Information Literacy
I believe that effective learning is relevant, exploratory and active. I also believe that research-based learning is one of the best ways to involve students on a personal level. Research-based learning reveals the need for information literacy.
Information literacy is a principle goal for the modern student. Being information literate means being able to effectively:
• locate and select information
• analyze, evaluate and interpret information
• record, classify and organize information
• communicate and present information
Today, due primarily to technological advances and especially the internet, students are faced with information overload. One of our most difficult tasks is to help them weed through the jungle of information, focusing only on that which is pertinent and valuable to the identified questions.
The teacher librarian can be a strategic player in helping with research skills such as
1. Presearch Questioning – narrowing the topic and identifying specific questions and key words which will focus the research
2. Location Skills — knowing where and how to find resources and how to locate information therein (e.g., Dewey decimal system, library organization, internet search engines, table of contents, CD ROMs, indexes, atlases, online databases, etc.)
3. Acquisition Skills — note-taking, organizing, analyzing meaningful information (using various formats for note taking, using word processors, spreadsheets, etc.)
4. Communication Skills — reorganizing information obtained from more than one resource into logical segments and sequence (e.g., cut and paste, subtitling, etc.)
5. Presentation Skills — creating one’s own presentation format (e.g., essay, chart, speech, debate, powerpoint presentation, etc.)
Many websites exist related to research skills.
The University of Montreal site is available in French, is more for secondary schools, but can easily be adapted to upper intermediate. Their identified steps are: 1) Je cerne le sujet 2) J’interroge les sources d’information 3) Je selectionnne les documents 4) J’extrais les informations 5) Je traite les infos 6) Je produis un travail. It can be found at http://www.ebsi.umontreal.ca/jetrouve/projet/index.htm
• spend time explicitly teaching information literacy to students,
• collaboratively plan instructional units with teachers,
• provide in-service training to teachers,
• teach cooperatively with classroom teachers, and
• attend to curriculum integration issues. (Moore, 2001)
• lead to active engagement of the library in the teaching and learning
• offer flexible instruction at the time of need
• offer active reading programmes
The Association for Teacher-Librarianship in Canada and the Canadian School Library Association define information literacy as the ability to:
* recognize the need for information to solve problems and develop ideas
* pose important questions
* use a variety of information gathering strategies
* locate relevant and appropriate information
* assess information for quality, authority, accuracy and authenticity
Big 6 refers to six steps which lead to successful research. There are tutorials for all levels, K through 12 in the kids sections.
This site provides a scope and sequence for information literacy skills for Grades K through 12.
The Grade 8 section alone encompasses 8 pages of possibilities. The K level includes alphabetical organization, caring for books and an introduction to research through seeing directories such as that in Enchanted Learning.
Because the current educational environment includes an information technology explosion, our students need guidance and support as they weed through the jungle of information. I hope to play an important guiding role.
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