Information Literacy: Information, Informing,

Learning, Understanding

James Henri UPH Session 4Associate ProfessorFaculty of EducationThe University of Hong Kong

Information LiteracyInformation literacy is a hot topic and librarians across the world are exhorted to take a lead role in its implementation.

But is there agreement on the concept of information literacy and more importantly is there agreement about the specific roles that librarians ought to play in information literacy education?

Are answers to the above questions dependent upon the nature of the institution (primary school, secondary school, senior college and university) or the size of the institution, or the size and complexity of library services?

Is the development of information literacy dependent on the existence and involvement of librarians or can it be implemented in their absence?

If information literacy is a priority what will happen to other library services?

Information Paradigms

Question:

What does your organization think about information?

Information

• Textbooks• Collections• Data bases• Teachers• Laboratories

Information and Knowledge• Understanding begins

with the way we think about information!!

• When you reflect on the following images what thoughts come into your mind?

Information and Knowledge

Today I am not dealing with the information ladder:

• Nothing• Noise• Data• Information• Knowledge• Wisdom• God

Information

Information

Types of Information

• Thing• Knowledge• Process

Two Types of Learning

① Photocopy Learning② Authentic (connected) Learning

Authentic Learning

A question of:

ENGAGEMENT

Authentic Learning

A question of:

EVIDENCE

Authentic Learning

A question of:

CONNECTIONThemes, topics, expected

outcomes: vertical and horizontal

What is Learning?

Authentic Learning Entails

• Processing information• Becoming informed• Gaining understanding• Sharing meaning

World Summit on the Information Society Geneva 2003

A Societywhere everyone can create, access, utilize and share information and knowledge, enabling individuals, communities and peoples to achieve their full potential …

http://www.itu.int/wsis/docs/geneva/official/dop.html

What is Information Literacy?

• Is this a matter of personal perception or is there consensus?

• Does it matter?

What is Information Literacy?

① Information literacy is seen as using information technology for information retrieval & communication.

② Information literacy is seen as finding information located in information sources.

According to some writers information literacy comes down to perception (Bruce 1997)

What is Information Literacy?

③ Information literacy is seen as executing a process.

④ Information literacy is seen as controlling information.

⑤ Information literacy is seen as building up a personal knowledge base in a new area of interest.

What is Information Literacy?⑥ Information literacy is

seen as working with knowledge and personal perspectives adopted in such a way that novel insights are gained.

⑦ Information literacy is seen as using information wisely for the benefit of others.

http://sky.fit.qut.edu.au/~bruce/inflit/faces/faces1.php

What is Information Literacy?The standard definition is:

‘Information literacy is an understanding and set of abilities enabling individuals to ‘recognise when information is needed and have the capacity to locate, evaluate, and use effectively the needed information’.

American Library Association 1989 http://www.ala.org/acrl/nili/ilit1st.html

Definition from UNESCO Workshop on School Libraries & Information Literacy Bangkok September 2005

‘Information literacy is a set of abilities to recognize what & when information is needed, identify & locate that information, use it ethically & communicate if effectively.’‘Information literacy is context bound.’

CITE, Faculty of Education, University of Hong Kong

What is Information Literacy?

I suggest:Information = process of informingInformation skill = a competency to

process informationInformation literacy = mastery of

the processes of becoming informed

Information literate community = a community that places priority on mastery of the processes of becoming informed

CITE, Faculty of Education, University of Hong Kong

Information -> Informing

Fromhttp://www.geocities.com/hartwig_dellmour/Cangaroosign.html

To:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/thenerdsangle/184542511/

http://webinstituteforteachers.org/~fonubogu/teachingguide.html

Information Literacy & Learning• Learning is about

understanding. Therefore if schools are interested in how students understand they must be interested in how students engage with information.

• It cannot be assumed that students will become expert at this without a framework and policies to drive it!

Information Literacy & Learning

Learning is about: • Constructing knowledge.• Taking information,

becoming informed, and developing new ideas…

• Meaning and understanding.• Engagement!• Making good judgments.

Information Literacy & Learning• Good judgements are

based on evidence.• Information seeking is

about identifying and using sources of evidence.

• Photocopy learning is what parrots do when they talk!

IL & ICT

• IL is often confused with competence in the use of information and communication technologies.

• Certainly ICT is important to IL because of the dominance of digital information.

• But IL is much more…

Relationship between ICT and IL

InformationTechnology

Information Literacy

Relationship between IL and other literacies

Think about the relationship between

FootballBadmintonArcheryHockeyChess

Sport

AND

Why Information Literacy?

• We need information skills to unleash the power of information.

• We need a framework and a set of scaffolds as a safety net.

• We need new forms of assessing (authentic) learning.

• Trial & error isn’t smart.

Why Information Literacy?

Life Long Learning & IL

• If schools are about equipping apprentice adults for the adult world then they must be about renewable learning:– Learning to Learn– Life Long Learning

– IL is one component of LLL

Learning Paradigms

Question:

Does your organization measure Learning or Knowledge?

Learning Paradigms

Who gets the gold star?

Jenny who scores 100% on every spelling test.

Or

Jill who scores 30% on every spelling test.

Learning Paradigms

What is the tallest mountain in the world

1. Everest, Nepal and Tibet, 2. Mauna Kea, Hawaii 3. Chimborazo, Ecuador

http://home.comcast.net/~igpl/Mountains.html

Information Literacy & Learning

• Is the purpose of school to equip apprentice adults for the adult world?

• If it is, then schools must focus as much on how students learn as they do on what students learn.

What does an IL person look like?

An IL person is able to:

• recognise a need for information• determine the extent of

information needed• access the needed information

efficiently• evaluate the information and its

sources• incorporate selected information

into their knowledge base

An IL person is able to:• use information effectively to

accomplish a purpose• understand economic, legal, social

and cultural issues in the use of information

• access and use information ethically and legally

• classify, store, manipulate and redraft information collected or generated

• recognise information literacy as a prerequisite for lifelong learning

See http://www.caul.edu.au/caul-doc/InfoLitStandards2001.doc

IL education

① Check the definition② Check the responsibility③ Check the commitment

Approaches to IL Education

• IL Syllabi• Models• Standards & Indicators• Maps• Total integration

IL Syllabi

• No context = no good

Model of the Information Search Process

  

Tasks       Initiation       Selection   Exploration   Formulation   Collection   Presentation

Feelings uncertainly optimism confusion clarity sense of satisfaction or(affective) frustration direction/ disappointment

doubt confidence

Thoughts vague focused(cognitive)

increased interest

Actions seeking relevant information seeking pertinent information(physical)

exploring documenting

Source: http://www.scils.rutgers.edu/~kuhlthau/Information%20Search%20Process_files/frame.htm

The latest Model

• The empowering 8 model was developed recently in Sri Lanka.

Explaining a model

Focus on inquiry: A teacher’s guide to implementing inquiry-based learning. (2004). Edmonton: Alberta Education, Curriculum Support Branch. http://www.learning.gov.ab.ca/k_12/curriculum/bySubject/focusoninquiry.pdf

Standards & Indicators

The best known of these was developed by the American Association of School Librarians & theAssociation for Educational Communicationsand Technology

http://www.ala.org/ala/aasl/aaslproftools/informationpower/InformationLiteracyStandards_final.pdf

Standards & Indicators

See also Recent work from Australia

http://www.caul.edu.au/caul-doc/InfoLitStandards2001.doc

See a full discussion at:

http://dis.shef.ac.uk/literacy/standards.htm

IL Maps

• A Map that links the how to learn with the what to learn and ensures that all pieces are covered in a logical sequence at appropriate levels of difficulty.

IL Maps

ILPO & ILPETShttp://www.capraryan.com.au/products/index.html

Building Information Literacy (PEI)  http://www.edu.pe.ca/bil/bil.asp?ch3.s1.gdtx

OSLA K-12 Information Studieshttp://www.accessola.com/action/positions/info_studies/

Total Integration: Every Chance To Learn (ACT)

The student knows how to learn

• The student knows that learning can be individual and social and is a lifelong process.

• Students define their learning goals and actively pursue them by making connections with what they already know, planning approaches and organising their time and resources.

• They develop their own repertoire of strategies that will help them to learn, including the use of technologies.

• They reflect on their learning, monitor their own progress and achievements and seek support as needed.

Essential Learning Curricula

The student uses information critically

• The student uses information in different forms from a range of sources.

• Students assess the need and purpose for information and use successful strategies to access and retrieve it.

• They organise, analyse, synthesise, interpret and present information purposefully.

• They recognise the need for trustworthy information, are critically aware of who owns the information and avoid plagiarism.

Essential Learning Curricula

The student applies methods of inquiry

• The student uses methods of inquiry characteristic of disciplines in the sciences and the humanities.

• Students understand the distinctive features of each form of inquiry and appreciate them as valid ways of constructing knowledge.

• They recognise that different questions require different methods of inquiry.

• They identify what evidence is needed in specific investigations.

• They gather evidence and make judgements about its value.

• They draw conclusions based on evidence, and evaluate and communicate their findings.

Examples: Schools

Melbourne HighGladstone SecondaryOSLAPEI Big6

Conferences

Examples: Universities

University of Louisville

Australian Catholic University

University of Wollongong

ANU

University of Hong Kong

ACU National has identified information literacy skills as desirable graduate attributes.

Australian & NZ Information Literacy Framework PrinciplesInformation literate people:

Australian Catholic University Strategic Plan (Revised) for the period 1999-2008

Engage in independent learning through constructing new meaning, understanding and knowledge.

"The Plan defines the University's learning environment as one that develops experiences which lead students to discover and construct knowledge for themselves..."

Derive satisfaction and personal fulfillment from using information wisely.

"The University has and seeks to develop further a culture that is dedicated to a love of learning, respect for scholarship, and intellectual engagement in scholarly research and inquiry."

ACU National has identified information literacy skills as desirable graduate attributes.

Individually and collectively search for and use information for decision making and problem solving in order to address personal, professional and societal issues.

"...supply its graduates with education and training that are widely valued in employment and in the life of the community at large..."

Demonstrate social responsibility through a commitment to lifelong learning and community participation.

 "...encourage students to be critical thinkers and life-long learners, to be aware of broader social issues and complexities in local, national and global contexts..."

Individually and collectively search for and use information for decision making and problem solving in order to address personal, professional and societal issues.

"...supply its graduates with education and training that are widely valued in employment and in the life of the community at large..."

In the workplace

Oman, J. N. (2001). Information literacy In the workplaceInformation Outlook, Vol. 5, No. 6, June 2001http://www.sla.org/content/Shop/Information/infoonline/2001/jun01/oman.cfm

Who is responsible for IL

• Librarians • Teacher Librarians• Teachers• Teachers in partnership

with Librarians• The whole school• The whole system

Does the level of ‘school’ make a difference to the responsibility issue?

• Primary• Secondary• Post Secondary• University• Workplace

Where to implement IL?

What are the possibilities?

① In isolation② Through integration

Where to implement IL?

① In isolation

A Generic (extra to the curriculum)

B Parallel (complementing the curriculum)

Isolation

If nothing else is possible then this may be better than nothing.

BUT because it doesn’t touch teacher behaviour it doesn’t alter the dynamics of the curriculum!

Where to implement IL?

② Through integration

C Integration (part of curriculum planning)

D Embedded (part of curriculum design)

Through integration

This targets teachers!It also alters the expected learning outcomes and therefore shifts behavior.

Where to implement IL?

• Through whole school policy and practice

School policy program level teacher practice

Through whole school policy and practice

• Ultimately schools must accept that they must equip students for LLL and not for SLL!

How to implement IL?

What drives innovation in schools?

• Scenario planning• Principal influence• Teacher comfort• Assessment• Information leadership• Reporting

Scenario Planning

• Consider what is expected at the end.

• If a school takes IL seriously how would this be demonstrated in classrooms and in assessment?

• Then consider how to get there?

Scenario Planning

• Consider what an ILSC would look like.

• Consider what a LLL school would look like.

Principal influence

• Must have principal support for the vision.

Teacher comfort

• The greater the disruption to teacher comfort the less likely change will occur.

• Implications:① Ongoing and substantial

professional development② Support for risk taking and

experimentation③ Careful attention to

support for changing assessment

Teacher comfort

• The teacher mindset must change from ‘what does the student know?’ to ‘What has the student been learning and what is the evidence?’

• Therefore, schools that want to facilitate IL must target teachers and ensure that they are IL!

See http://www.cite.hku.hk/people/jhenri/doc/auto_learner.pdf

Assessment

• Assessment is the major driver of student Endeavour.

• Shifting assessment towards qualitative and formative assessment is required.

Information Leadership

• Curriculum Coordinator

• ICT Leader

• School Librarian

Role of School Librarian

Information Leadership

• The collaborative planning process

See

http://www.bctf.bc.ca/psas/BCTLA/teachers_and_TLs.pdf

Reporting

• Mechanisms should be put in place to facilitate reporting of student learning in terms of IL. These reports should follow the student through the school journey.

• Where possible reports should be electronic and portfolio based.

Barriers to the How!

• No vision• Lack of policy

commitment to IL① No agreed model② No infrastructure (planning

templates, assessment templates (rubrics), lack of reporting, lack of curriculum integration

Barriers to the How!

• Lack of principal support• Lack of PD for teachers• Lack of support materials

for teachers• Poor teacher access to

the school librarian for planning

• Unimaginative timetables• School librarian focus on

students!

Roadblocks

• Politicians • Selected copycat• Infrastructure• Teacher Recruitment• Teacher Training• Love affair with content and

structure• Testing• Understanding what makes a

good learning opportunity

Information Literacy Now

Is there agreement on the concept of information literacy and more importantly is there agreement about the specific roles that librarians ought to play in information literacy education? NO

Are answers to the above questions dependent upon the nature of the institution (primary school, secondary school, senior college and university) or the size of the institution, or the size and complexity of library services? YES

Is the development of information literacy dependent on the existence and involvement of librarians? NO

Can it be implemented in their absence? YES

If information literacy is a priority what will happen to other library services? Options are…

The Future

• The trend in curriculum design

• Subjects KLAs Essential Learnings

(what, integrated what, what built upon how)

• Framing the what to learn within the how to learn.

Engagement with information leads from

to...

Life-long Learning

Appendices

• LLL• ILSC

The Journey to Becoming A Lifelong Learning School (1/3)

For each element: Do we do it? In what ways? How could we do it?

The Elements

The School as a whole Teacher Student

Does the school's underlying philosophy or mission statement focus on lifelong learning?

Do teachers engage in professional development activities which enhance their understanding of the learning process?

Do students set their own achievable goals and formulate questions/problems related to these goals?

Is the curriculum structured so that it is easy to make links from one field of study to another

Do teachers view themselves as mentors, facilitators, models rather than "dispensers of knowledge"?

Do students work in an environment where they feel safe to discuss and question?

Is the importance of information literacy skills recognised in all areas of the curriculum?

To what extent are teachers encouraged to develop their own information literacy skills?

Are students encouraged to examine their own learning processes?

Source: J. Bryce and G. Withers, Engaging Secondary School Students in Lifelong Learning.

The Journey to Becoming A Lifelong Learning School (2/3)

For each element: Do we do it? In what ways? How could we do it?

The Elements

The School as a whole Teacher Student

Is learning that takes place in and outside of school recognised in assessment policies?

To what extent do teachers encourage reflection and higher order thinking in students, rather than rote learning?

Do students use aids to self-organise such as a work diary?

Do assessment policies make explicit the importance of formative assessment?

Are teachers given adequate opportunity to review the progress of their own careers and to set their own career goals?

Are students encouraged to evaluate the extent to which they achieve their goals?

Are teachers supported and encouraged to be lifelong learners?

Are nearly all of the teachers lifelong learners?

Do students recognise that their teachers are learning as well as teaching?

Source: J. Bryce and G. Withers, Engaging Secondary School Students in Lifelong Learning.

The Journey to Becoming A Lifelong Learning School (3/3)

For each element: Do we do it? In what ways? How could we do it?

The Elements

The School as a whole Teacher Student

Are there established partnerships with local/community groups that support student learning?

Do teachers work collaboratively with each other, with specialist teachers, with librarians, students and community groups?

Are students encouraged to make use of the community outside school as a source of knowledge?

- Do teachers have mentors?Do students work collaboratively?

-  - 

Are students encouraged to draw on their particular cultural or specialist knowledge?

Source: J. Bryce and G. Withers, Engaging Secondary School Students in Lifelong Learning.

How Far is The School on The Journey to Lifelong Learning? (1/5)

Ownership of the need to learn and its content is with the teacher

Do students set their own learning goals?

Are students given explicit assistance in planning and setting goals?

As far as possible ownership of the need to learn and its content is given to individuals

Education is compartmentalised according to age and subject

Is there fluidity between year levels?

Are students helped to develop "helicopter vision" - to make links between different curriculum areas?

Is there a Learning Centre or Resources Centre that is the hub of learning in the school?

Is there explicit help to acquire generic skills - especially information literacy skills?

Learning is lifelong in concept and content, there are links vertically and horizontally between age groups

Item Item

Source: J. Bryce and G. Withers, Engaging Secondary School Students in Lifelong Learning.

How Far is The School on The Journey to Lifelong Learning? (2/5)

Learning is about what to think

Are students given adequate time for reflection?

Are students helped to reflect by aids such as adiary, which is regularly discussed with a mentor?

Are students' ideas rigorously challenged?

To what extent is learning seen as a form of problem-solving?

Learning is about how to think

Teachers are dispensers of knowledge

Do teachers feel valued and supported?

Are innovations valued and celebrated?

Do teachers work collaboratively? Is there a system of mentoring?

Teachers are mentors and models of

lifelong learning

Item Item

Source: J. Bryce and G. Withers, Engaging Secondary School Students in Lifelong Learning.

How Far is The School on The Journey to Lifelong Learning? (3/5)

Failures are separated from successes

To what extent can it be said that all students in the

school have positive pictures of themselves as learners?

Are students grouped according to ability? Are some

made to feel that they are "failures"?

Do assessment exercises take account of different styles of learning?

Is most assessment formative rather than summative?

How much self-assessment takes place? Are students

able to discuss their progress with a mentor?

is it safe for students to take risks/to expose lack of knowledge?

Emphasis is on progress and encouragement of further learning

Item Item

Source: J. Bryce and G. Withers, Engaging Secondary School Students in Lifelong Learning.

How Far is The School on The Journey to Lifelong Learning? (4/5)

Learning is a difficult chore and is about received

wisdom

Is there discussion about different styles of learning?

Are students aware of their styles of learning?

To what extent are classrooms communities of enquiry?

Are there opportunities to celebrate learning?

Is it fun to learn in the school?

Learning is fun, participative

and involving

Item Item

Source: J. Bryce and G. Withers, Engaging Secondary School Students in Lifelong Learning.

How Far is The School on The Journey to Lifelong Learning? (5/5)

The Rating Scale

Item 1 2 3 4 5 Item

Ownership of the need to learn and its content is with the teacher

As far as possible ownership of the need to learn and its content is given to individuals

Education is compartmentalised according to age and subject    

Learning is lifelong in concept and content, there are links vertically and horizontally between age groups

Learning is about what to think Learning is about how to think

Teachers are dispensers of knowledge

Teachers are mentors and models of lifelong learning

Failures are separated from successes

Emphasis is on progress and encouragement of further learning

Learning is a difficult chore and is about received wisdom

Learning is fun, participative and involving

Source: J. Bryce and G. Withers, Engaging Secondary School Students in Lifelong Learning.

ILSC

• Rubric http://ispg.csu.edu.au/members/lhay/principal/ilsc_rubric.pdf

• Indicators

http://www.cite.hku.hk/people/jhenri/doc/MappingtheInformationLiterateSchoolCommunity.pdf

http://gladstone.vsb.bc.ca/library/infolit/benchmarks.htm

Places to go

• http://www.noodletools.com/debbie/literacies/information/1over/infolit1.html

• http://www.infolit.org/

• http://www.informationliteracy.org.uk/

• http://information-

literacy.blogspot.com/

Further Reading

• ALIA (2003).A library advocate’s guide to building information literate communities: Information Literacy Forum Advocacy Kit 2003a http://www.alia.org.au/advocacy/literacy.kit.pdf

• Bryce, J. & Graeme, W. (2003). Engaging secondary school students in lifelong learning. Camberwell: ACER.http://www.acer.edu.au/research/reports/documents/LifeLongLearning_Engaging.pdf

• Bryce, J. (2002). Ways of orienting secondary schools to becoming learning communities. Paper presented at the Lifelong Learning Conference 2002, Central Queensland University. Retrieved November 21, 2005 from http://lifelonglearning.cqu.edu.au/2002/presentations/Bryce.pdf

Further Reading

• Farmer, L. & Henri, J (2008). Information literacy assessment..Lanham,ML; Scarecrow.

• Focus on inquiry: A teacher’s guide to implementing inquiry-based learning. (2004). Alberta Education, Curriculum Support Branch. http://www.learning.gov.ab.ca/k_12/curriculum/bySubject/focusoninquiry.pdf

• Henri, J. & Asselin, M. (Eds.) (2005). Leadership issues in the information literate school community. Westport: Libraries Unlimited.

http://www.greenwood.com/catalog/LU1842.aspx

• Humes, B. (2003).  Understanding Information literacy. http://www.libraryinstruction.com/infolit.html

Further Reading

• Virkus, S. (2003). Information literacy in Europe: A literature review. Information Research, 8(4),159. http://informationr.net/ir/8-4/paper159.html

• Moore, P. (2002). An analysis of information literacy education worldwide. In July 2002, White Paper prepared for UNESCO, the U.S. National Commission on Libraries and Information Science, and the National Forum on Information Literacy, for use at the Information Literacy Meeting of Experts, Prague, The Czech Republic. Retrieved November 21, 2005 from http://www.nclis.gov/libinter/infolitconf&meet/papers/moore-fullpaper.pdf