Transcript How We Learn - DigitalCommons@USU

Teaching Information Literacy with
Authentic Problems: Creating and
Using an Online Module
Heather Leary, Wendy Holliday, Anne Diekema
Utah State University
Utah Library Association Conference
April 24, 2009
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Information Literacy
• The Final Report from the Presidential Committee on
Information Literacy, (January 10, 1989)
"To be information literate, a person must be able to
recognize when information is needed and have the
ability to locate, evaluate, and use effectively the
needed information.
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Information Literate Persons
• Know when they have a need for information
• Identify information needed to address a given
problem or issue
• Find needed information
• Evaluate the information
• Organizing the information
• Use the information effectively to address the problem
or issue at hand
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Education & Information Literacy
• Producing such a citizenry will require that schools and
colleges appreciate and integrate the concept of
information literacy into their learning programs and
that they play a leadership role in equipping
individuals and institutions to take advantage of the
opportunities inherent within the information society.
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Information Literacy Standards
• Utah State Office of Education
– Library Media Core Curriculum (Strand One: Information
Literacy)
• American Association of School Librarians (AASL)
– Information Literacy Standards for Student Learning
– Standards for the 21st-Century Learner
• Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL)
– Information Literacy Competency Standards for Higher
Education
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Big6
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
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Task Definition
Information seeking strategies
Location & access
Use of information
Synthesis
Evaluation
Utah Library Media Core
• 3 Strands
• Strand One is about Information Literacy
• Strand divided into six steps following the Big 6
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Information Literacy Standards for
Student Learning
• 3 Categories of standards information literacy is one
• Standards describe information literate student
• Information literate student should
– Access information efficiently and effectively
– Evaluate information critically and competely
– Use information accurately and creatively
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Standards for the 21st-Century Learner
• 4 main areas
• Learners use skills, resources & tools to:
1. Inquire, think critically, and gain knowledge
2. Draw conclusions, make informed decisions,
apply knowledge to new situations, and create
new knowledge
3. Share knowledge and participate ehtically and
productively as members of our democratic
society
4. Pursue personal and aesthetic growth
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Information Literacy Competency
Standards for Higher Education
• 5 standards all describing the
information literate student
• Very closely aligned with Big 6 skills
– Determining information need
– Accessing information
– Using information
– Etc.
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Why Authentic Information
Literacy is Important
Effective, lifelong information literacy skills
must be based on sound pedagogy and an
understanding of how we learn.
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Approaches to Teaching and Learning
Behaviorism
Concept of
information
Concept of learner
Key Principle
Universal, generic, and
external
Constructivism
External, but shaped by individual in
process of making meaning.
Value determined by conventions and norms
of a discourse community
Receiver of knowledge
Maker of individual meaning
Mediated between creators/users in specific
social, cultural, and historical contexts
Apprentice to discourse community
Imitation
Individual purpose, sensemaking
Actor embedded in a social world
Imitation of experts; consensus
Model of information Transmission
behavior
Focus of information Generic source “types.”
literacy instruction
Rules for searching.
Construction of meaning.
Mediation
Ecological: Initiation into information
environment
Information need of individual,
addressing gaps in knowledge.
Dialectical: between individual and social
Ways of knowing and communicating in
disciplines; disciplinary information retrieval
tools
Recursive process of information
seeking.
Responsibility
Enactments of
information literacy
Mastery defined as:
Social Theories
Formal and ordered
procedures.
Librarian
Librarian
“One-shot” demonstrations Multiple instruction sessions integrated
of sources and tools in
into course.
classroom.
Reflective, process-oriented
assignments.
Achievement of skills
Moving through process with greater
confidence and independence.
Navigating information environments through
practical activity
Librarian and instructor. Novices and experts
Demonstration of disciplinary tools and
analyses of disciplinary sources.
Group work on shared problems and peer
teaching and learning
Participation in disciplinary discourse.
Adopting a wide range of ways to experience
information and extend expanded awareness
to new contexts. Transformation and personal
development.
Categories adapted from Nystrand, M., S. Greene, and J. Wiemelt. "Where Did Composition Studies Come From?: An Intellectual History." Written Communication 10.3 (1993):
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ACRL Standards
Standard One:
The information literate
student determines the
nature and extent of the
information needed.
Standard Two:
The information literate
student accesses needed
information effectively and
efficiently.
Standard Four:
The information literate student,
individually or as a member of a group,
uses information effectively to accomplish
a specific purpose.
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Standard Three:
The information literate
student evaluates
information and its sources
critically and incorporates
selected information into
his or her knowledge base
and value system.
Standard Five:
The information literate student understands many of the
economic, legal, and social issues surrounding the use of
information and accesses and uses information ethically and
legally.
ACRL Standard Three
1. The information
literate student
summarizes the main
ideas to be extracted
from the information
gathered.
2. The information literate
student articulates and applies
initial criteria for evaluating both
the information and its sources.
Examines and compares
information from various
sources in order to evaluate
reliability, validity, accuracy,
authority, timeliness, and point
of view or bias
Analyzes the structure and logic of
supporting arguments or methods
Recognizes prejudice, deception, or
manipulation
Recognizes the cultural, physical, or
other context within which the
information was created and
understands the impact of context on
interpreting the information
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3. The information
literate student
synthesizes main ideas
to construct new
concepts.
ACRL Standard Three cont.
4. The information literate
student compares new
knowledge with prior
knowledge to determine
the value added,
contradictions, or other
unique characteristics of
the information.
5. The information literate
student determines whether
the new knowledge has an
impact on the individual’s
value system and takes steps
to reconcile differences.
Determines whether
information satisfies the
research or other
information need
Determines probable
accuracy by questioning the
source of the data, the
limitations of the
information gathering tools
or strategies, and the
reasonableness of the
conclusions
Integrates new information
with previous information
or knowledge
Selects information that
provides evidence for the
topic
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6. The information
literate student validates
understanding and
interpretation of the
information through
discourse with other
individuals, subject-area
experts, and/or
practitioners.
7. The information literate
student determines
whether the initial query
should be revised.
Determines if
original
information need
has been satisfied
or if additional
information is
needed
Reviews search
strategy and
incorporates
additional concepts
as necessary
Reviews
information
retrieval sources
used and
expands to
include others as
needed
Why an Information
Literacy Course?
• Promote information literacy skills within an
academic setting for Library and Internet
research
• Need for engaging and relevant assignments
• Value and meaning for learning
• Library instruction is more than searching
• Emphasize the USE of information
• Where and how to start research
• Synthesizing the information
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Putting the Course Together
• Start with the end in mind
• Selecting and creating scenarios
• Authentic
• Technology-driven
• Students weighing options for their decision
• Differing view points
• Not just one correct answer
• Get students thinking
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Putting the Course Together cont.
• Content wrapper – Big 6
• Task definition
• Information seeking strategies
• Location and access
• USE of information
• Synthesis
• Evaluation
• Problem-based learning approach
• Authentic problems/scenarios
• Student-driven
• Work in small groups
• Emphasizes use of information
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The Course
• Tour of the course
• Cell phone popcorn video:
http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=220_1212848183
• Example blog:
http://myqna.blogspot.com/2008/11/my-first-postand-cell-phone-popcorn.html
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Integrating into a Course
• Spring 2009 integrated into Anne’s course
titled Information Access and Technology
• Quotes from students
“After completing this assignment I feel I do
have a good idea of what information literacy
is. It made me think about things such as truth
on the web, and finding reliable and valid
resources.”
“The assignment is a practical way to teach
info literacy.”
“[I liked] letting the learner make it personal”
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What We Learned
• Once the scenarios are created and selected
the rest of the course came together quickly
• Need clearer introduction and an overview to
the assignment
• Need to provide option for student to choose
their own problem to research
• Need to make it clear that questions asked at
the end of the activities are guiding questions
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Future Plans
• Integrate into INST 4010: Principles and
Practices of Technology for Elementary Teachers
•Integrate into English 1010/2010 Writing
Composition courses
• Distance courses in which Librarians participate
• Discipline-specific general education courses,
target science, business, engineering
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Questions & Contact Information
• Questions?
• Presentation:
http://digitalcommons.usu.edu…
• Contact information
• Anne: [email protected]
• Heather: [email protected]
• Wendy: [email protected]
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