Reference Services Review

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to share a classroom teaching technique and pedagogical style that can alleviate difficulties encountered during information literacy instruction sessions when students think they already know everything the librarian instructor plans to cover in the session. Ignoring this situation can result in a poor teaching and learning experience for all.

Design/methodology/approach – This is a case study in which the author describes how to effectively involve students as active participants in search demonstrations during instruction sessions. It provides both a pedagogical rationale for this practice and practical examples of how it is accomplished.

Findings – Though inviting students to conduct live searches in an instruction session is somewhat risky, the author concludes that engaging students by having them demonstrate online searches is of greater interest to their peers and contributes to a more powerful learning experience.

Practical implications – This paper provides clear examples of how to effectively engage students in live online search demonstrations, including handling problematic situations in which students may be uncooperative. The key implication is that instruction sessions can improve when the instructor relinquishes some control to the students.

Originality/value – While some research recommends active learning techniques to reduce student boredom in library instruction sessions, a literature search indicates that no previous articles discuss IAKT Syndrome. Instruction librarians will find value in learning about the promise and pitfalls of inviting students to demonstrate searches during their sessions, and how it can promote a better, more engaging learning experience.