Launching high school teaching support at Launching high school teaching support at the University of Oslo Science Librarythe University of Oslo Science Library

Anders Mattias Lundmark and Jessica Lönn-Stensrud

Science Library, University of Oslo, Norway

““What can we do for our local high schools?”What can we do for our local high schools?”

Anders Mattias Lundmark and Jessica Lönn-Stensrud

Science Library, University of Oslo, Norway

Basic Information and Science Literacy

High school (VGS)

Levels

PhD students

Step 3: Masters (advanced)

Step 2: Bachelor (intermediate)

Step 1: Bachelor (basic)

Orientation week

Goals

«42»

Why?

How?

What/where?

Welcome!

Teaching @ Science Library

You say jump...niversity

Londsale and Armstrong (2006).

• 43% of the responding UK university libraries (36% response ratio) had some form of link with local secondary schools facilitating IL skilling

• Information skills training was offered to pupils (60%); teachers (28%); and school librarians (16%)

UK University Libraries and IL in Secondary Schools

3 years of optional schooling for ages 16-19, >95% public schools• a general programme leading to university admissions certification • a vocational programme that leads to vocational competence• lacklustre PISA and TIMSS performance despite 3d highest £ /

student aged 6-15 of all 65 PISA participating countries (2012)

Svalbard, 78°N, the northernmost high school in the world?

Vidargående Skole (VGS) –Norwegian high school

Svalbard, 78°N, the northernmost high school in the world?

Vidargående Skole (VGS) –Norwegian high school

Examples of information literacy goals in Norwegian high schools • Extract and interpret information in physics texts, brochures, newspapers,

popular magazines and books, and internet• Find, process and present Earth Science information using digital tools • Find and present examples of chemistry related research• Explain the use of the scientific method in chemistry• Find information in different media relating to biology and evaluate it’s

merit

Present collaborations include…• High school (VGS)

– Visits from classes – Visits from students seeking help with essay assignments– Invitations to Science communication events from the Science library– Sporadic collaboration with VGS librarians

• Dept. of Teacher Education and School Research – similar offer as to other institutes

Ad hoc

Aimed at needs as students – not at needs as teachers

The Oslo Science library and VGS

Not aimed at teachers

• Our point of view– Resource intensive (reinventing the wheel, prevents planning ahead)– Competes with our primary responsibilities as a research library– Inefficient (we reach relatively few pupils)

• High school (VGS) point of view– Dependent on teacher initiatives – Presupposes that the teachers know what the library can offer– Physical library visits are difficult (don’t fit time tables)

• Dept. of Teacher Education point of view– Lacks properly contextualised and suitably tailored library offer

The Oslo Science library and VGS

The method• We approached Dept. of Teacher Education and VGS, suggesting a

small survey as a way to establish cooperation and a common understanding of problems and potential solutions

• The survey intends to gauge the views of pupils, teachers (and VGS librarians) on IL skills in high school…

• …and form part of a funding bid (-s)

Our aims• Is there a need for better collaboration?• What do VGS pupils, student teachers, VGS teachers want/need? • Obtain funding to develop better offers for our local high schools

The Oslo Science library and VGS

Information literacy

The [LILAC] conference defines information literacy as: “the ability to find, use, evaluate and communicate information.”

Science literacy

Welborn and Kanar (2000) emphasise “the ability to access information of a scientific nature and to analyze it critically.”

Dat

a gr

owth

Time

can teach can’t teach

is o

ur

job

Isn

’t o

ur

job

*Limitations

*presently

Studentteachers

High school teachers

High school librarians

High school pupils

• Teach-the-teacher• Seek funding

UK IL training (2006): - pupils (60%)- teachers (28%)- school librarians (16%)

can teach can’t teach

is o

ur

job

Isn

’t o

ur

job

*Limitations

*presently

The survey– 15 year old pupils applying for

VGS (10 grade)– VGS students – VGS student teachers – VGS teachers (in progress)– VGS librarians (starts today)

Studentteachers

High school teachers

High school librarians

High school students

Questions1. I can find loads of information on any subject you’d like2. I can tell correct information I find from incorrect information3. I am better than my peers at finding and evaluating information4. I know everything I need to know about finding and evaluating

information5. School has taught me how to find and evaluate information

1=totally wrong5= totally right

Res

pons

e (a

vera

ge)

Question nr

Are you information literate?

1=totally wrong5= totally right

Questions1. The higher up the hits are on the Google list, the more reliable they are.2. Only 1 of the 23 top hits was negative, so the method most likely works.3. I want to visit the sites before passing judgment - I can determine the

quality of the information from the quality of texts and figures. 4. This search gives no information about the scientific basis for the method.

Res

pons

e (a

vera

ge)

Question nr

Are you information literate?

=> Crystal healing

Were given a talk on information and science literacy.• Why does society fund research?• Science, opinion and pseudoscience; how can you tell them apart?• Google – what you get, and what you don’t get…• Evaluation – science in media and on the net.

Student teachers and information literacy

Resp

onse

(ave

rage

)

Question nr

Questions1) I’ve never really thought about

IL.

2) It’s important to stress IL skills in high school.

3) There’s enough stress put on IL in high school

4) I have enough IL skills to teach IL in high school

5) I expect to have enough IL skills to teach the subject in high school when I graduate

1=totally wrong5= totally right

[n=16]

Science student teachers…

1. Additional IL schooling is important for teachers2. IL education for student teachers is important3. Access to scientific databases is important for VGS teachers4. Access to scientific databases is important for VGS pupils5. An IL network for science teachers is important 6. The University Library should develop material for IL teaching in

VGS7. Today's lecture on IL was relevant for my education.

1=totally wrong5= totally right

Res

pons

e (a

vera

ge)

Question nr

Science student teachers…

[n=16]

1. It’s important to stress IL in high school

2. There’s enough stress put on IL in high school

Very preliminary (at this point n=5)

Science teachers…

1=totally wrong5= totally right

Res

pons

e (a

vera

ge)

Question nr

1. The pupils are proficient at evaluating the reliability of information from different sources.

2. The students rate themselves as proficient at evaluating the reliability of information from different sources.

Science teachers…

1=totally wrong5= totally right

Res

pons

e (a

vera

ge)

Question nr

1. IL teaching should be distinct from subject teaching

2. IL teaching should be integrated into subject teaching

Science teachers…

1=totally wrong5= totally right

Res

pons

e (a

vera

ge)

Question nr

1. Additional IL schooling is important for teachers

2. A network for science teachers in IL would be important

3. Access to scientific databases for VGS students is important

4. Access to scientific databases for VGS teachers is important

Science teachers…

1=totally wrong5= totally right

Res

pons

e (a

vera

ge)

Question nr

1. Overestimation of ones own IL capabilities2. Not enough IL taught in high school3. Student teachers lack the IL skills required, but expect to be taught

these skills at the university!4. IL schooling, an IL network and access to scientific databases and

material is on the wish list.

Half way survey summary

• We have established cooperation with Dept. of Teacher Education and high schools

• Preliminary survey results indicate need for better IL training, supported by student teachers and high school teachers

The present…

• Proposals for a more formalised collaboration with the Dept. of Teacher Education and high schools include– Teach-the-teacher: “IL for high school teaching” for teaching students– Teach-the-teacher: additional IL schooling for hihg school teachers– Build IL component in the Network for University schools

(collaborative effort w. faculty and the Network for University schools)– Set up an “menu” of offers for VGS - “educate the buyer”– Make searching and e-material available– Build relations with VGS libraries

• The Dept. of Teacher Education and VGS have agreed to support a bid for funding

The near (?) future…

go ahead

explore licensing deals

seek funding

go ahead

let’s get to work!

ReferencesLonsdale, R., and Armstrong, C. 2006. Role of the university library in supporting information literacy in U.K. secondary schools. Aslib Proceedings . 58 (6). 553-569.

OECD, 2012. PISA 2012 Results in Focus. Accessed 21-04-2014 http://www.oecd.org/pisa/keyfindings/pisa-2012-results.htm

Rockman, I. 2004. Successful strategies for integrating information literacy into the curriculum. In integrating information literacy into the higher education curriculum: Practical models for transformation, ed. I. Rockman and Associates. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Welborn, V., and Kanar, B. 2000. Building websites for science literacy. Issues in Science and Technology Librarianship 25. Accessed 21-04-2014. http://www.istl.org/00-winter/article2.html

AcknowledgementsPictures provided by Fredrik Juell, Live K Håndlykken and others.Thanks to all the students and teachers have contributed to the survey.