CILIP DfES presentation on teaching and learning information literacy

1
CILIP DfES presentation on teaching and learning
information literacy

• Debbi Boden (Chairperson CILIP SIG Information
  Literacy Committee, Faculty Team Leader, Imperial
  College)
• Marcus Woolley, (Treasurer CILIP SIG Information
  Literacy Committee, Head of Library Development
  and Academic Liaison, Bedfordshire University)
• Dr. Mark Hepworth, (Member of CILIP SIG
  Information Literacy Committee, Senior Lecturer,
  Department of Information Science, Loughborough
  University)

2
Agenda

• Introductions (5 minutes)
• Orientation to information literacy (20 minutes)
• Current situation in schools (20 minutes)
• Improvement (20 minutes)
• Discussion (30 minutes)

3
Who are we?

• We represent CILIP (Chartered Institute of
  Library and Information Professionals)
  Information literacy (IL) group and have the
  remit of moving the IL agenda forward on behalf
  of CILIP.  Our aim is to provide a forum
  across all sectors of the profession, which
  encourages debate and allows the exchange of
  knowledge on all aspects of Information
  Literacy. 
• We also  
• Publish JIL - Journal of Information Literacy
  launched in November 2006
• Run a Discussion list - 1000  
• Organise LILAC  - Librarians Information Literacy
  Annual Conference
• Manage and develop The Information Literacy Web
  Site - www.informationliteracy.org.uk          
                                           

4
Orientation to Information Literacy

• What information do you need to do your job?
• Do you have situations or tasks where you dont
  have the data, information or knowledge at your
  fingertips?
• Where do you go for information?
• How do you know what data, information or
  knowledge you need?
• How do you process data, information or
  knowledge?
• Do you have to communicate data, information or
  knowledge to others?
• How does information literacy differ from ICT
  literacy?

5
CILIP Information Literacy Definition

• Information literacy is knowing when and why you
  need information, where to find it, and how to
  evaluate, use and communicate it in an ethical
  manner.This definition implies several skills.
  We believe that the skills (or competencies) that
  are required to be information literate require
  an understanding of
• a need for information
• the resources available
• how to find information
• the need to evaluate results
• how to work with or exploit results
• ethics and responsibility of use
• how to communicate or share your findings
• how to manage your findings. (CILIP, 2006)

Presents a linear simplified process that relates
closely to the student project and individual
research.
6
A slightly more complex picture study situation
Define the topic
Emotional Cognitive Connative and
Behavioural processes
Choose a topic
Identify sources
Access sources
Use information
Communicate information
7

• Reflects on practice
• Acts as reflective practitioner
• Reflects on effectiveness of task
• Adapts and repeats
• Reviews own i-skills, identifies existing gaps in
  skills or knowledge
• Reviews skill needs with colleagues

• Identifies an information need
• Determines the nature and extent of the need
• Confers with others in team and in wider
  organisation
• Is aware of a range of internal and external
  information sources, including people
• Is familiar with institutional information
  dissemination sources

• Assesses the information need
• Determines how to approach the information need
• Formulates effective search strategies
• Selects and evaluates information sources,
  including people and institutional information
  systems

• Communicates information
• Shares information with others
• Uses appropriate systems/method to disseminate
  information
• Acts an information source for colleagues

Information literate person

• Retrieves information
• Secures information from a range of sources,
• Has good listening and questioning skills

• Adapts information
• Interprets information found to match information
  need
• Creates new knowledge for self and others
• Recognises accumulation of new knowledge
• Ability to act with incomplete information

• Organises information
• Manages a personal collection of resources for
  reference
• Effectively uses electronic information alerts,
  delivery and feeds
• Manages email and discussion lists
• Summarise complex information using a variety of
  techniques
• Is able to prioritise information tasks

• Evaluates information critically
• Assess quality, quantity and relevance of
  retrieved information
• Revises search strategies and repeats as
  necessary
• Checks with peers and colleagues

From JISC funded project on IL in the workplace,
2006
8
Current wisdom

• 14 19 education and skills white paper
• the Knowledge and skills needed for citizenship,
  employment and further learning are crucial
• IL is core to life long learning, digital
  citizenship and employment.
• the modern world and economy requires all young
  people to be competent in the use of ICT ICT
  skills should be developed across the curriculum
• Being able to use the technology does not
  develop the skills to find, evaluate and
  communicate information. ICT IL skills should
  be developed across the curriculum.
• The Key Stage 3 National Strategy addresses the
  teaching of information skills. A main tenet
  of the Key stage 3 Strategy is that schools help
  pupils to become more competent learners for life
  and that a sound grounding in information skills
  is particularly important for Key Stage 4 and
  beyond (DfES 2004, p.3). However

9
Current practice

• access, select and interpret information
  (National, 2005) cites addresses, databases,
  digital maps and photographs as information
  rather than published, textual, secondary
  sources.
• Thinking skills refers to information-processin
  g and sourcing material but the material is data
  rather than information e.g. data gathered by
  students when surveying security systems in local
  shops (Dfes 2005a).
• The use of information-processing is closer to
  the LIS meaning i.e. referring to locating parts
  of the text and evaluating the purpose of the
  text, its organisation and identifying arguments.
  Writing encompasses 'recording and organising
  information' and Thinking In English guidelines
  refer to reading text, predicting, hypothesising,
  checking evidence (Dfes 2005b). However these
  skills are not linked to or are consciously
  incorporated into project work, where they are
  essential.
• Geography is an area where enquiry skills are
  highlighted and the use of sources emphasised.
  However, sources tend to be pictures and
  satellite images (National, 2005) rather than
  published, textual, secondary sources.

10
Current research projects in schools
Assessment associated with final report
Given topic
Written guidelines
Good intention but lacking structure and
pedagogic framework for intervention
11
Student feedback
Yeah, they just said were going to learn about
it, they didnt really give any sort of reason
why did they?

• I didnt like it first because the teacher
  didnt give us a plan on how to do it, she just
  said what the question was, where we could look
  like in books and stuff but not how to do it

Ive no idea where I am going to start looking
for information I dont understand what Ive got
to do Ill have to ask my parents for help
When a piece of work is given out I dont always
understand what to do. The teacher needs to
explain it more. There needs to be more
discussion about what needs to be done, perhaps a
plan so we know what to do next
Sourced from a number of studies by
the Department of Information Science
and corroborated by the research literature.
12
Student feedback
The Internet gives too much information and it
makes it harder to choose what you want to use,
at least a book is just one thing
When youve found the information you write it
down, what you think is important but you dont
know if youre making mistakes you dont know if
youve left something out.
After I searched it just came up with loads and
loads of websites, and I didnt know which ones
to choose, it was quite hard to decide
When we get topics, a teacher usually gives us a
couple of useful websites that we could use to
get us lots of information
13
Student feedback
I usually understand what were meant to do, but
sometimes the teacher doesnt tell us how to do
it. Like, I understood what I was meant to do
for the Diwali letter, but the teacher didnt
tell us very well how to find the information,
like on the Internet, so I found it a bit hard
It was hard to decide what information to write
in the letters, and I found it hard to actually
write the letter. I didnt know were to start,
especially because I had so much information.
Maybe I had too much
If youre jotting down information, I sometimes
copy it down word for word and then I write it
down, and add bits of my own opinions in if its
necessary
14
Improving students ability to exploit the
information process
Recognise iterative process
Define
Choose
Seek
Use
Present
Map/define domain Identify terms Previous
knowledge
Identify sources Narrow/broaden search Evaluate,
extract, analyse, synthesise, ethical use,
communicate
Cognitive support
Connative support
Recognise impact of learning styles
Use of communication tools
Mind mapping Use of orientation tools
Use of range of sources
Behavioural support
Affective support
Ongoing reflection, guidance, assessment
15
Importance of teacher intervention

• their attention is going to be improved its
  going to help them take responsibility for their
  own learning and also to be more confident in
  that sort of environment
• We have actually cut down on the content of the
  course because we want time for the students to
  be reflective, we want to say What did you do
  well? What went wrong?
• Well if they can extract information more easily
  then that makes learning much easier and they
  would be less frustrated because they have got it
  quicker
• it would improve the quality of learning without
  any doubt, it would make a lot of activities more
  efficient and it would give more freedom to give
  the kind of open-ended activities that develop
  sills more and get a kind of knock on effect
  (Williams Wavell, 2006)

16
Questions

• How do we incorporate this in the curriculum
  primary, secondary ?
• Should teachers be taught to teach IL?
• Should teachers be taught to be consciously IL?

How do you feel you can use our specialised
knowledge of the IL learning process? How can we
engage further with curriculum development, the
development of learning resources, the training
of teachers?
17
References
CILIP. (2006). Information literacy definition.
Found at http//www.cilip.org.uk/professionalguida
nce/informationliteracy/definition/ . Accessed
31/10/06 Department for Education and Skills
(DfES). (2005). 14 19 Education and skills.
Found at http//www.dfes.gov.uk/publications/14-19
educationandskills/pdfs/14-19WhitePaper.pdf
Accessed 30/10/06 Department for Education and
Skills (DfES). (2004). The school library and
the Key Stage 3 National Strategy. Found
at http//www.standards.dfes.gov.uk/keystage3/down
loads/en_library_km049504.pdf. Accessed
08/12/05. Department for Education and Skills
(DfES). (2005a). The standards site Thinking
skills. Information processing skills. Found at
http//www.standards.dfes.gov.uk/schemes2/secondar
y_dt/teachers_guide/sectiontwo/ Accessed 31/10/06
18
References

• Department for Education and Skills (DfES).
  (2005b). The standards site Thinking skills in
  English. Found at http//www.standards.dfes.gov.u
  k/thinkingskills/guidance/581458?viewget
  Accessed 20/11/05
• Williams, D. Wavell, C. (2006) Information
  literacy in the classroom Secondary school
  teachers conceptions. Aberdeen Business School.
• National Curriculum in Action. (2005).
  Found at http//www.ncaction.org.uk/search/index.h
  tm?view1subject_idGgictsub_idICTSUB01
  Accessed 29/09/05