‘Information literacy is more than a set of skills

            Practically speaking, I’d like to think that all teachers are teachers of information literacy. In a way, the term is an extension of literacy, suited to all areas of learning, not just in the educational sector. The term itself is so difficult to define, but I’d like to think that as it is evolving, it is not limited by a certain set of skills, but it is a concept that is supported by skills.  These skills are seen in a variety of information literacy models such as Kulthau’s Information Search Process (ISP) model, Herring’s (2004) PLUS (Purpose, Location, Use and Self-evaluation) model and the Big 6 model (Eisenberg and Berkowitz 1990). Where would using an information literacy model fit in to my role as a teacher librarian? I am about to begin employment in a secondary school, as a teacher librarian and English teacher. I understand that I will be collaborating with junior English classes to teach a class called ‘Reading and Research’, in which I take each class through how to use the library. This would be a perfect opportunity to model and instruct students to become ‘information literate’, addressing critical thinking, processing and filtering information and assessment of their learning. Establishing what resources and frameworks will work best will be something that I have to overcome moving into the future.

            The philosophy of the school I will be working in is one that does not believe in the use of technology for technology’s sake. There is an understanding that our students have the capacity to find information, it is my role to show these students to be discerning. The principal of the school wants us to teach students to be better communicators and responsible synthesisers of information. They must, therefore, learn to filter for the best and most relevant, reliable information. The challenge is for teacher librarians to teach students to be critical and to question the content that they are presented with, whether it be newspaper articles or blog pages. Students should be encouraged to have respect for the learning process in this world of instant gratification. To be a proficient lifelong learner, students should have the ability to evaluate their own understanding, and information literacy models do give a framework for rigorous teaching and learning processes. Information literacy can be interpreted as a ‘means to an end’ (Langford, 1986, pg. 39), that end being what student outcomes will be supported and enriched by the concept.  I will have to discover what educational outcomes need to be met with the cohort of students in my new school setting.

            Alongside my teacher colleagues, an information literacy model would be of great assistance in collaborative teaching  units of work. I can see the merit of the Big 6 model, that has six steps that support stages of gathering and using information, as a teacher librarian, I would be able to instruct and model #2 - Information seeking strategies, as well as facilitate #3 – Location and Access. (Eisenberg, 1990).  To follow the structure of the model and fulfill all of the steps, the subject teacher would have to be on board to ameliorate the success of the model. On the other hand, Herring’s PLUS model comes across as a simpler framework that could be as easy as providing all teachers and students with a PLUS booklet to accompany an assignment. To use this in the library when undertaking research for all subject areas would support consistency across the school so that ‘students and school staff will view information literacy in a similar way.’ (Herring, 2011a)

Literacy in all shapes and sizes is not going anywhere but forward, in its various permutations. Giving students the skills to function well in society, with particular focus on learning, the information literacy frameworks can provide a thoughtful, reflective and critical path to accessing and utilizing information.

References

Eisenberg, M. B. (2008). Information Literacy: Essential Skills for the Information Age. DESIDOC Journal Of                        Library & Information Technology, 28(2), 39-47.

Herring, J. (2006). A critical investigation of students' and teachers' views of the use of information literacy skills in school assignments. School Library Media Research, 9.

Herring, J. (2011). Assumptions, Information Literacy and Transfer in High Schools. Teacher Librarian, 38(3), 32-36.

Kuhlthau, C.C. (2004). Learning as a process, in Seeking meaning: A process approach to library and information services, Westport, Conn.: Libraries Unlimited, pp.13-27

Langford, L. (1998). Information literacy: a clarification http://www.fno.org/sept98/clarify.html