Earning Credibility Credit

There was line from our readings that stood out to me more than all others in the Katrine Watkins & Katherine Elder article, “The Google Game.” In the final paragraph of the article, the authors state that not only were students better at searching Google after playing the game, but that “teaching this lesson has earned [them] increased credibility.” Now, when [they] recommend a book or subscription database as the best place to start researching, our students actually listen to [their] advice.” 

I thought this sentence spoke volumes about the student-teacher relationship. We perhaps think that we automatically have credibility with students because we are teachers—we went to school to be able to stand in front of them (or next to them) and give them information. However, the truth is that students (especially teenagers) will not really listen unless we speak their language. I do not mean that we should try and learn whatever slang is current—definitely not! Rather we should try our best to approach lessons from a viewpoint that will be familiar and accessible for students.

For most young people, Google is their first language when it comes to information. Therefore, before we can teach them other languages and direct them into other research areas and other databases, perhaps it is best to start with their comfort zone. As Watkins and Elder discover, learning successful searching in the familiar confines of Google will hopefully encourage students and tune them into the librarian language, so that they will be able and more willing to expand their newfound searching skills into library databases or books.

References

Watkins, Katrine. “The Google Game”.  School Library Journal (January 2006) 52-54.