Information Literacy: Challenges at the school level

James Henri UPH Session 5Associate ProfessorFaculty of EducationThe University of Hong Konghttp://www.cite.hku.hk/people/jhenri/

The Big Picture• If students are to understand that

information literacy has value, it must reach them not as assignments, lists of rules, and checklists, but as enthralling work.

• If information literacy is to stick for a lifetime, information literacy must be a transformational process that compels students past twilight, imbued with a feeling of investigating something enormous!

After: Abilock, D. (2004)

More Big PictureOur task is to teach our students the rigorous, analytical, sweaty work of closely examining an argument, questioning our thinking patterns, ferreting out inconsistencies—fundamentals of critical thinking.

Rather than teach the skill, if we teach to transfer that skill—in using a library, recognizing bias, or analyzing an argument—from one setting or task to another, students recognize that information literacy is not a school task but a lifetime habit of mind—of evaluating and using information for personal, social, or global purposes.Abilock, D. (2004)

Information Literacy: Barriers• Information skills in isolation• Teacher Librarians in isolation• Teachers in isolation

Information Literacy: Barriers• Focus on knowledge not on

learning & understanding (photocopy learning)

• Focus on the learning not on the learner

• Textbook/Testing focus• Classroom isolation• Learning for school, not learning

for life• Curriculum focus on content

Information Literacy: Barriers• Lack of planning time• Unimaginative time tables• Focus on the tools not the

transformation• Home work (for mum)• Lack of information policy

development

Information Literacy: Barriers

• Lack of whole school IL focus• Inadequate reporting about

the learner and progress towards IL

• Inadequate attention to library support staff

• Inadequate funding for library collection & services

Focus on students rather than focus on teachers and the culture of the workplace

IL is about Partnership

Partnership relies on a shared:

• Vision • Commitment• Capability• Capacity• Focus

What is the vision?

• Is there a shared understanding of the IL concept?

• How robust is that concept?

What is the vision?

• Scenario 1 Information literacy is about equipping students to search efficiently.

• Scenario 2 Information literacy is about information mastery.

What is the commitment?

• Is it reasonable to assume this might be a responsibility associated with delivery of information services?

• Is it reasonable to assume that the teachers will frame questions that avoid ‘copy and paste’ discoveries?

Scenario 1 Information literacy is about equipping students to search efficiently.

What is the commitment?

• Are librarians and teachers masters at this?

• Is it reasonable to assume that it is part of the mandate of the library?

• If this is delivered by the library what drives students to take it seriously?

• Should librarians also instruct the teachers? What pressure would be needed?

Scenario 1 Information literacy is about equipping students to search efficiently.

What is the commitment?

• How is progress in subject content mastery measured & reported?

• How is progress in information mastery measured & reported?

What is the capability?

• Are teachers information literate?

• Yes: What is their role in this? What is the librarians role in this? How do they ensure synergy?

Scenario 2 Information literacy is about information mastery.

What is the capability?

• Are teachers information literate?

• No: What can be done?

1. Pre-service education

2. Tertiary Teaching Certificate

3. Continuing Professional Development (by whom?)

4. Integrated curriculum

5. Essential Learning

Scenario 2 Information literacy is about information mastery.

What is the capability?

• Are librarians information literate?

• No: What can be done?

1. Pre-service education

2. Tertiary Teaching Certificate

3. Continuing Professional Development (by whom?)

4. Integrated curriculum

5. Essential Learning

Scenario 2 Information literacy is about information mastery.

What is the capability?

• Are teachers information literate? • Are librarians information literate?

• YES

• So what will be the respective responsibilities?

Scenario 2 Information literacy is about information mastery.

What is the capability?

• Partnership possibilities

Henri, J. (1992) Collaborative teaching and learning: Wagga Wagga, NSW: CIS.

Teacher Librarian

Subject Teachers

Students

Frame a Curricular Unit

•What do we want to learn?•Who is the audience?•What will we create?•How, when, and with what?•What new skills are needed?•How will the learning be assessed and rewarded?

•What is already known?•What don’t we want learned?

Sharing and recording responsibility for learning

Implementation

Evaluation

Principal approval & support

Time for Planning

Specialist Teachers

The Planning Model

What is the capacity?

• How do librarians add this to their workload?

• Is it reasonable to assume that there are things librarians can stop doing?

• Will it work if teachers are left out of the loop? (What drives learning at your place?)

Scenario 1 Information literacy is about equipping students to search efficiently.

What is the capacity?

• Are the policies and structures in place to support this?

• Are there clear role demarcations?

•Is the destination clear?

Scenario 2 Information literacy is about information mastery.

What is the focus?

1.The teachers

The focus must be on making certain those who deliver learning are equipped to create learning opportunities that enable a coordinated and sustained information literacy education.

What is the focus?

1.The teachers

How do you gain access to them?

What is the focus?

2. Assessment

The focus must be on making certain that mastery of information is rewarded.

Teachers Rule!

• No matter how well students make use of information to learn, no matter how skillful they are as information users the design of learning will fall upon the teachers. If the teachers are not skillful information users they will not design learning experiences that enhance information literacy in a planned and systematic way.

Focus Questions• Who are currently using the schools information

services?

• Do the teachers spend their spare time in the library or using information services to enhance their teaching and student learning?

• Do teachers spend considerable time collaborating

with the teacher librarian to select and evaluate information resources?

• Do teachers fight for a bigger slice of the budget for information services?

• Does the teacher librarian offer a sustained program of professional development for teachers to foster their mastery of the processes of becoming informed?

Focus Questions• Is the teacher librarian providing information

leadership in terms of information policy development and knowledge management issues?

• Does the teacher librarian provide input into curriculum development that highlights the need for constant integration of learning and information processing?

• Does the school provide information services that are able to meet the decision making needs of the school leadership?

• Or is the focus of information services focused on the students with only a passing thought being given to the needs of the teachers and the school leadership?

Bibliography

Abilock, D. (2004) Information Literacy From Prehistory to K–20: A New Definition. Knowledge Quest, 32(4), March/April 2004 (pp. 9-10)

http://www.ala.org/ala/aasl/aaslpubsandjournals/kqweb/kqarchives/vol32/32n4abilock.pdf

Farmer, L. and Henri, J. (2008). Information literacy assessment. Lanham, ML: Scarecrow press

Fox, R., & Henri, J. (2005). Understanding teacher mindsets: IT and change in Hong Kong schools. Educational Technology and Society, 8(2), 161-169.

Henri J. (2004). Building an information literate school community: Putting teachers first. ASLA Online I: Constructing Communities of Learning and Literacy Conference 2004. Retrieved from http://www.asla.org.au/online/il_abstracts.htm.

Henri, J. (2006). Learning and assessing in the information literate school: A social constructivist perspective. In K. Bonanno and P. Nibbs (Eds.). Visions of learning: ASLA Online II conference proceedings, Australian School Library Association, Zillmere, Australia (pp. 1-10).

Bibliography

Henri, J. (2005). Mapping the information literate school community. Retrieved from http://www.cite.hku.hk/people/jhenri/doc/MappingtheInformationLiterateSchoolCommunity.pdf

Henri, J. (2005). What is an information literate school community and what are the implications for teacher librarians? Retrieved from http://www.cite.hku.hk/people/jhenri/doc/InformationLiterateSchoolCommunity.pdf

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

Kong, S.C., Henri, J., Lee, F.L. & Li, S.C. (2005). A study on the development of an information literacy framework for Hong Kong students. Unpublished Research Report. Retrieved from http://www.cite.hku.hk/people/jhenri/doc/IL-Report.pdf