4.6.4 Integrating the teaching of search and information literacy skills in the classroom.

                                                       

Information literacy is a process in which the learner needs to find, understand, evaluate, and use information in various forms for personal, social or global purposes.

 It also involves the ability to judge whether the information is meaningful and how best to communicate the knowledge.

 To become effective users of information, students need to know how to define a question and how to locate access and evaluate information from a variety of sources. Information literacy also focuses on the ability to synthesize the information so that it can be communicated.

 Once students have located a resource they must be able to evaluate information from it. This involves detecting bias, differentiating between fact and opinion, weighing conflicting opinions, and evaluating the worth of sources.

This module has taught me that as a teacher   I can play a part in helping learners acquire some of the necessary skills by integrating them into my   classroom practice alongside the regular 'content' I usually deal with. In this way I can make a difference in my   learners' comfort level, helping them beyond the 'tech comfy' to the 'tech savvy' which will contribute to their life beyond the classroom, in the professional workplace and in our (increasingly) knowledge-based economies.

I have decided to adopt this information Literacy Standards (1998)  as the yardstick through which I will infuse Information Literacy in my Language Arts Lessons. I have also given a few examples of what kinds of tasks I would give my learners in order to build in them the desire to ‘learn how to learn.’ Below is the link to this great resource:

http://umanitoba.ca/libraries/units/education/media/InformationLiteracyStandards_final.pdf

This is an excerpt from Information Literacy Standards for Student Learning, published by the American Library Association.

INFORMATION LITERACY STANDARDS

Standard 1:  The student who is information literate accesses information efficiently and effectively.

Indicators

·         Recognizes the need for information

·         Recognizes that accurate and comprehensive information is the basis for intelligent                    decision making

·         Formulates questions based on information needs

·         Identifies a variety of potential sources of information

·         Develops and uses successful strategies for locating information

Standard 2:  The student who is information literate evaluates information critically and    

                        competently.

Indicators

·         Determines accuracy, relevance, and comprehensiveness

·         Distinguishes among fact, point of view, and opinion

·         Identifies inaccurate and misleading information

·         Selects information appropriate to the problem or question at hand

Standard 3:  The student who is information literate uses information accurately and creatively.

Indicators

·         Organizes information for practical application

·         Integrates new information into one’s own knowledge

·         Applies information in critical thinking and problem solving

·         Produces and communicates information and ideas in appropriate formats

INDEPENDENT LEARNING STANDARDS

Standard 4:  The student who is an independent learner is information literate and pursues information related to personal interests.

Indicators

·         Seeks information related to various dimensions of personal well-being, such as career interests, community involvement, health matters, and recreational pursuits

·         Designs, develops, and evaluates information products and solutions related to personal interests

Standard 5:  The student who is an independent learner is information literate and appreciates literature and other creative expressions of information.

Indicators

·         Is a competent and self-motivated reader

·         Derives meaning from information presented creatively in a variety of formats

·         Develops creative products in a variety of formats

Standard 6: The student who is an independent learner is information literate and strives for excellence in information seeking and knowledge generation.

Indicators

·         Assesses the quality of the process and products of personal information seeking

·         Devises strategies for revising, improving, and updating self-generated knowledge

SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY STANDARDS

Standard 7:  The student who contributes positively to the learning community and to society is information literate and recognizes the importance of information to a democratic society.

Indicators

·         Seeks information from diverse sources, contexts, disciplines, and cultures

·         Respects the principle of equitable access to information

Standard 8:  The student who contributes positively to the learning community and to society is information literate and practices ethical behavior in regard to information and information

technology.

Indicators

·         Respects the principles of intellectual freedom

·         Respects intellectual property rights

·         Uses information technology responsibly

Standard 9:  The student who contributes positively to the learning community and to society is

                         information literate and participates effectively in groups to pursue and generate

                         information.

Indicators

·         Shares knowledge and information with others

·         Respects others’ ideas and backgrounds and acknowledges their contributions

·         Collaborates with others, both in person and through technologies, to identify information problems and to seek their solutions

·         Collaborates with others, both in person and through technologies, to design, develop, and evaluate information products and solutions

This is my interpretation of some of these indicators as activities for the Language Arts Classroom.

Learning Objective:

Students demonstrate understanding of a text or texts by working together to identify and ask significant questions to clarify various points of view.

EXAMPL E

• Students participate in literature circle discussions of a short story they have read and for which they prepare open-ended discussion questions
• They use a voice recorder to record their discussion
• They listen to the recording, evaluating the effectiveness of points raised in response to the questions, insights shared, and balance of participation.
• The recording may be published as a podcast with accompanying reflections on the quality of the discussion.

Learning Objective:

Students   frame, analyse and synthesize information from a range of texts in order to solve problems and answer questions.

EXAMPL E: 

• After reviewing profiles at an entrepreneurial micro financing site such as www.kiva.org,students work in groups to research the economic and social impact of several proposals.  
• Each group selects one proposal and creates a presentation to persuade classmates to choose that proposal.
•   The class votes on the most persuasive proposal and creates an appropriate activity plan that might be used to raise the money to support the chosen proposal.

Learning Objective:

Students   use information accurately and creatively   to illustrate   the issue or the   problem at hand.

EXAMPLE:

• After completing a literature circle unit of teen problem novels, students brainstorm a list of significant social, emotional, or health issues teens   face today.
• Working in groups, students research one issue and create a public service announcement on a closed YouTube channel (viewable only by students in the class) to persuade their peers about one action they should take regarding this issue.
• Students will select and use references from literary readings (e.g., citing how a particular novel presents the issue) as well as research from nonfiction sources to illustrate major points.

Finally, when I will  require a written product derived from research, I  should insist on a properly formatted "works cited" page. Learning how to set up and format correct citation pages is what I help the students do in the language arts classroom. What I need to emphasize is  the application of this skill. A "works cited" page is not only an important step in teaching students how to evaluate sources, it also helps them grasp the concept of intellectual property. 

 Citation machine andNooblebib Express are both free Internet tools that allow students to create perfect MLA or APA citations.