our students are often surprised when we want to deliver a workshop instead of a lecture. They seemed to be used to the librarians talking to them, not with them.
Similarly, to the author I have tried to introduce a more relaxed way of starting the sessions by asking questions about the students’ current projects or their thoughts on their experience with the library and its resources.. And similarly, I had some success in engaging the students in the workshops, when they freely expressed their views and clearly enjoyed discovering new ways of researching.
I think what really transpires from this article and my own experience is that changes take time and persevering with adapting our sessions to the critical pedagogy premise can be and is rewarding. In the words of the author on encouraging interaction in the class:
“All the students make sense of the texts at hand and are free to express their thoughts and opinions. I benefit by witnessing the transformation and am able to better understand my own teaching methods. (…). It is through dialogue, relentless questioning, and the de-centralization of authority that a level playing field is created where students are encouraged to express their own thoughts and come to their own conclusions.” (p.86).