Teaching New Librarians How to Teach: A Model for Building a Peer Learning Program

Librarians enter the academy with little background in the pedagogical and theoretical intricacies of teaching and learning. With library instruction responsibilities on the rise, institutions are searching for ways to encourage librarians to engage in the process of learning how to teach. Instruction librarians and coordinators can build a peer learning program that incorporates a progressive teaching structure where librarians graduate from shadow teaching to team teaching to solo teaching. By combining support in the classroom with a dynamic mentoring environment, librarians work as a team in order to provide students with high quality instructional experiences that promote lifelong learning. Formative assessment is built into the mentoring process while simultaneously providing analysis of the program. Suggestions for professional development and a reading list are included.