Overcoming The Perfectionism Trap: How Being a Good Teacher is Actually Great

Type of Presentation

Individual paper/presentation

Conference Strand

Outreach and Partnership

Target Audience

Higher Education

Second Target Audience

K-12

Location

Session 2 Papers

Relevance

My presentation relates to teaching information information literacy and how to create realistic expectations of yourself as a teacher.

Abstract

Teaching isn’t for the faint of heart. And information literacy instructors face particular challenges and limitations that instructors of record do not face. Many librarians can experience significant stress that comes with holding themselves and their teaching to unrealistic standards. Despite a love of teaching and students, for some, teaching can provoke a significant amount of anxiety and stress. What is a teaching librarian to do? What are strategies for applying realistic expectations of yourself, your students, the collaborating instructor, and yourself? How can you integrate self-care as a consistent practice in your preparation and process?

This presentation will draw on the work of leading psychologists like Carol Dweck, Brene Brown, and others to explore how using the growth mindset can improve their teaching experiences. Participants will learn strategies for gentle self-assessment, reflective processing, and techniques for conquering self-limiting beliefs. Equipped with new knowledge and perspectives, participants will be able to apply a new framework to their teaching process to maximize confidence and poise in their work. While this session may be of special interest to new teaching librarians, the topics will be relevant to both new and seasoned teachers.

Presentation Description

Teaching librarians often face a myriad of situational challenges that can leave one feeling discouraged, anxious, and burnt-out. But what if we could develop a new mindset to navigate these challenges? What if we could better empower ourselves to accept the limitations of our circumstances and approach each class with more realistic expectations of ourselves? Drawing from leading psychologists like Carol Dweck and Brene Brown, participants will learn strategies for gentle self-assessment, reflective processing, and techniques for conquering self-limiting beliefs and improving their classroom experience.

Keywords

teaching, pedagogy, self-care, mindset, reflective practice, information literacy

Publication Type and Release Option

Event

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Mar 31st, 2:15 PM Mar 31st, 2:45 PM

Overcoming The Perfectionism Trap: How Being a Good Teacher is Actually Great

Session 2 Papers

Teaching isn’t for the faint of heart. And information literacy instructors face particular challenges and limitations that instructors of record do not face. Many librarians can experience significant stress that comes with holding themselves and their teaching to unrealistic standards. Despite a love of teaching and students, for some, teaching can provoke a significant amount of anxiety and stress. What is a teaching librarian to do? What are strategies for applying realistic expectations of yourself, your students, the collaborating instructor, and yourself? How can you integrate self-care as a consistent practice in your preparation and process?

This presentation will draw on the work of leading psychologists like Carol Dweck, Brene Brown, and others to explore how using the growth mindset can improve their teaching experiences. Participants will learn strategies for gentle self-assessment, reflective processing, and techniques for conquering self-limiting beliefs. Equipped with new knowledge and perspectives, participants will be able to apply a new framework to their teaching process to maximize confidence and poise in their work. While this session may be of special interest to new teaching librarians, the topics will be relevant to both new and seasoned teachers.