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IMPLEMENTATION OF INFORMATION LITERACY IN SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN
ENGLAND AND IN FRANCE
A study submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Masters
of Arts in Librarianship
at
THE UNIVERSITY OF SHEFFIELD
by
ANNE-‐LISE ROBIN
September 2011
2
Abstract
Background
The literature reveals a single definition of Information Literacy in both English and
French has not been reached while French Information professionals still debate the
nature of Information Literacy. Information Literacy does not appear to have clear
space in schools, as there are discrepancies between official guidance and practical
implementation. School librarians despite having the relevant knowledge are not
always in charge of Information Literacy teaching. Furthermore, there is no clear
pedagogy for teaching in both countries while examples of curricula are numerous.
Aims
This study aimed to identify reported practice of teaching Information Literacy in
France and in England in order to provide an accurate picture. It was also aimed to
make recommendations could be made as to how both countries could learn from
each other's example.
Methods
A literature review was first carried out and five questions stemming from the
literature highlighted. Interview questions were then developed. A sample of eight
school librarians was interviewed in order to provide qualitative data on Information
Literacy teaching. Data was analysed in categories using a framework of questions
derived from the literature review.
Results
Results provided a strikingly different picture from what was highlighted in the
literature review. France and England have opposite Information Literacy teaching
practices. France seems to have good standards of Information Literacy teaching
despite little input from the Government. In England, most librarians seemed unsure
about Information Literacy and its teaching; little support from senior management
was observed.
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Conclusions
Both governments and educational agencies need to make guidance clear in order to
lead school librarians. English schools' senior management need to be made aware
of Information Literacy and key issues to better implement curricula. European
initiatives and directives would help harmonize teaching over Europe and provide
clear definitions and recommendations.
A hypothesis of conditions for standard Information Literacy was produced on these
conclusions and the next stage in investigating would be to verify and rank these
conditions in order to produce recommendation to relevant actors.
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Acknowledgments
I would like to thank all school librarians in both England and France for agreeing to
take some time to answer my questions and remaining available for my further
questions.
A special thanks goes to my supervisor Sheila Webber whose guidance and kind
humour at my occasional language mistakes helped me remain cheerful during
stressful times.
Je voudrais aussi remercier tout particulierement Françoise Chapron pour son aide
inestimable et ses talents d'organisatrices.
Tom Harding for being here for me when I need it and believing in me in everything I
achieve.
A mes parents pour leur support mental tout aussi bien que materiel mais aussi pour
leur amour et leurs encouragements.
Et aussi a mes amis Marie, Giovanni et Clement pour me faire oublier ma condition
d'etudiante pendant dix jours merveilleux.
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Table of contents
1. INTRODUCTION 9
1.1 BACKGROUND 9
1.2 GENERAL INTRODUCTION 10
1.3 STRUCTURE OF SCHOOLING SYSTEM IN ENGLAND AND FRANCE 11
1.3.1 ENGLAND 11
1.3.2 FRANCE 12
1.3.3 SCHOOL YEARS AND AGES EQUIVALENCE 13
1.4 RESEARCH AIMS AND OBJECTIVES 14
2. LITERATURE REVIEW 15
2.1 INTRODUCTION 15
2.2 DEFINITION(S) OF INFORMATION LITERACY 17
2.3 THE PLACE OF INFORMATION LITERACY IN SCHOOLS 21
2.4 KEY ROLE IN INFORMATION LITERACY TEACHING 26
2.5 EDUCATION OF SCHOOL LIBRARIANS 31
2.6 PEDAGOGY FOR TEACHING INFORMATION LITERACY 34
2.7 INFORMATION LITERACY MODELS AND CURRICULA 36
2.8 LITERATURE REVIEW CONCLUSIONS 38
3. METHODOLOGY 39
3.1 LITERATURE REVIEW 40
3.2 DATA COLLECTION 41
3.3 SAMPLE 43
3.4 INTERVIEW QUESTIONS 46
3.5 INTERVIEWS 51
3.5.1 PRACTICALITIES 51
3.5.2 LIMITATIONS 52
3.6 POTENTIAL BIAS 53
3.7 DATA ANALYSIS 54
4. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION 55
4.1 DEFINING INFORMATION LITERACY 55
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4.1.1 FRANCE 55
4.1.2 ENGLAND 57
4.1.3 COMPARISON 58
4.2 INFORMATION LITERACY IN A SCHOOL CONTEXT 60
4.2.1 FRANCE 60
4.2.2 ENGLAND 62
4.2.3 COMPARISON 64
4.3 ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES 65
4.3.1 FRANCE 65
4.3.2 ENGLAND 66
4.3.3 COMPARISON 67
4.4 TRAINING AND BACKGROUND 69
4.4.1 FRANCE 69
4.4.2 ENGLAND 70
4.4.3 COMPARISON 71
4.5 CURRICULUM AND LITERATURE 72
4.5.1 FRANCE 72
4.5.2 ENGLAND 74
4.5.3 COMPARISON 77
5. CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS 78
5.1 INFORMATION LITERACY IN FRANCE 79
5.2 INFORMATION LITERACY IN ENGLAND 79
5.3 HYPOTHESIS FOR CONSISTENT INFORMATION LITERACY TEACHING 81
5.4 WHAT IS THE ACTUAL DEFINITION OF INFORMATION LITERACY USED BY SCHOOL
LIBRARIANS? 82
5.5 WHAT IS THE PLACE OF INFORMATION LITERACY IN SECONDARY SCHOOLS? 83
5.6 WHAT ARE THE KEY ACTORS TEACHING INFORMATION LITERACY? 84
5.7 DOES THE EDUCATION OF SCHOOL LIBRARIANS INFLUENCE THEIR TEACHING? 85
5.8 WHAT ARE CONCRETE EXAMPLES OF INFORMATION LITERACY CURRICULUM AND WHAT ARE
THEY BASED ON? 86
5.9 WHERE THE AIMS AND OBJECTIVES MET? 87
5.10 RECOMMENDATIONS FOR FURTHER RESEARCH 89
5.11 RECOMMENDATIONS FOR MUTUAL IMPROVEMENT 90
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5.12 FINAL CONCLUSION 92
6. REFERENCES 93
7. APPENDIXES 107
7.1 APPENDIX 1: ETHICS APPROVAL FORMS 107
7.1.1 ENGLAND 107
7.1.2 FRANCE 108
7. 2 APPENDIX 2: EMAIL REQUEST 111
7.2.1 ENGLAND 111
7.2.2 FRANCE 112
7.3 APPENDIX 3: INITIAL QUESTIONNAIRE PILOTED BY MA STUDENTS 113
7.4 APPENDIX 4: REJECTED QUESTIONS 114
7.5 APPENDIX 5: INFORMATION BROCHURES 115
7.5.1 ENGLAND 115
7.5.2 FRANCE 119
7.6 APPENDIX 6: INTERVIEWS 123
7.6.1 ENGLAND 123
7.6.1.1 Interview with E1, Library Manager in Leicester on the 11th of May 2011. 123
7.6.1.2 Interview with E2, Library Manager in Leicester on the 11th of May 2011. 127
7.6.1.3 Interview with E3 MA, Library Manager in Leicester on the 11th of May 2011.
131
7.6.1.4 Interview with E4 BA (Hons) Cert Ed. MCLIP, Learning Centre Manager in
Stockport on the 16th of May 2011. 134
7.6.2 FRANCE 139
7.6.2.1 Entretien avec F1, Professeur-‐Documentaliste a Cormeilles le 12 Avril 2011.
139
7.6.2.2 Entretien email avec F2, Professeur documentaliste a Isneauville 144
7.6.2.3 Entretien avec Angèle F3, Professeur-‐Documentaliste a Saint Etienne du
Rouvray le 15 Avril 2011. 147
7.6.2.4 Entretien avec F4A et F4B, Professeurs-‐Documentalistes au Havre le 15 Avril
2011. 153
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1. Introduction
1.1 Background
The researcher was born and educated in France. As she was growing up, there
always was a library in her school. When she moved to the United Kingdom in 2006
to start a career in secondary schools, the researcher was surprised to observe
striking differences between school libraries in France and England. Not only were
school libraries in England non-‐compulsory, she observed inconsistencies in terms of
teaching. During the course of the Librarianship Masters, the researcher realised
there did not seem to be a clear and consistent curriculum for Information Literacy
in England. This lead her to consider differences between her country of origin and
England in terms of the status of school libraries, Information Literacy and how it is
taught.
Throughout this dissertation, French documents are cited in French and English
translations provided in footnotes. This allows the reader to gain a depth of meaning
often not represented literally by translations.
The introduction is threefold, starting with a general introduction giving context and
scope to the research. The second part of the introduction is an explanation of
structure of schooling system in France and England, allowing the reader to gain
knowledge of school structure. Finally research aims and objectives are outlined and
detailed.
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1.2 General introduction
This research project will explore the nature of Information Literacy teaching in
England and France. In particular the research focuses on secondary schools, on
positive and negative factors affecting teaching in both countries and how those
could be remedied.
In England, the role of school librarians has recently been brought to the forefront by
CILIP. “ The current National Curriculum would be improved if explicitly enabled and
required key professionals such as school librarians to participate in the delivery of
the curriculum’s content and skills. One key area that needs to be included is
Information Literacy” (CILIP, 2011).
In a similar document, Durpaire (2004) states “L’appel à des textes de cadrage
nationaux est d’autant plus vif que le silence de l’institution a duré trop longtemps
pour les documentalistes1.”
Without clear national guidance on how to teach Information Literacy, how can
French and English school librarians deliver complete and consistent training?
Brabazon (2008) states, “It is very easy to complain about a lack of information
literacy […]. It is much more difficult to intervene, to create spaces for thinking,
reading and reflection.”
It is important to keep other factors in mind when investigating Information Literacy
teaching such as the influence of the status of school libraries and education of
school librarians in both countries.
In both countries, it seems that there is a lack of interest and research on
Information Literacy in secondary schools. This study is closing a gap in the literature
and enriching it by providing an interesting cross-‐country angle. This research could
eventually be a manifesto for improved Information Literacy teaching in both
countries.
1 The need for national directives for school librarians is all the more dire that silence from the government has last for too long.
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1.3 Structure of schooling system in England and France
1.3.1 England
The Department for Education and the Department for Business, Innovation and
Skills oversee the British educational system. Across the country, local
authorities implement policies. The English educational system is usually divided in
three stages but sometimes split internally depending on schools and local
authorities (Royal Geographical Society, 2008).
-‐ Primary education
-‐ Secondary education
-‐ Sixth Form (further education)
A National Curriculum was first introduced in 1992 compulsory until sixteen and
setting standards for all schools across the country. It includes core subjects: English,
mathematics and science as well as music, modern foreign languages and citizenship
for example (British Council, 2011).
At sixteen, English students take major examinations in the form of GCSEs. Students
who want to pursue further education go to sixth form colleges to take A-‐levels at
eighteen, allowing them to enter university.
Teachers and school librarians are employed by local authorities and are therefore
more sensitive to cuts and dismissal that their French counterparts. School libraries,
being non-‐compulsory, and in the current financial climate, are currently under
threat (Ward, 2011).
Williams et al. (2001) highlight discrepancies in provision and missions in British
school libraries “implications for funding provided for and distributed between
services at local authority level .The provision of school library services in England is
already varied across the authorities and the need to justify and keep a tight control
on expenditure, establishes a need to clarify the important ingredients and models
of school library”.
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There are differences in structure between Scottish, Welsh and English schools. The
system described here is relevant to English schools only, as this is the focus of this
research.
1.3.2 France
French education is overseen nationally by le Ministère de l'Education nationale, de
l'Enseignement supérieur et de la recherche2. At local level, regions or Académies
takes responsibility for implementing policies. All teachers and school librarians are
employed by the state as civil servants after completion of a competitive
examination, the CAPES3 and Agregation for higher-‐level teachers. The curriculum is
the same nationally for public and private schools and is based on seven universal
competencies (Ministère de l’Education Nationale, 2010a). The French educational
system is divided in three stages:
-‐ enseignement primaire (primary education)
-‐ enseignement secondaire (secondary education)
-‐ collège for the first four years
-‐ lycée for the next three years
-‐ enseignement superieur (higher education)
Two national examinations are to be taken for students aged fourteen, DNB4 and
aged eighteen, le baccalaureat. School libraries were created in the second half of
the 19th century in secondary schools. Since the late 1960s school libraries have been
called Centre de Documentation et d’Information, CDI, highlighting the dual mission
of libraries to provide reading enjoyment as well as a place for research. CDI are
compulsory in all secondary schools since 1989. The core mission of CDI is three-‐fold:
cultural, informative and pedagogical (Pallier, 2010).
2 Ministry for National Education, Higher Education and Research 3 Certificat d’Aptitude au Professorat de l’Enseignement du Second Degré (Secondary Teaching Aptitude Certificate) 4 Diplome National du Brevet (Certificate of General Education)
13
1.3.3 School years and ages equivalence
France England Age
Sixieme Year 7 Key Stage 3 11
Cinquieme Year 8 12
Quatrieme Year 9 13
Troisieme Year 10 Key Stage 4 14
Seconde Year 11 15
Premiere Year 12 Sixth form 16
Terminale Year 13 17
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1.4 Research aims and objectives
The purpose of this research is to compare how secondary schools in France and
England teach Information Literacy, issues and how it could be improved.
The research has five aims:
Aim 1: To investigate what literature informs information literacy teaching.
Aim 2: To examine how Information Literacy is taught in secondary schools in France
and in England.
Aim 3: To discover differences between the literature and practical teaching.
Aim 4: To recommend how both countries could improve and learn from each other.
Five objectives have been drawn to satisfy the above aims:
Objective 1: To carry out a literature review around relevant issues to provide a
theoretical background to the research.
Objective 2: To investigate current teaching by interviewing and observing a small
sample of librarians in the UK and teacher librarians in France.
Objective 3: To analyse data gathered during interviews and observations. This will
provide a partial picture of practical implementation as well as a comparison the
literature initially reviewed.
Objective 4: To use qualitative data gathered to answer questions stemming from
the literature review.
Objective 5: To use suggestions gathered during interviews, the literature review and
the researcher’s knowledge in order to produce a set of relevant recommendations.
At the end of the study, the researcher will have shown the current state of
Information Literacy teaching for a sample of school librarians, how Information
Literacy teaching could be improved in both France and England.
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2. Literature Review
2.1 Introduction
The following literature review will explore topics surrounding Information Literacy
in schools. This literature review only focuses on the French and English situation.
For the purpose of this dissertation, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland have not
been included, focusing on the English territory instead. In the first part of the
literature review, both French and English literature are analysed separately in order
to highlight cultural exceptions. In the rest of the work, both French and English
documents are discussed and synthesised on order to show parallels or differences.
References always include a French and an English example in order to bring balance
and coherence to arguments. All quotes in French have been translated directly by
the researcher.
To gain a thorough understanding these issues, this chapter has been split in five
parts.
-‐ The first part of the literature review aims at understanding the concepts and
definitions behind the term Information Literacy.
-‐ The second part of the literature review will focus on the place of
Information Literacy in schools. Both French and English government policies
and curricula are examined in order to bring a clear picture of national
requirements. Information Literacy and research skills will be differentiated
and needs of new generations highlighted. Finally the concept of Information
Literate schools will be defined.
-‐ In the third part, the literature is explored in order to determine what the
responsibilities of school librarians and teachers are in terms of subject
knowledge and in terms of teaching Information Literacy.
-‐ The fourth part determines education and training required of school
librarians in both countries.
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-‐ The fifth part of the literature review will indicate how Information Literacy is
taught in terms of pedagogy and methodology.
-‐ The sixth and final part will focus on Information Literacy models and
curricula and how they are used to suit individual schools’ purposes.
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2.2 Definition(s) of Information Literacy
Information Literacy is a concept first developed by Paul G. Zurkowski (1974), as a
requisite in society and essential to citizenship. Defining what Information Literacy is,
is a task widely recognised as intricate (Campbell, 2004). Chevillotte (2005) reports
disputes over the term, over the whole world.
Information is a floating definition, all the more difficult to grasp as it is ever
changing (Breivik and Gee, 1989) and especially in the digital age (Maury, 2008).
Humes (1999) worries that too often Information Literacy is confused with Library
Literacy or Computer Literacy. However what experts all agree on is that Information
Literacy is an essential skill for everybody (UNESCO, 2008 ; ALA, 1989).
In England, the early definition proposed by the Amercian Library Assocation (1989),
recognising Information Literacy as an essential skill used to be dominant “ 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 “
CILIP ‘s definition (2004a) is now taking over and widely used “knowing when and
why you need information, where to find it, and how to evaluate, use and
communicate it in an ethical manner”.
In France, translation of Information Literacy is ambiguous (Chevillotte, 2005 ;
Virkus, 2003) not only because of translation issues but also underlying implications
and cultural exceptions. Chevillotte (2005 : 16) summarises the problem “la
traduction est difficile car il repose sur des présupposés culturels peu exportables5”.
Endrizzi (2006) adds that there is no straightforward definition of literacy in French.
It seems that most texts on Information Literacy rely on translations of fundamental
texts in English (Chevillotte, 2005) such as Shapiro and Hughes (1996), Bruce (1997)
or the ALA (1989). Chevillotte notes that efforts to translate both term and definition
of Information Literacy are wasted, as even the English-‐speaking world is undecided
and generally getting lost in debates and literature reviews. Le Deuff (2007) goes as
far as wondering if the term really needs translating.
5 Translation is difficult as it relies on cultural assumptions
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French specialists offer different translations of Information Literacy but “Maitrise de
l’Information”, and “Culture de l’Information” both seem to be adopted by
information professionals.
Panijel-‐Bonvalot (2005 : 17) defines Maitrise de l’Information as “un ensemble de
compétences intellectuelles et instrumentales permettant, dans un objectif de
connaissance, de mettre en œuvre un processus de collecte, d’évaluation, de
traitement, de production et de communication de l’information6.”
All of the previous definitions emphasize Information Literacy as a set of skills.
Maury (2009a) emphasizes the current shift from skill to culture. The shift also aims
at producing an “ information literate person, self-‐ and socially conscious being,
rather than a simple repository of skills and knowledge». (Johnston and Webber,
2006 : 112). This definition closely correlates the French conception of “culture de
l’information” as defined by Rocher (1968 : 78) as“ everything a person needs to
know to live in a particular society”.
However, “Culture de l’Information” is controversial as it denotes more than
teaching skills but rather an embedded culture into the curriculum (Chevillotte,
2005).
For the purpose of the study, the researcher will use the terms “Maitrise de
l’Information”, as defined by the declaration of Alexandrie (IFLA, 2005) and
“Information Literacy” as they both appear to be the most agreed upon in England
and France.
A common denominator to all of these definitions is the idea of lifelong learning
(Ministère de l’Education Nationale, 2010b) and citizenship (Owens, 1976 ;
Chevillotte, 2005 ; Lehmans, 2007 ; UNESCO, 2008 ; Maury, 2009b).
Professionals feel frustrated trying to find a clear and universal definition of
Information Literacy and translating it into an educational context “the term is not 6 A set of cognitive skills and instruments allowing the acquisition of knowledge, through the process of collecting, evaluating, analysing, producing and communicating information.
19
for a lack of a clear definition but the absence of a clear line of action and the will
and practical chance to implement it. “ (Owusu-‐Ansah, 2003 : 220). As a result,
Maury (2007) notes that defintions in both England and in France fail to translate in
schools (Maury, 2007). Langford (1999 : 59) despairs ‘What is it I am trying to
understand, let alone teach?’
Many articles focus on the definition of Information Literacy as a starting point
leading to a reflexion on how it should be taught in secondary school.
Conceptions of Information Literacy
Some definitions highlighted above seem to summarise Information Literacy as a list
of skills essential to become information literate (Webber and Johnston, 2000).
Conceptions of Information Literacy, on the other hand, relate to personal
experiences and perceptions of Information Literacy.
Bruce (1997) describes seven faces of Information Literacy in which every category
relates to a particular vision for example information retrieval or information
location. Webber and Johnston (2000) show a progression of conceptions as
Information Literacy learning occurs.
Webber et al. (2005) study conceptions of Information Literacy in academic
departments showing for example the difference in the nature of sources between
English and Marketing and therefor also in conceptions of Information Literacy.
These are close to the conceptions defined by Le Deuff (2009)“conception
economique”, “conception bibliotheque” and “conception citoyenne”.
These studies are however relating to the higher education sector and do not
automatically apply to secondary schools.
Williams and Wavell (2006a) investigated secondary schools’ teachers conceptions
of Information Literacy: finding information, linguistic understanding, making
meaning, skills and critical awareness. Conceptions were based on feelings and
personal experience. However this study relates to the United Kingdom so it does
not pinpoint England and it does not involve school librarians. There is a gap in the
20
literature for studies on conceptions of Information Literacy from school librarians’
point of view.
In both France and England, Information Literacy is a complex term that does not
translate clearly from the professional literature to educational documents.
Information Literacy is seen either as a concept or set of skills. Research agrees on
Information Literacy being a skill for life and essential to being a good citizen.
Conceptions of Information Literacy have been observed and theories developed
but so far only apply to the higher education and professional sector.
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2.3 The place of Information Literacy in schools
In both France and England, Information Literacy is considered vital for individuals
“Information Literacy is a survival skill in the Information Age” (ALA, 1989)“ and
crucial for future generations (Candy, 1993 ; Spitzer et al., 1998 ; Bernhard, 1998 ;
Eisenberg et al., 2004). Nowadays, Information Literacy is defined as one of the basic
student needs with reading, technological, oral literacy, numeracy, lifelong-‐learning
(Barrett, 2010).
However, research shows the emphasis in the research literature on Information
Literacy seems to be on higher education (Foresight ICM Panel, 2000 ; Merchant and
Hepworth, 2002).
In the curriculum
Over the last decade, curricula and student expectations have been changing rapidly
(Maury, 2009b) and educational boards have been compelled to adapt.
Key French and English governmental documents define the place of Information
Literacy in education.
In England, CILIP (2002) states that the UK Government’s Start with the Child
initiative implies that “participation in the information society requires the citizen to
be information literate”. Tredinnick (2008) defines being Information literate as
independence and citizenship “It is not enough to know how to select, evaluate,
have a fair use of information and contribute positively to the community, pupils
need also to control their information world, in order to work independently”.
Similarly, in 2009, the French government expected young adults to “pouvoir se pré-‐
parer à devenir étudiant en développant le travail personnel autonome, la capacité
de recherche documentaire et la maîtrise du travail en groupe7 » (Ministère de
l’Education Nationale, 2009 : 2).
This highlights there is still is a paradox between the message given by the Ministère
de l’Education Nationale and the curriculum (Maury, 2008) as the necessity of
7 Prepare to become students by being competent in working autonomously, finding information and working as part of a team.
22
teaching Information Literacy is only partially translated in schools. Both Maury
(2007) and Ofsted (2006a) judge the provision for Information Literacy in school
inadequate.
In a key document, PACIFI8 released by the Ministère de l’Education Nationale
(2010b), it is acknowledged that despite there being mentions of Information
Literacy in some subject curricula, teachers are not acting on them.” Aujourd’hui,
l’inspection générale constate que la culture de l’information n’est pas suffisamment
installée dans les pratiques pédagogiques, éducatives et culturelles du système
éducatif français alors qu’elle apparaît pourtant dans la quasi-‐totalité des
disciplines.[...] Actuellement, les formations manquent souvent de coherence 9“
(Ministère de l’Education Nationale, 2010b: 4). In both countries, despite a clear
recognition of the importance of Information Literacy, there is no clear evidence of
successful implementation in education.
Research skills and the new generation
Information Literacy seems a little-‐known subject in schools outside the library
community. In a document aimed at headteachers Ofsted (2006b) defines
Information Literacy and its implementation in schools in a footnote. French
researchers worry that Information Literacy is sometimes used as an umbrella term
for research skills in some schools (Le Deuff, 2007 ; Maury, 2009b). From personal
experience of working in English schools, the researcher recognises Information
Literacy is often confused with research skills as well.
In England, Kasowitz-‐Scheer and Pasqualoni (2002) identify that Information Literacy
is not merely library skills or information skills but also includes critical and analytical
thinking skills. Mokhtar et al. (2007) worry that this last skill, analysing information,
is often forgotten and therefore fail to make students autonomous learners.
8 Parcours de Formation à la Culture de l'Information, pathway to education in Information literacy 9 “As of today, the general inspection [Ofsted] admits that Information Literacy is not settled in the French education system despite being, mentioned in almost every curriculum. […] Training lack coherence.”
23
For French experts, being able to use Internet is a pre requisite just like reading and
writing (Genrationcyb.net, 2006a). Queau (1997 : 3) worries “Dorénavant, être
capable de lire fonctionnellement un texte ne suffit plus 10.” Information Literacy is
essential as it is part of a web culture brought to school by students (Maury, 2009a)
and at risk of “info-‐pollution11” (Sutter, 1998) or information obesity12 (Whitworth,
2009 ; Thiebaut, 2005).
In England, Merchant and Hepworth (2002) echo this worry. Students feel experts in
the field of searching for information but lack critical thinking. The most common
assumption about information is that it is cheap and easy to find online (Brabazon,
2008). Despite the new generation of students being proficient in finding
information, they do not relate information to a need (Limberg et al., 2008).
The Information literate school
Developing resources to teach Information Literacy is complex and time consuming.
School libraries running Information Literacy lessons are a minority in both countries
(Brabazon, 2008 ; OFSTED, 2006a). Henri (2000) state that schools can be regarded
as committed to Information Literacy when it is a priority on its agenda, in policies,
strategies and vision. McKenzie (1998) defines pre-‐requisites of the Information
literate school as:
-‐ A clear curriculum documents stating expectations and progress.
-‐ A strong learning community joining information and ICT literacy.
-‐ Qualified teacher librarians teaching their skills and expertise to both
students and staff.
-‐ School libraries focusing on delivering information and teaching students
autonomy in retrieving it.
10 From now on, being literate is not enough anymore 11 Sutter (1998) defines Infopollution misinformation deterring with the true nature of information. 12 Information obesity is a failure to turn information into knowledge, and thus use it to sustain our minds, bodies, lives and communities. (Whitworth, 2009 : 1)
24
In England, Abdullah (2008) states that a key factor to teaching Information Literacy
is to equip schools with ICT facilities. However, in France, Brabazon (2008) worries
more and more libraries are turned into computer suites and rebranded Learning
Resources Centre, just to “fit in”. Chapron (2006) reports that often, in France,
Information Literacy teaching focuses on using new technologies as opposed to
mastering information from new technologies. Between England and France, a fine
balance needs to be reached.
In both countries, Information Literacy is a concept hard to transpose into the
classroom (Langford, 1999). Langford (2010) worries that nowadays, in a subject-‐
focused education, it is hard for Information Literacy to find its rightful place in the
curriculum as part of integrated learning. Chapron (2006) notes “La faible légitimité
de l’éducation à l’information et le peu de temps qui lui est consacré par rapport à
d’autres domaines de formation est également à mettre en cause13.”
In France and England, there is an understanding Information Literacy needs to be
taught for a purpose (Abdullah, 2008) as it has been observed that otherwise
students do not apply skills or do not see relevancy (Elmborg, 2003 ; Maury, 2009b).
Lack of putting knowledge in context from students and staff as well as trying to
improve one’s own research process is detrimental (Merchant and Hepworth, 2002;
Shenton and Fitzgibbons, 2009). Assessment is also crucial to measure students’
progress (Tarter et al., 2010).
Both French and English research literature recognises the need to teach
Information Literacy consistently to the new generation, for a purpose, as part of the
curriculum. Worryingly, there is no link between secondary and tertiary education in
terms of Information Literacy in the UK (Crawford and Irving, 2007) or in France
(Chapron, 2003).
13 The lack of legitimacy of Information Literacy and the lack of dedicated time compared to other academic subjects is to blame.
25
Information Literacy skills have changed tremendously in the last ten years. The
new generation faces a wealth of information never experienced before. Teaching
Information Literacy is crucial to help students navigate and become information
literate citizens (Abdullah, 2008). Librarians have an important role to play in
making students think about best pathways to information and prevent natural
reflexes (Brabazon, 2008). Generally, French government literature gives the sense
that it supports the implementation of Information Literacy in schools and that
more is expected of students than in England. However, research shows that
Information Literacy is poorly implemented as guidance is lacking.
English governmental literature shows poor or generalist understanding of
Information Literacy and inconsistent implementation.
26
2.4 Key role in Information Literacy teaching
As mentioned previously, information needs of students are rapidly changing with
the constant emergence of new technologies and their skills are clearly influenced by
family and peers, often leaving gaps in knowledge or misunderstanding (Maury,
2009b). It is crucial students are made aware that they are responsible for becoming
information literate (Humes, 1999) and this implies students making learning
relevant to their needs and preference.
A key challenge for school librarians is to maintain enthusiasm and interest in
Information Literacy while developing skills into a living knowledge (Frisch, 2007).
However, in France Durpaire (2004) states that librarians have an edge. He surveyed
opinions on CDI and found students enjoy them as a community and learning space
but that, on the other hand teachers did not value its use in teaching Information
literacy. Results highlight an emphasis in the common psyche on the place, the
school library, as opposed to the librarian (Chapron, 2003).
The French and English literature is clearly divided over who should be responsible
for teaching Information Literacy.
School librarians
School librarians suffer from a visibility problem (Hartzell, 1997) that is detrimental
to them. Advocacy is key as school librarians are becoming a dying profession; slowly
replaced by part-‐time, untrained staff (Brabazon, 2008). Advocacy is also necessary
to make the public aware of the importance of Information Literacy (Serres, 2007).
Serres (2007) reminds that librarians and especially school librarians are responsible
for teaching Information Literacy to communities. Overall, Lenox and Walker (1993)
define the ultimate goal of librarians as to "teach students to become critical
thinkers, intellectually curious observers, creators, and users of information".
Jones (2007) states it is the natural role of school librarians to teach Information
Literacy as they have the relevant expertise. Despite the lack of presence in the
curriculum and governmental documents in both countries, Humes (1999) also
27
reminds it is the role of librarians to define Information Literacy and standards in
their schools.
It is not an easy shift for librarians to move from giving knowledge to guiding and
advising (Humes, 1999). Teaching requires training and there is an increased
pressure on English school librarians to act as teachers (Brackenbury, 2009).
Generally, this is considerably eased with support from senior management
(Gallagher-‐Hayashi, 2001 ; Tarter et al., 2010). In France, the role of the school
librarians is established as they are known as teacher librarians and have been
specifically trained since 1989 (Endrizzi, 2006 ; FABDEN, 2008). However, the
standard national job description for teacher librarians in France (Ministère de
l’Education Nationale, 1986) dates back from the late eighties. In this document,
new technologies and information literacy teaching are overlooked and
collaboration with teachers is minimal (Fabden 2010) proving the job description
inadequate by today’s standards. A new job description is needed (Apparu, 2009) in
order to instate school librarians in their remits.
There are some expectations of school librarians in France and England from
government documents. DCSF (2004b) expects librarians to support the
development of individual students’ research skills by teaching how to use the
library as a tool for learning and teaching the Literacy Unit on Information Retrieval
(DfEE, 2001). However, this shows a lack of understanding as this expectation
focuses only on print resources held in libraries and fails to meet the meaning of
Information Literacy.
In the PACIFI (Ministère de l’Education Nationale, 2010b : 12) it is recommended
that librarians should:
“-‐ évaluer les acquis en matière de maîtrise de l’information
-‐ aider les élèves dans leurs travaux en autonomie ;
-‐ encourager la créativité des élèves et les initiatives positives ;
-‐ coopérer avec les enseignants disciplinaires et les équipes pédagogiques
28
-‐ coopérer avec les personnels d’éducation pour[…] permettre le développement du
travail autonome des élèves14”
Ten years ago, educational initiatives, directed tasks, TPE15 and Enseignements
d’Exploration16 in lycée as well as IDD17 and Histoire des Arts18 in collège, have been
implemented to give an opportunity to teach Information skills to students and
promote access the school library (Assouline, 2008). These initiatives have proved
extremely successful and CDI are fully used by teachers and classes as part of the
curriculum. On the other hand, in England, staff find it hard to relinquish some of the
curriculum time for school librarians to teach Information Literacy (Tarter et al.,
2010).
Teachers
On the other hand, some information specialists agree teachers should be
responsible for teaching Information Literacy.
In their research on Information Literacy, Merchant and Hepworth (2002) fail to
mention the role of school librarians and their key involvement in making school
information literate. Similarly, Humes (1999) defines teachers as leaders of
Information Literacy initiatives and librarians as assisting in the process.
In England, the Literacy unit on Information Retrieval (DfEE, 2001) is targeted at
teachers and teaching assistants and mentions the role of the librarian as a source of
14 assess skills gained, help students become autonomous, encourage creativity and positive endeavours, cooperate with teachers and departmental team, cooperate with support staff to promote independent study.
15 Travaux Personels Encadres: Cross-‐curricular group research on a given topic with support from teachers and librarians.
16 Explorational Learning 17 Itineraires de Decouverte: Exploratory work on professional careers with support from teachers and librarians.
18 History of Arts
29
information as opposed to a partner.
This is not always true as Jones (2007) relates that, for the purpose of research, an
Information Literacy unit was designed in collaboration with a school librarian.
“Whilst teacher librarians know about information literacy from their perspective,
and are well-‐versed in the methodologies and frameworks that promote and extend
their understanding of information literacy, classroom teachers and principals
generally are not.” Generally, teachers, unless having an interest in the subject, fail
to grasp the breadth of Information Literacy and this results in poor teaching as
reported by Ofsted (2006a).
In France, Ferry (2001) believes teachers should assume solely the responsibility of
teaching Information Literacy “il ne faut pas encourager les documentalistes chargés
d'un bien commun, comme le sont les personnels de direction, les chefs de travaux,
les CPE et non d'un niveau d'élèves à se percevoir comme des enseignants des
techniques documentaires 19.”
Towards an agreement
Despite the confusion over who should be in charge of teaching Information Literacy
Chapron (2003) and Durpaire (2004) reinforces the idea for teachers and school
librarians to work in collaboration.
Information Literacy is not the sole responsibility of librarians. Williams and Wavell
(2006b) feel that teachers should be involved in order to develop a school’s culture
to include Information Literacy. McKenzie (1998) argues that a school can be
considered information literate when it provides constant support from teachers
and school librarians as well as opportunities for students to develop information
skills.
19 School Librarians are responsible of community resources just like premises officers, administrative staff and support staff and therefore should not be encouraged to perceive themselves as “teachers of research skills”.
30
In both countries school library and education professionals disagree over roles
and responsibilities in teaching Information Literacy. School librarians hold a
valuable and relevant knowledge but sometimes lack practical skills to successfully
teach. On the other hand, teachers possess strong pedagogy and strategies but
miss the core knowledge of what Information Literacy exactly is. A consensus could
be reached by implementing team-‐teaching.
31
2.5 Education of school librarians
Brabazon (2008) emphasizes the importance of librarian training "The notion that
anyone can run a library in a time when information literacy has never been more
important is an unfortunate twist in the digital tale."
France
Berhnard (2007) relates that across the French-‐speaking world, school librarians
have three identities: manager, librarian and teacher.
The emergence of CDI in the late 1960 encouraged school librarians to develop a
highly skilled profession (Pallier, 2010). Nowadays school librarians are both trained
in classic librarianship as well as teaching skills. School librarianship training
encourages young librarians to develop critical skills as well as a strong sense of
advocacy: le documentaliste militant20. School librarians in France need to gain a
Masters of Arts and train for a full year before being allowed to enter a national
competitive examination. This ensures consistent and even training as well as the
security of recruiting highly professional individuals.
Chapron (2003) reports that since the late 1970s, school librarians are taught as
teachers but that, on the other hand librarians are very seldom considered being
teachers of a specific area of expertise.
Chapron worries that the standard job description for school librarians (Ministère de
l’Education Nationale, 1986) is out-‐dated and does not represent a true picture of
expectations. FADBEN proposed a revised job description to the Ministère de
l’Education Nationale in 2010. In this document (FADBEN, 2010), there is a clear
emphasis on Information Literacy, its teaching and collaboration with whole school
staff.
20 Activist Librarian
32
England
In the UK, school librarianship was not a recognised profession until 1933 (Adkins
and Higgins, 2006).
Nowadays, school librarians mostly train through CILIP accredited courses such as a
Masters or Bachelor’s Degree. However, not all Masters programmes offer modules
in school librarianship and Information Literacy (Adkins and Higgins, 2006). CILIP also
offer programmes of continual professional development, certification, chartership,
fellowship and revalidation for librarians to validate experience gained through
work. However, as there are no fixed standards for the training of school librarians,
Adkins and Higgins (2006) conclude that it is patchy and insufficient.
It seems that a recruitment of school librarians depends on schools and Local
Education Authorities deciding what they require, school librarianship is being made
into a random profession relying on good will and professionalism of librarians to
pursue continual professional development.
This might partially explain the lack of recognition from schools’ senior management,
headteachers and local education authorities noticed by Brabazon (2008).
Barret (2010) highlights a paradigm between the UK on one hand and the US and
Canada on the other. In the latter countries, there is dual education in teaching and
librarianship whereas, in the UK, librarians qualify with a bachelor’s degree and
specialize on the job. Despite noting the lack of education, Barret affirms the need
for librarians to “teach the skills of information literacy within the context of the
curriculum”, showing that a lot is expected of a little. To overcome this gap in
training, Marquardt (2008) suggest education of teachers and librarians should be
reciprocal in order for them to gain knowledge from each other.
33
Standards of education of school librarians vary between countries. In France,
there is unilateral training as well as awareness of current issues and a duty of
advocacy. French school librarians are also more prepared for a teaching role. In
England, school librarians have different backgrounds and knowledge but more
than often do not have any teaching experience. Between French and English
school librarians, there is a vast gap to close in terms of training.
34
2.6 Pedagogy for teaching Information Literacy
The word pedagogy comes from the Greek paidagōgeō meaning "to lead the child".
In France, pedagogy is defined as “ Instruction, éducation des enfants, de la
jeunesse21” (Centre National des Ressources Contextuelles et Lexicales, 2011). In
England pedagogy is “the method and practice of teaching, especially as an academic
subject” (Oxford English Dictionary, 2011).
Pedagogy is about how a subject is taught as opposed to what is taught. Abdullah
(2008) and Todd (2003) recognise the importance of an effective pedagogy in
teaching Information Literacy.
There is a vast area of expertise in the United States and Canada in pedagogy for
Information Literacy (CILIP, 2010). In the United States, Kulthau et al. (2007)
developed a model, guided inquiry, based on the way students learn best. Smith
Macklin (2001) developed a model based on problem-‐based learning. Other
pedagogies involve information-‐problem learning and inquiry learning. In England,
Barrett (2010) pinpoints the lack of training and reflexion in school librarians on
pedagogy. Some researchers promote inquiry-‐based learning such as Hepworth and
Walton (2009) and Corrall and McKinney (2012). However, most of the research on
pedagogy is carried out at higher education level. In everyday situations, in
secondary schools, Langford (1999) notes that Information Literacy happens in the
library as a series of activities remote from each other and a lack a clear pedagogical
structure. However there has been an increasing interest in pedagogy for
Information Literacy recently with publication by Secker et al. (2007) or Blanchett et
al. (2011).
In France, Chapron (2003) notes that because of the lack of Information Literacy
structure given by the Government, teachers lack the knowledge of relevant
Information Literacy pedagogy. UNESCO (2008) recommends that Information
Literacy pedagogies are specific to individual schools and relevant to current levels,
skills and factual results of previous teaching. In lycées, there is an emphasis on
21 Instruction, Education of children and youth.
35
making students responsible for their own learning through projects such as IDD and
TPE, on their own or in groups (Durpaire, 2004). Auboin (2003) stresses that for
pedagogy to be effective and thoughtful, it needs to involve all school staff.
There is a lack of awareness on pedagogy in both countries despite an
acknowledgment that it is the basis of sound teaching. The roles of school
librarians and teachers in Information Literacy are blurred, leading to a lack of
clear pedagogical structure. In England, it seems that pedagogy happens randomly.
In France, there is an emphasis on making students responsible for their own
learning and give them tools to teach themselves.
36
2.7 Information Literacy models and curricula
In England and in France, there is no national strategy and Information Literacy skills
are scattered throughout national curricula (CILIP and DfES, 2006 ; Ministèrede
l’Education Nationale, 2010b) in documents such as “The school library and the Key
Stage 3 National Strategy” (DfES , 2004a), “14 – 19 Education and skills” (DfES,
2005a), “Thinking skills in English” (DfES, 2005b) and “Points de convergence sur les
objectifs et les principes directeurs de la réforme du lycée” (Ministère de l’Education
Nationale, 2009). It is interesting to note that despite there being professionals and a
structure of compulsory libraries in France, there is no official national curriculum for
Information Literacy in place (Endrizzi, 2006 ; Chapron, 2003; FABDEN, 2008).
To overcome this barrier, librarians usually rely on Information Literacy models or
their own curriculum.
Information Literacy Models
Abdullah (2008) believes Information Literacy models provide a sound basis for
school librarians to rely upon. Many more or less successful Information Literacy
models have been developed over the years.
-‐ Eisenberg and Berkowitz (1990) developed the popular Big 6 model.
-‐ Kulthau (1993)“Information Search Process” (ISP) model
-‐ SCONUL (2004) developed the Seven Pillars model
-‐ Seven faces of Information Literacy (Bruce, 1997)
-‐ PACIFI (2010), based on 10 skills and competencies
-‐ Serres (2007), four cultures of Information Literacy
-‐ 7 notions organisatrice, 7 indispensable Information Literacy notions for
young adults (FADBEN, 2007)
However Abdullah (2008) also states that school librarians still need to tailor models
to their needs and that only a professionally trained school librarian is capable of
achieving a coherent program.
37
Independent Curricula
Librarians also use Information Literacy models independent of national curricula
standards, based on existing models or tailored to their individual needs. Johnston
and Webber (2006) believe that schemes developed individually work better than
standardized models. In England, CILIP (2004) and Williams and Wavell (2007)
recommend that school librarians develop these Information Literacy methods
alongside teachers, based on school’s development plans and good practice.
The English literature describes models such as:
-‐ Jones (2007) independent learning and information cycle: the learning cycle
takes learners through nine steps: planning, researching, selecting, recording,
analysing, synthesising, evaluating, drafting and presenting.
-‐ Angus et al.’s (2009) whole school approach and an inclusive method in the
whole curriculum based on key documents: a staff guide, an Information
Literacy ladder listing ten points, an assignment tick list and an exemplar
bibliography.
-‐ Tarter et al.’s (2010) Information Literacy Skills Model based on careful
planning with subject teachers of a specific task including Information
Literacy skills, transferable up to University level.
In France Maury (2009a) thinks Information Literacy models should be developed in
terms of information need, question, subject, and skills. Durpaire (2004) notes
Information Literacy training in collèges and lycées generally starts with library
induction lessons and a program is developed through depending on the needs of
teachers and students.
It is difficult for school librarians to find consistency and guidance in these confusing
circumstances. Bernhard (2007) pleads for a national curriculum for Information
Literacy.
School librarians in France and England are able to base their teaching on models
developed by Information Literacy professionals. However, some librarians decide
to tailor them or create a totally independent curriculum to suit their needs.
38
2.8 Literature Review conclusions
This literature review highlighted that Information Literacy is a subjective term that
does not translate clearly in educational documents in both France and England. The
world has changed and new generations are exposed to a wealth of information
never experienced in the past. In both France and England, educational government
stress the need to teach young people Information Literacy. However there is a cruel
lack of concrete examples in schools. Whether researchers believe it should be
librarians or teachers, they all agree that collaboration is the best practise. Training
of librarians seems much more efficient and purposeful in France. In England there is
a lack of standard training affecting professionals. When Information Literacy is
taught in secondary schools, librarians or teachers use Information Literacy models
or personalised models.
Many questions derive from this literature review and it would be tempting to try
and answer all of them however five questions were selected. The five following
questions relate to Information Literacy taught in a real-‐life context.
-‐ What is the actual definition of Information Literacy used by school
librarians?
-‐ What is the place of Information Literacy in secondary schools?
-‐ What are the key actors teaching Information literacy?
-‐ Does the education of school librarians influence their teaching?
-‐ What are concrete examples of Information Literacy curriculum and what are
they based on?
Those questions will be used in a framework to analyse data.
39
3. Methodology
This chapter is divided in seven parts outlining choices and methods behind the
research. Strategies for research used to gather material for the literature review are
outlined. In a second time, data collection methods are discussed and final choice to
use interviews explained. Recruitment of the sample is discussed and candidates
described. Interview questions are then outlined and detailed. A discussion of
practicalities and limitations during interviews is then provided as well as concerns
with potential bias. Finally categories for data analysis are justified.
The approach of this study was deductive, based on theory then verified by research
(Pickard, 2007). A theoretical background was provided by an analysis of the
literature resulting in a literature review organised in categories. Research questions
were then formulated. Data collected provided answers to these questions and a
partial picture of Information Literacy teaching.
The research was conducted in three stages. In the first stage, a literature review
provided qualitative data on Information Literacy teaching and related issues,
highlighting five questions to answer. In the second stage, interviews were carried
out to collect qualitative data on the five topics highlighted in the literature review.
In the third stage, information was triangulated in order to answer the five questions
and provide a partial picture of differences in Information Literacy teaching in both
countries. The body of work formed the basis of a reflexion on how each country
could learn from another’s example and improve.
40
3.1 Literature Review
The research was based on a review of French and English literature on teaching
Information Literacy. The literature reviewed is both general and secondary school
specific. Research articles and official documents were explored in order to bring
depth as well as relevance. Data was gathered between December 2010 and up to
August 2011. An issue was translation; the researcher had to take care to provide
neutral and accurate translation for quotes and concepts.
For literature on Information Literacy in England, the researcher used key words
“Information”, “Literacy”, “Skills”, “Secondary”, “schools”, “pedagogy”, in Emerald,
LLIS and LISA as well as searches on specialist websites CILIP, SLA, blogs such as
Information Literacy Weblog and governmental websites.
For French literature, the keywords “Maitrise de l’Information”, “Education a
l’Information”, “Culture de l’Information”, “lycée”, “collège”, “etablissements
scolaires”, “pedagogie” were used. Blogs such as Les Trois Couronnes, Associations
websites such as FADBEN, government websites and Google Scholar were queried to
retrieve relevant documents.
Interviewees provided with documents that would not have been accessible
otherwise, these were added to the literature review.
When writing the literature review, the researcher decided to compare and contrast
literature from both countries in order to bring a synthesis of critical issues. Main
issues are split up into sub paragraphs in order to bring clarity. However, when
required to specifically differentiate between French and English contexts, clear
headings were used.
41
3.2 Data collection
In order to answer the five questions arising from the literature review, the
researcher aimed at gathering qualitative data from practitioners. She initially
considered different data collection methods as outlined by Bryman (2001).
Questionnaires would have been too restrictive and could have prevented the
researcher from collecting extra details. The researcher also considered forming
focus groups but gathering librarians from different schools would have been
impractical, time consuming and participants might not have expressed themselves
freely. It would have been interesting to meet secondary school pupils to discuss
how they are taught but the project would have been classed as high risk ethically.
Eventually the researcher decided to conduct constructive interviews, as they will
allow in-‐depth answers to be collected.
Initially the researcher had planned to also interview teacher librarians, librarianship
lecturers and regional academic inspectors22 in France. In England, it was hoped the
researcher would meet with school librarians and principals. Unfortunately, it would
have been extremely time-‐consuming and potentially confusing to meet so many
experts. However, the sample chosen provided a satisfactory partial picture of
Information Literacy teaching in both countries.
Observational Data
During interviews, the researcher was able to gatherm with their agreement and in
an ethical manner, observational data such as working documents, curricula and
lesson plans.
In some schools, the researcher had the opportunity, with the librarian’s agreement,
to observe Information Literacy lessons. The observation was disclosed, with all
participants knowing its purpose. Silent observation was carried out with the
researcher taking notes and annotating a lesson plan.
22 Equivalent of Ofsted in France, run by the state
42
The researcher carried out an investigation of how many English universities offered
Information Literacy courses. For this purpose, she used CILIP’s accredited courses
lists and searched universities’ websites.
43
3.3 Sample
All interviewees completed an ethics declaration (Appendix 1).
In France, the sample consisted of:
A. F1, professeurs-‐documentaliste in Cormeilles.
B. F2, professeur-‐documentaliste in Isneauville
C. F3, professeur-‐documentaliste in Saint-‐Etienne du Rouvray
D. F4A and F4B, professeurs-‐documentalistes in Le Havre
Image source: Google maps
44
In England, the sample consisted of:
A. E1, LRC Manager in Leicester.
B. E2, Library Manager in Leicester.
C. E3, Library Manager in Leicester.
D. E4, LRC Manager in Stockport.
Image source: Google maps
45
Sampling was opportunist as the researcher had maintained links with secondary
schools in Leicestershire and also used her tutors’ contacts. Positive and negative
aspects of opportunist sampling were considered beforehand. The advantage of
using personal contacts was ease of access, a relaxed atmosphere and an overall a
timesaving process. Disadvantages were a biased interviews or arguments left
unsaid as the researcher and interviewee share common knowledge of the school
library visited. However, it was felt that in a school-‐related context, where access is
sometimes difficult, it would be beneficial to use contacts. In order to reach a
consensus, the researcher remained neutral during the interview process and asked
more details if needed.
The researcher decided to limit sampling to secondary schools offering education
between 11-‐16. All sectors were included: independent, state-‐maintained, large,
small, mixed or single sex. Acquaintances worked in these types of school and by
limiting the scope of interviews it is hoped accurate results are collected. In England,
LRC Manager, Head Librarian and Librarians were interviewed. In France,
professeurs-‐documentalistes were chosen in both collèges and lycées as they are
equivalent of English 11-‐16 secondary schools. Participants were contacted by email
or phone (Appendix 2) and the overall process of recruiting was very fast.
The researcher was initially unsure about the size of her sample of school librarians.
On advice of her tutor, she restricted herself to visiting four schools in each country.
46
3.4 Interview questions
Interviews questions were dictated by emerging themes and issues observed in the
literature review, summarised in five questions. The interview consists of both
closed and open-‐ended questions. Interview questions were designed to work in
both languages and relate to schooling systems. Interview questions were drafted
using the works of Patton (1990).
The researcher used:
-‐ Behaviour questions: What role do you play in the teaching Information
Literacy in your school?
-‐ Opinion questions: How do you think you could improve your curriculum
further?
-‐ Feeling questions: Do you feel supported by senior management?
-‐ Knowledge questions: What do you think are the benefits of this program?
-‐ Background questions: What is your education background?
Fellow MA students piloted the questionnaire (Appendix 3) to help with wording of
questions and questions to be rejected (Appendix 4) or considered. The dissertation
supervisor also provided precious help in spotting mistakes and potentially confusing
vocabulary.
The researcher initially planned to conduct structured interviews but eventually
realised that in a real-‐life context, semi-‐structured interviews work best. Eventually,
the researcher followed Bryman’s (2001 : 314) outline:
“The researcher has a list of questions or fairly specific topics to be covered, often
referred to as an interview guide, but the interviewee has a great deal of leeway in
how to reply. Questions may not follow on exactly in the way outlined on the
schedule. Questions that are not included in the guide may be asked as the
interviewer picks up on things said by interviewees. But, by and large, all of the
47
questions will be asked and a similar wording will be used from interviewee to
interviewee.”
This dissertation topic is an area of interest for the researcher and an area of her
professional practice that she would like to enhance. Sharing with other
professionals and collecting information was tempting. As much as possible the
researcher remained neutral and professional in her phrasing in order to receive an
accurate vision from the person interviewed.
The researcher planned for a new angle of research or research question to arise
during interviews, and allowed herself to change the questionnaire as part of a
cyclical process (Powell and Connaway, 2004). Questions added later in the process
are marked as such in the following breakdown.
The following questions were included in the interview carried out and are followed
by reasons for their inclusion:
1. How do you define Information literacy as it is taught in your school? Do you
feel supported by senior management?
The initial question of the interview was a background question. It aimed at
gathering different definitions of Information Literacy and determining how satisfied
interviewees were in their position. It was important to collect definitions early on as
it has been highlighted before, Information Literacy is a controversial term. It was
also felt relevant to gauge the support provided by senior management to the library
and the school librarian. This question let the interviewee give an opinion as well as
express feelings. Retrospectively, the question could have been split in two and the
latter part asked after question 3, when enquiring about contribution
2. Is there a curriculum for teaching information literacy in your school?
This question aimed at determining whether or not an Information Literary
curriculum was in place in the school or not. This question was often redundant due
to the nature of the previous question. Interviewees tended to engage with the
previous question and give extra details at this point. However, this articular
48
question acted as a reminder for the researcher. The researcher made sure to select
candidates that had a curriculum for Information literacy in place by specifying
requirements in the recruiting email sent prior to interviews.
3. What is your contribution to it?
This question related to the role of school librarians in Information Literacy. The
question is closed but it was felt that interviewees would give more details or the
researcher would prompt interviewees with more questions. This question also
determined how involved other parties such as teachers or Head of Departments
were.
4. How is it structured?
This was a practical question and prompted interviewees to give more details about
the structure of the information literacy curriculum in place. It was hoped that the
researcher would be able to gather documents supporting the plan in place. If the
librarian interviewed answered that there was no definitive plan in place, the
researcher would have asked questions such as “If a plan was in place, how would
you structure it?”
5. Who does it include?
It was important to determine the scope of Information literacy curricula. As seen
previously in the literature review, different actors are involved in teaching
Information Literacy. It was also felt relevant to ask which age group was involved as
it might have had an impact on pedagogy and staff involved
6. Who designed it?
This question aimed at finding out the involvement of interviewees in curricula.
Structures could have been in place and not have been changed for some time.
Alternatively curricula could have been entirely designed by the interviewee with a
particular logic and reasoning behind it. Interviewees often answered this question
very briefly and it would have been beneficial for the researcher to prompt with
more questions.
49
7. Could you give me a concrete example of how this curriculum is delivered?
This question aimed at clarifying the concrete implementation of curricula by
receiving examples of sessions or structure over a year. Again, this was an
opportunity for the researcher to gather documents and understand the reasoning
behind a structure. This question was also an opportunity to talk about planning,
whether by the school librarian, by teachers or in partnership. On reflection, it might
have been best to address the question of planning in a separate question.
8. Is it linked to another area of the curriculum?
By asking this question it was hoped to determine strong partnership areas and
colleagues. This question was often answered previously but acted as a reminder for
the researcher. If the researcher had had more time, it would have been interesting
to meet colleagues and other parties involved in Information Literacy.
9. What do you think are the benefits of this curriculum?
This question gauged the successes and potential pitfalls of Information Literacy
curricula in place. It was also critical to determine if there was any sort of concrete
assessment of teaching and learning as well as students’ progress.
10. How do you think this could be improved further?
This was an opinion question to determine whether or not interviewees were
satisfied with the curriculum in place and how frequently they updated it. It was also
the opportunity to spark ideas about improvement and further requirements.
11. Is there anything else you would like to say about information literacy and
they way it is taught in the UK?
This was an opinion, open-‐ended question that gathered opinions and feelings about
Information Literacy, generally or in a particular school. This was an opportunity to
discover the person behind the librarian and gauge how passionate they were about
Information Literacy. It was also interesting way for the researcher to find ideas for
the literature review, arguments and comments about Information Literacy that she
could have neglected otherwise.
50
12. What is your education background? (Question added as part of the cyclical
process)
This question was added later on in the interview process. As interviews started in
France, all school librarians had the same education background and arguments
were all coherent and similar. During English interviews, the researcher observed
differences in discourse from one librarian to another. This question aims at
determining interviewees’ background and professional development. It was hoped
that this would bring an accurate picture of school librarian’s education.
51
3.5 Interviews
3.5.1 Practicalities
In February, an ethics approval form was completed and validated. Completing the
ethics approval early enabled the researcher to timetable interviews and contact
interviewees efficiently.
Interview questions, consent forms and information brochures (Appendix 5) were
approved by Sheila Webber in March. All documents were translated by the
researcher and proofread by Françoise Chapron.
The researcher was aware of several issues with interviewing in schools. It was
crucial for the researcher to contact schools and librarians early in order to collect
data before the summer holidays. To be granted access to schools she made sure to
carry a copy of a recent Criminal Records Bureau check and identity documents with
her.
Interviews took from ten minutes to an hour.
Data was gathered between Easter and summer holidays. French school librarians
were contacted in March though Françoise Chapron and interviews took place the
week before Easter holidays. In England, school librarians were contacted the week
after the Easter break and interviews took place the following week. Meeting times
were agreed upon to suit both parties. There was an instance where no convenient
arrangement could be reached so the interview process was completed by email. All
data was collected at the end of May.
For the purpose of interviews, the researcher used a Dictaphone. By using consent
forms, the researcher ensured she had the interviewee’s approval before recording.
This helped improve note taking and save time for both the researcher and
interviewee. Transcriptions of interviews were later written up and translated
(Appendix 6).
52
3.5.2 Limitations
In retrospect, some interview questions were slightly repetitive and the researcher
changed some questions halfway through the French interview process. This might
have been due to envisaging a possible scenario of interviews and not have catered
for all cases.
After two interviews in France, the researcher realised she wanted to gather data
about education of school librarians so she had to change her interview questions
and contact librarians she had already interviewed. Fortunately, the researcher had
asked for participants’ email addresses to address possible gaps in interviews and
strengthen data if necessary.
During English interviews, the researcher realised that some librarians were
unfamiliar with the concept of Information Literacy and what it entailed despite
email requests being clear on the topic of interviews. It would have been beneficial
to send questions beforehand.
53
3.6 Potential bias
Francoise Chapron, senior lecturer at the Universite de Rouen, recruited French
interviewees. They all were former students of hers. In the field of librarianship,
Francoise Chapron is recognised as an activist and passionate for the cause of better
recognition of roles and responsibilities of school librarians. This clearly influenced
her students who all displayed a high level awareness of current issues surrounding
Information Literacy.
In England, the researcher was fortunate enough to meet and interview E4 E4,
School Librarian of the Year 2010. Other interviewees had different background and
experiences giving mixed answers and levels of awareness.
54
3.7 Data Analysis
As mentioned previously, data gathered was directly dictated by the five questions
highlighted by the literature and categories established in the literature review:
-‐ Definition of Information Literacy
-‐ Place of Information Literacy in schools
-‐ Key roles in Information literacy
-‐ Education of School Librarians
-‐ Pedagogy and Curriculum for teaching
The researcher decided to use open coding to highlight concepts within categories.
In the second analysis phase, axial coding was used to compare categories to data
gathered in the literature review. Observational data was included in the data
analysis and triangulated to bring depth to discussions. Finally an hypothesis was
developed in order to produce conditions to standard Information Literacy teaching.
55
4. Results and discussion
4.1 Defining Information Literacy
4.1.1 France
A changing definition
F4A agrees with the literature in saying the French definition of Information Literacy
is far from neutral. F3 agrees and adds Information Literacy is a changing definition
that requires librarians to adapt constantly in order to follow technological
advances. F3 also highlights a definition that varies according to the different levels
of expertise of students in Information Literacy.
All interviewees agreed Information Literacy teaching depends on the definition
chosen by school librarians, students and a school librarian’s pedagogy.
A definition relating to a particular purpose
F3, F4A, F4B and F2 all agree that Information Literacy’s definition has to relate
primarily to a particular public. For F3, working in a technology focused lycée, the
definition is turned towards technology and lifelong skills that will be relevant to the
workplace “ J'ai remplace quelqu'un qui avait ancre l'apprentissage info-‐
documentaire dans les habitudes de l'établissement […] c'est bien accepte . Mais
que ca prend de plus en plus d'ampleur avec le travail particulier qu'on fait ici sur le
document technique. Il y a une espèce de légitimité qui s'est instaure par rapport
aux enseignements de génie civil, le professeur d'atelier pour la partie
professionnelle23.” For F4A and F4B on the other hand, working on a literature
focused school, definition is based around finding, using and refering to information
especially for writing at university. This is similar to defintions focused on
Information Literacy in the workplace, in schools or as a lifelong skill.
23 I replaced someone who introduced Information Literacy into habits of the school, so it is accepted really well. But it is more meaningful with our particular work on professional documents. There is a legitimacy of Information Literacy for engineering teachers and workshop teachers.
56
Education a l’Information
As seen previously in the literature review, there is disagreement in France over the
translation of Information literacy as “Culture de l’Information” or “Education a
l’Information”. French school librarians expressed different views.
F2, school librarian in a collège, initially teaches Information Literacy for students to
know basics about information. F2 defines Information Literacy in her curricula
document “Faire acquérir aux élèves des méthodes de recherche, d’exploitation et
de production de documents, sur tout support, respectueuses du droit des auteurs
et des personnes, en particulier sur Internet, et qui développent leurs capacités
d'analyse, de synthèse, leur autonomie dans l'utilisation des outils informatiques,
tout en éveillant leur esprit critique et leur créativité.24” For F3, the ultimate goal of
Information Literacy is to be able to reflect and criticise. According to the definition
given by those two interviewees, clearly based on individual skills, education a
l’information is being taught. However, F4A and F4B worry that nowadays
Information Literacy is totally based around skills as opposed to making students
understand why they are being taught Information Literacy, its purpose and the
reason behind making choices.
Culture de l’Information
When speaking about Information Literacy, F4A and F4B refers to a culture, giving
students a taste for information. As shown in the literature they agree there is a
violent disagreement amongst French school librarians between the notion of
knowing how to do and a culture of know why to do. F3 observes there is a shift in
secondary school from using information to creating information. For F1, her
position involves instilling a culture through school and making students responsible
for their information choice.
A stress on citizenship
24 For students to acquire skills in researching, using and producing information, in different formats, especially online, in order to develop analytical and synthesis skills when using ICT while encouraging creativity and critical skills.
57
In the literature, Information Literacy is defined as an essential attribute for citizens.
F1 declares that by teaching Information Literacy she is forming “des citoyens
responsables25”. F1 and F2 also note that Information Literacy needs to relate to real
life and jobs, and that this is an essential aspect of making students aware of how
they will use skills in the future.
Discussion
French librarians interviewed mostly agreed to define Information Literacy as term
not clearly defined as of yet. In these circumstances, they believe it is important to
focus on new technologies and making Information Literacy relevant to their
students. In French schools, general teaching is delivered in collège and then
students in lycée choose specialised pathways. The French schooling system shapes
Information Literacy to be individual to schools. As seen previously in the literature,
French researchers and school librarians disagree on the translation of Information
Literacy. Half of the school librarians interviewed chose to teach “education a
l’information”, focusing on specific skills and methods they believed where relevant
to their students. The other half of school librarians taught “culture de
l’information”, focusing on making students understand choices and consequences
of Information behaviour. Three school librarians agreed that Information Literacy
was vital to make young adults, responsible citizens.
4.1.2 England
Culture of Information
E4 see Information Literacy as a concept different from computer skills or from
knowing how to find books. His actual definition is “to do with how you interact with
information. What I try and do with the students is to make them more confident
with how to access the information and to actually make choices about the
information as well.” However E4 however notes that this definition is individual to
his school. It is worth noting that E4 holds a degree and masters in Information
Literacy.
25 Responsible Citizens
58
A misunderstood subject
For E1, Information Literacy is “a very broad subject; it encompasses learning to read
to learning how to use computers…” E2 and E1 did not show an accurate
understanding of Information literacy as defined by the literature. E1’s focus was on
literacy instead. When asked by the researcher if she had an Information Literacy
curriculum in place, E1 answered, “I have a reading group”. For E2 Information
Literacy was “for the new students and new staff coming in the school, showing
them how to use the library, how the library works. What functions of the library
are, rules and regulations and just for them to be comfortable in using the library.”
Research skills
For E3 and E1, Information Literacy is research skills. E3 teachers research skills in
the library and online while E1 expressed her will to teach research skills in the
library to enhance use of the library. Limiting Information Literacy to research skills
either shows a restricted understanding of the full scope of Information literacy or
the extent to which Information Literacy is taught practically.
Discussion
Despite Information Literacy being a clearer concept for English professionals, the
sample interviewed showed mixed understanding. One interviewee had a thorough
understanding of Information Literacy due to his education background. Other
interviewees showed a partial understanding focused on reading, computer literacy
and knowing how to use a library. Often the definition of Information Literacy was
confused with research skills, which appeared to be the subject taught in the
sampled school libraries. The data shows Information literacy is still a very
misunderstood subject overall. There is a vague idea of what it encompasses but no
practical concept for implementation.
4.1.3 Comparison
French and English school librarians interviewed expressed different views on
Information Literacy. French school librarians discussed conscious decision over their
understanding of Information Literacy with half preferring the term education a
59
l’information and the other half culture de l’information. English school librarians
except for E4, who has relevant knowledge from his education, appeared confused.
Information Literacy was often defined as research skills and library induction.
French school librarians and E4 implied that their understanding of Information
Literacy was shaped by the literature as well as students, showing a clear focus on
pedagogy and the role of librarian. Other English school librarians did not mention
any literature or pedagogy.
It appears that French school librarians overall have a deeper knowledge of key
Information Literacy principles and issues. French school librarians were also able to
relate Information Literacy to a particular concept and shape it to suit particular
needs. Most English school librarians had a narrower focus for Information Literacy,
confined to their own school libraries whereas French school librarians felt they
were giving essential tools to future citizens.
Stages to Information Literacy awareness as represented by the sample could be
illustrated as such:
Lack of awareness
Understanding of complexities
Adoption of one’s own conscious stance on Information Literacy
Understanding of context
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4.2 Information Literacy in a school context
4.2.1 France
A clear purpose
All French school librarians interviewed agreed with Information Literacy being a
crucial skills for students and an important aspect of their job. For F1, Information
Literacy is legitimate across the whole school but it is the task of the school librarian
to become an advocate of an unknown subject.
F3, F4A and F4B believe Information Literacy is only relevant when it is taught across
the whole school, when combined with other subjects and also in the context of
real-‐life situations “Ca n'a aucun sens pour l'élève. Il faut toujours que ce soit ancre
dans une situation disciplinaire26.” F1 feels her teaching right and purposeful when
she observes a difference in terms in Information Literacy skills in newly arrived
students.
For F4A and F4B, the purpose of Information Literacy in schools need to be clearly
though about to “Essayer d'éviter des interventions, un peu gadget, un peu
artificiel27 .” F2, F4A and F4B add that for Information Literacy teaching to be
grounded, assessment is crucial.
F1 feels a will to learn Information Literacy from students and F3 reports students
trust her to teach this subject.
A need for equipment
According to F4A and F4B, available facilities determine an Information Literacy
curriculum. F3 considers IT equipment essential as there is vital need to teach
“l'utilisation intelligente de l'outil ordinateur et internet 28.” F1 reports that she only
possesses obsolete equipment and using new technologies would enhance her
teaching as she feels she needs to reach out to clearly naïve students.
26 There is no meaning for students otherwise. It [Information Literacy] must always be relevant to a subject. 27 Try and avoid novelty, artificial interventions 28 The intelligent use of computers and Internet
61
A focus on students
F1 worries her students “sont très crédules vis a vis de l'information29. ”, relying on
Google without using any critical skills. F3 reports similar behaviour of students who
have preconceived ideas about the Internet "Wikipédia c'est pas bien, il ne faut pas y
aller30". F4A and F4B note students have no awareness of copyright laws, do not
know how to find information in the school library or take references to find them
later. F1 summarises the situation by stating students come with different skills
therefor adapting to them and making Information Literacy available at their level is
very difficult. F4A and F4B however worry about the difficulty to reach to all
students especially in exam classes, without dedicated timetabled lessons.
Documents influencing strategies
Interviewees described what documents they used as the basis for their curriculum.
F2 uses both specialist librarian literature such as PACIFI31 (Ministère de l’Education
Nationale, 2010) and Circulaire de mission a l’ere du numerique (Direction générale
de l’enseignement scolaire, 2010) as well as Government documents such as
Circulaire Academique (Ministère de l’Education Nationale, 1999). F2 feels that
today that there are no adequate documents to teach Information Literacy, as PACFI
does not give concrete implementation strategy and details. F4A and F4B use
research document, 7 notions organisatrices FADBEN (2007). F3 uses research
documents as well as the pedagological literature aimed at teachers. School
librarians interviewed use an array of official and unofficial documents to base their
Information Literacy teaching. This reflects what was discovered in the literature
review, a lack of guidance from the government.
The role of the Government
29 [students] are very naïve towards information 30 Wikipedia is not good, don’t use it 31 PACIFI was produced by school librarians researchers before being edited by the Ministère de l’Education Nationale.
62
F2 reports there are official texts from the Ministère de l’Education but “ne veut pas
entendre parler de concepts dans ce domaine.32 ” F1 agrees there is no real
Information Literacy politics or practical plan in place. F1 and F3 worry students’
skills that already vary enormously from collège to lycée. This might lead in the long
term to a discrimination and uneven teaching: “pas tres education national33” as
commented by F1.
Contrarily, Federic F4A and F4B speak of an increased interest from the government
in Information Literacy but primarily based around the professional literature and its
recommendations.
Discussion
Interviewees agreed on the vitality of Information Literacy and a librarian felt she
had an advocacy role to play in her school. However, three librarians only agreed to
teach as long as a clear purpose was given to teaching by interlacing it with a subject.
Two interviewees felt a will to learn from students. Two school librarians expressed
the need to teach new technologies with adequate equipment. As mentioned
above, interviewees tailored their definition of Information Literacy to the needs of
students. School librarians acknowledged naivety of students and a severe lack of
Information Literacy knowledge. Interviewees relied on both government and
specialist literature as they expressed discontent with guidance given by the
Ministère de l’Education Nationale
4.2.2 England
Influence of Senior Management
E3 expressed frustration about teaching research skills as most of the Information
Literacy was delegated to the IT department and she summarises the situation as “I
am encouraged to implement but not encouraged to take part into it.”
E4 and E1 feel supported by senior management and the whole school. E4 declares
“They recognise you have teaching skills, experience and expertise; I think that’s 32 does not want to hear about concepts in this subject [Information Literacy]. 33 Not representative of Education Nationale.
63
really important” even though he acknowledge there is a poor understanding of
what he is trying to achieve. E1 reports having a library lesson every fortnight as
allowed by the principal but later explains that this is dedicated to reading and
literacy.
E2 expressed bitterness, as she is not in charge of library induction to staff anymore,
library induction for students have been reduced from an hour to ten minutes and
initiatives have been rejected.
Unclear place
E3 regrets the sporadic nature of Information Literacy in her school and poor
involvement of the library. E1 notes that basic research skills are taught in IT. For E1,
the place of Information Literacy is unclear as teachers are not sure what
Information Literacy is and how to practically implement it.
Essential?
For E4, E3 and E1, Information Literacy or their understanding of it, was essential to
students. For E4, Information Literacy makes students confident learners.
E2 did not show a clear understand of Information Literacy but thought that the
library’s input in her school was always turned down.
On offer
E4 offers Information Literacy lessons to teachers who have the opportunity to tailor
them to their subject. E4 has successfully implemented a culture throughout the
whole school and it is up to teachers to approach him. E1 says she offers research
skills but “so far nobody’s taken me up on that.”
Discussion
Interviews showed that, in English schools, senior management has a preponderant
role to play in Information Literacy. Senior Management can be helpful and sponsor
Information Literacy as a whole school initiative as in E4’s case. Senior management
can also hinder the role of the library. In E3’ case where Information Literacy is
64
taught in IT and by subject teachers (however it is worth remembering that the
researcher did not succeed in speaking to the IT department so the full scope of their
teaching in unknown). E2 felt senior management were hypocritical in promoting the
role of the library while reducing students’ hours in it. Two interviewees regretted
Information Literacy did not have a clear space in the school and it seemed that it
was perceived by some as essential or superfluous by other. Two other interviewees
offered Information Literacy lessons, one successfully, the other had no
respondents.
4.2.3 Comparison
French school librarians appeared to have more freedom than their English
counterparts as senior management plays a preponderant role in English schools.
Senior management in French schools seem to recognise librarians as Information
Literacy specialists, this would explain why French are so autonomous in deciding
place and strategies to teach. On the contrary, in English schools, senior
management is heavily involved in deciding the place of Information Literacy and
school libraries. This would explain differences between school librarians such as E4
and E2. French school librarians seemed confident about the role of Information
Literacy in their school and took into account government and specialist literature
critically. Since English school librarians were mostly unsure of the definition of
Information Literacy, what would be their practical implementation and to what
extent would they use official and research literature?
65
4.3 Roles and responsibilities
4.3.1 France
Librarians as teachers
All French interviewees met have put in place their own Information Literacy
curriculum and are regularly teaching classes. F1 reports the support from all staff
and senior management in her role teaching Information Literacy and recognise her
expertise. “je suis vraiment reconnu comme une prof, c'est a dire que ma spécialité
c'est la documentation.34 ” F3 states teachers in her lycée feel legitimate she should
teach Information Literacy. Her principal has given dedicated time for Information
Literacy for some classes. For F3, her role is to impulse decisions on Information
Literacy and to give practical ideas to other teachers. F2 and F1 state they have
hours dedicated to teaching Information Literacy on her timetable.
Teachers as indispensable actors
F1 describes teachers as independent from Information Literacy as she is responsible
for all teaching. Lessons are sometimes related to specific subjects but the emphasis
of her Information Literacy teaching is on skills such as using a dictionary, teachers
being often passive. F3 works in collaboration with teachers to teach relevant
Information Literacy lessons. F2 notes that theoretically all teachers should be
involved but in reality only a handful are taking part in teaching Information Literacy
A strong partnership
F4A and F4B work alongside teachers mostly through educational initiatives such as
TPE. They also work with teachers within subject curriculum, splitting classes in two.
They sometimes request to “borrow” students to teach Information Literacy. F4A
and F4B report a strong interest “Certains collègues sont très intéresse par nos
questions et nos interventions35.”
Support staff
34 I am truly recognized as a teacher and my specialty is Information Literacy 35 Some colleagues are very interested by our questions and interventions.
66
F1 involves all staff in Information Literacy: form tutors, the nurse… in order to
integrate Information Literacy in the culture of the school. F3 thinks school finance
manager need to understand the reasoning behind Information Literacy related
acquisitions. F2 has a teaching assistant supporting her during Information Literacy
lessons.
Discussion
All interviewees worked alongside teachers, often in partnership. Teachers mostly
recognised their role in teaching Information Literacy. In France, it feels there are
mutual respect and an emphasis on teaching students rather than focusing on roles
and positions. All interviewees were active teachers of their own curriculum, two of
them felt they had respect from other colleagues and another two had dedicated
Information Literacy time. Teachers are valued contributors but assume a
background role, a role in planning or worked with librarians in a strong partnership.
Two interviewees also involved support staff in Information Literacy.
4.3.2 England
Librarians
E1 teaches induction lessons in her library to all Year 7 and welcomes Key Stage 3
students every fortnight. However she notes that these lessons are literacy focused.
E1 would like to introduce research skills lessons but this has not been implemented
yet. Should senior management agree to it, she would be in charge of all teaching.
Teachers
E3 regrets she is only teaching research skills workshop once a year. In her school,
the IT department is in charge of Information Literacy and research skills are spread
over subject curricula. E3 thinks that the library is overlooked as teachers take
charge.
67
Partnership
E4 reports a strong collaboration between teaching staff and himself. This
collaboration involves both planning and teaching. Staff are able to prospect on what
E4 might be able to offer in their classes and this relationship is reciprocal: “I
collaborate with staff and I think that’s really key to Information Literacy in the
future. I think to get partnerships and see Information Literacy as not a librarian’s job
but the whole school and trying to get teachers involved in that.”
Nobody’s job
In E2’s school there is no clear Information Literacy curriculum being taught.
Induction lessons were taught for Year 7 by her but have now been reduced to ten
minutes and the literacy coordinator is responsible for staff induction. Departments
are not involved in using the library and E2 speaks of a sense of hypocrisy in library
promotion.
Discussion
Different configurations emerged from the data. Only one interviewee worked in
partnership with teachers to plan and deliver lessons. In this case, there was a
mutual agreement over the legitimacy of teaching Information Literacy. Another
interviewee was solely in charge for teaching and planning all her lessons, but in this
particular case, it is not sure how much Information Literacy is involved. Another
interviewee is only in charge of punctual intervention while teachers are
implementing most Information Literacy teaching. The final interviewee was only in
charge of running ten-‐minute induction lessons for Key Stage 3. In this particular
case, it is important to remember that this was a conscious decision from senior
management.
4.3.3 Comparison
The difference between France and England is striking and radically different from
situations observed in the literature. French interviewees related strong
partnerships and a willingness for all school staff to be partners in teaching
Information Literacy. This might be due to the influence of national directives and to
68
school librarians being recognised Information Literacy experts. In England,
Information Literacy teaching is dependent on individual schools and senior
management. Half of the English interviewees expressed frustration over their
situation, as input was not valued. In France, the results of the interviews
contradicted the literature in showing the recognised role of librarians in teaching
Information Literacy and teaching expertise. As recommended by the literature,
partnerships were in place. In England, the extent of the definition of Information
Literacy and teaching skills appeared inconsistent and only one interviewee worked
in partnership with teachers.
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4.4 Training and background
4.4.1 France
As mentioned previously in the methodology, all French librarians interviewed were
ex-‐students of Francoise Chapron at IUFM de Rouen36. School librarian training is
uniform: they all prepared the CAPES competitive examination for a year and then
trained for a further year.
Celigne F1,, F4A, F4B rand F3 reports her colleagues find their intervention valuable
and legitimate as they received a “formation à l'information37.”(F1). F1 remembers
being introduced to planning curriculum for Information Literacy by her tutor during
her trainee year. F3 stressed the need for school librarians to keep updated about
Information Literacy “on pratique une veille informationnelle immense parce que
tous les jours ca change38.» All interviewees were aware of further progress they
could implement in their Information Literacy curriculum. Improvement was mostly
based on the research literature but also from observation of students’ needs. All
interviewees attend regular regional reflexion meetings where they discuss with
other colleagues of strategies to improve their practice. However, F3 reports that
librarianship is not a homogeneous profession when it comes to Information Literacy
but hopes that national guidance would bring a consensus.
Discussion
School librarians interviewed are Information literate themselves: they all displayed
knowledge of current issues surrounding Information Literacy and a strong opinion
as to which direction should be taken next. They also had a vast knowledge of
relevant research, official documents and also where to find them. Continual
professional development seemed to be a sine qua none condition to be a school
librarian.
36 Institut de Formation des Maitres, School of Education 37 Education to Information 38 We run a large surveillance survey because it [Information Literacy] evolves every day
70
4.4.2 England
Professional Education
E4 has a degree in Information Literacy, from Manchester Metropolitan University, a
CertEd39 , is working towards an MA in Information Literacy and is also CILIP
chartered. E3 has an MA in Library and Information Management.
Learning “on the job”
E1 began her career as a library assistant in Leicestershire public libraries. She
attended courses in order to secure a position at Judgemeadow Community College
as LRC Manager. E2 has a City and Guilds Information Skills Certificate and declares
she got onsite promotion until she became a library manager. E2 states she “I fell
into this profession. You learn it as you go along.”
Discussion
As stated in the literature review, English school librarians have different means of
entry in the profession. E2 “came into it by chance”. E1 moved from public libraries
to work in school libraries. On the other hand, E4 and E3 are university educated.
In this sample, education of school librarians seems to have some influence over
Information Literacy in some respect. E4 is an Information Literacy specialist and he
teachers a complete curriculum with full support of senior management. E2 did not
display a full knowledge of Information Literacy therefore a curriculum was not in
place. However, it is important to remember that in E2’s case, senior management is
also influencing the running of the library. It could be envisaged that if senior
management wanted to implement Information Literacy, E2’s experience and
expertise would be valuable. E3 is university educated; she did not have a thorough
knowledge of Information Literacy but was adamant she wanted to introduce a
curriculum should senior management allow her.
39 Certificate of Education, PGCE
71
4.4.3 Comparison
All French school librarians receive uniform training and there is a standard job
description accepted by senior management. On the other hand, English school
librarians have different background and job description is dependent on senior
management and Local Education Authorities. The impact of education on senior
management is unknown.
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4.5 Curriculum and literature
4.5.1 France
Documents
Both F1 and F3 use up to date research by information professionals. While F3 also
uses pedagogy literature and literature for teachers as a basis of her curriculum; F1’s
is based on her practical knowledge of Information literacy and previous experience.
F2, F4A and F4B all decided to use documents developed by local school librarians.
F2’s curriculum is based on research developed by school librarians in the Normandy
region. The curriculum developed by F4A and F4B is based on “7 notions
organistatrices” (FADBEN, 2007) and organised to suit needs of students and
colleagues.
Collège: the basics
F1 and F2 feel that it essential to teach basic skills to their students. In sixieme40,
curricula, as described in documents collected usually focus on using the library and
the different types of documents that can be found “Découverte du CDI :
Présentations, mode d'emploi, le programme, repérage de la signalétique.41” In
cinquieme and quatrieme, both school librarians teach how to extract information
for particular information needs. Finally in troisieme42 , students are asked to
produce a “dossier documentaire43” on a particular subject, in partnership with a
subject teacher. In their interviews, F1 and F2 emphasised the logical and
progressive structure of their curricula and demonstrated they had an assessment in
place in order to gauge their teaching. Both librarians hoped the skills would be
transferrable in lycée.
40 Year 7 41 Discovery of CDI: presentation, instruction manual, curriculum, signage. 42 Year 10 43 Information Porfolio
73
Lycée: specialised pathways
The three librarians based in lycées interviewed had different intentions lying behind
their curricula. For F3 she designed her curriculum to focus on three dimensions:
student as information user, student as information producer and electronic
identity. For F4A and F4B, the curriculum had to be organised in independent units
of work that can be tailored for particular projects and thus allow flexibility.
F3 working in a lycée focusing on teaching manual skills emphasised the work that is
being undertaken to make her students familiar with technical documents. F4A and
F4B, working in a literature and language focused lycée, felt their mission was to
prepare their students for university. This includes laying out bibliographies,
searching databases and citation. Seconde: Relate information to an information
need, in the CDI and online
Disparities
F3, F4A and F4B expressed the difficulty of working in lycée. With French secondary
cycle being split into two stages, linearity in Information Literacy is not always
insured. All lycée librarians stated disparities in students ‘abilities and therefor felt
they had to teach essential skills to undertake tasks such as TPE.
Pedagogy
All interviewees expressly demonstrated curricula revolving around students needs
and teaching lifelong skills. F4A and F4B prepare young people for university while
F3 teaches students how to make conscious decisions online and how to protect
virtual identities. F1 also stated an important input in her pedagogy involved
colleagues requests.
Time dedicated
F1 and F2’ students have dedicated time in form time, subject time, as well as during
activities with other staff. F3 also stated she has dedicated Information Literacy time
with students. F4A and F4B regularly teach within projects or at a colleagues’
request.
74
Discussion
All school librarians interviewed had complex and structured Information Literacy
curriculum in place. At collège, there is a focus skills, using the CDI and finding
specific information to use while at lycée, the emphasis was students and culture;
using relevant information for a specific need, research and critical skills. It seems
logical that collège librarians focused on teaching basic skills and for lycée librarians
to develop autonomous and responsible students. All curricula were based on
research documents and never on government guidance, a clear example of how
inadequate provision from Education Nationale is. All documents had been adapted
to suit needs of students and needs of teachers. A clear pedagogical structure is in
place in all curriculum with an emphasis on students.
4.5.2 England
Models and literature
E4’s curriculum is based on Herring’s PLUS model (1996) however very loosely as he
thinks Information Literacy models are too “time-‐consuming”. E4’s curriculum takes
students from Year 7 to Year 11 through Information Literacy lessons scattered
throughout the curriculum, often in subject lessons.
E3 took inspiration to develop study skills interventions from publications such as
Kyriacou (1999), Herring (1996) and Adcock (2008).
Induction
All school librarians interviewed runs library inductions. E2 stated she runs induction
lessons for Year 7 at registration and running “revision classes” for Year 8 and 9.
Induction lessons focus on the layout, using indexes and the Dewey Decimal System.
Students are then asked to fill in a quiz. In Year 7 and Year 8, E4 runs a murder
mystery induction lesson to introduce how the school library works. Over Year 7, E1
leads a general induction to the library followed by a lesson on how to use the
75
library management system and how to write book reviews. E3 In Year 6 and Year 7
students are given an induction in using the library and library research skills.
Skills
Two of the librarians interviewed actually taught Information Literacy skills. E4’s
lessons include “business studies, I do a brainstorming keywords activity with
students. […] I do food technology where I teach how to use search engine and
Boolean factors for example. […] I had a PE44 group coming to work on computers in
the library, and we found that there was a lot of copying and pasting happening so I
have now developed a session on plagiarism. It has changed students’ perception of
the subject.” There is no curriculum as such in place in E3’ library but there is
however a structure for punctual intervention and resources to teach research skills
such a PowerPoint on research skills for Year 8 and for Key Stage 4 a booklet
available on the VLE giving practical advice to enhance exam skills.
Pedagogy
Pedagogy was seldom mentioned during interviews. E4 explained his pedagogy
revolves around students.” But the whole process has to be fun, students cannot see
the relevance of Information Literacy, as it is a very odd subject. So if you make it fun,
they will go along with it.”
The pedagogy of E3’ intervention revolved around preparing students for exams.
Other librarians’ focus seemed to be on the library and its resources.
Improvement
All school librarians interviewed had clear ideas how to improve their practice.
E4 felt he needed to “have designated times for Information Literacy rather than
teachers approaching me” as well as a whole school teaching and supporting
Information Literacy. When asked how she would run an Information Literacy
44 Physical Education
76
curriculum, E2 answered, “To have a much more detailed and informative induction.
To go back to doing the basic quiz. It takes them around and teaches them how to
use the index and understanding how the library works. They seem to absorb
information better when they are actually doing it practically.” While this answer
shows an approximate understanding of Information Literacy curricula or models, E2
has a through understanding of the pedagogy she would need to implement.
E1 believed this structure was supporting Information Literacy but wanted to offer
more “research skills”. She offers research skills lessons “but so far nobody’s taken
me up on that.” The extent of promotion to teachers and senior management is
unknown. In discussing possible improvements, E3 declared she would run the same
sessions several times a year and assess skills taught.
Except for E4, who had an accurate, global vision, most answers provided by these
interviewees showed an unclear understanding of how Information Literacy teaching
could be implemented but still reflect awareness of ameliorations. If introduced or
further trained in Information Literacy, librarians interviewed would be able to put
practical changes into place.
Discussion
Half of the school librarians interviewed had a clear curriculum in place. Two
interviewees had knowledge of Information Literacy literature but only one was
based on concrete Information Literacy models. However, there was no mention of
government literature. All interviewees felt important for students to be familiar
with the library and its environments. Pedagogy was only mentioned by two
librarians, who felt the content they offered was student-‐focused. All librarians ran
induction lessons and for two librarians it constituted the essential of their
Information literacy teaching. Skills taught involved avoiding plagiarism, exam skills
and using library management systems. All interviewees were conscious they had to
improve in what they offered but only one showed a true understanding of key
information Literacy issues as stated in the literature.
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4.5.3 Comparison
There is an important difference in Information Literacy teaching between France
and England. All French school librarians had implemented curricula based on official
and research documents and focusing on a clear pedagogy whereas only one English
school librarian had a curriculum in place. Collège librarians aimed at teaching basics
of Information Literacy and lycée librarians chose to specialise their teaching
according to the speciality of the school (literature, science…). Except for E4 and E3
who, just like French librarians, taught skills, the focus of English librarians seemed
to be the library and how to use the space. As opposed to French school librarians
and E4, English school librarians did not use any Information Literacy models and
had no awareness of official documents that could be relevant to their teaching. All
librarians interviewed had a vision of how Information Literacy could be improved in
their schools. This could be represented in an inclusive hierarchy:
IMPROVING INFORMATION LITERACY
When?
What?
How?
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5. Conclusion and recommendations
This first part of this chapter will provide a partial picture of Information Literacy in
both countries and present an hypothesis of conditions to reach consistent
Information Literacy standards. In the second part the five questions drawn from the
literature review will be answered and suggestions provided as to how each country
could improve. The third part of this chapter is a reminder of the aims and objectives
of this research followed by a discussion about how they have been met.
Recommendations for future research are then suggested, followed by an overall
conclusion.
79
5.1 Information Literacy in France
From the sample interviewed a picture of Information Literacy as taught by school
librarians emerged.
There is no definite definition for Information Literacy. School librarians analyse their
school and population in order to reflect and tailor definitions to suit their purpose.
Information Literacy guidance is provided by the government but school librarians
prefer to refer to professional literature. Pedagogy is important and focuses on
students leaving school with strong skills and being good citizens. School librarians
are teachers of Information Literacy and develop partnerships across the school.
French school librarians have consistent training therefore curricula in place are
based on either specialist or government literature. There is a logical structure to
curricula and an awareness of progression from collège to lycée.
With clear guidance from the government and a national curriculum, maybe
founded on existing practice, French school librarians could implement standards for
Information Literacy teaching.
directly influences
80
5.2 Information Literacy in England
Analysing data gathered has allowed for a picture of Information Literacy in England
to be revealed.
With one exception, Information Literacy is often misunderstood as research skills or
“library lessons”. Information Literacy teaching, content and staff responsible for it,
is strongly influenced by senior management and dependent on demand. School
librarians come from various backgrounds; knowledge is either gained in the
workplace and at university. This has a crucial influence on the quality of Information
Literacy teaching. Curricula are seldom based on literature or a clear pedagogy and
usually focus on skills and the library. However, school librarians have a clear idea of
improvement they could implement.
From observations it seems that to achieve better standards of Information Literacy
teaching, English school librarians would benefit from the Government releasing
guidance based on a clear definition, standards for training and continual
professional development, supportive senior management and a whole school focus
on Information Literacy.
directly influences
81
5.3 Hypothesis for consistent Information Literacy teaching
The following figure represents conditions, which it is proposed, would need to be
implemented in order to achieve a consistent standard of Information Literacy in
schools in all countries. Conditions are based on data analysis and conclusions
drawn from it. Only if all conditions are met then Information Literacy teaching will
be effecitve. Further improvement could be carried out to define in which order
conditions should be organised; this will be outlined in the later in the conclusion.
Consistent Standard of Information Literacy
education in schools
Compulsory school libraries
Clear definition for schools
Clear guidance from
Government
Informed and critical librarians
Supportive Senior
Management
Whole school focus
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5.4 What is the actual definition of Information Literacy used by school
librarians?
In France, interviews reflected what was previously highlighted in the literature
review. The definition and translation of Information Literacy is far from fixed,
dividing researchers and practitioners. School librarians interviewed are divided
between teaching two concepts of Information Literacy, “Education a l’Information”
and “Culture de l’Information”, a choice far from neutral according to interviewees.
Like most researchers, school librarians believed citizenship was an important
aspect of the definition of Information Literacy.
In England, there is also an unclear definition of Information Literacy, as highlighted
previously in the literature review and school librarians, except for one, appeared
confused. School librarians interviewed mostly taught research skills or library
induction while one librarian taught what could be defined as Culture de
l’Information. This is worrying as the sample agreed initially to take part to a study
on their Information Literacy curriculum.
Answer
The data showed there is no strict definition of Information Literacy used by school
librarians in both countries. Definitions were either inaccurate or in agreement
with the literature, showing different levels of expertise and continual professional
development. However, it is crucial to mention that definitions, accurate or not,
offered by the sample always were a conscious decision always related to a
particular library’s mission or a librarian’s point of view.
83
5.5 What is the place of Information Literacy in secondary schools?
In France and as stated in the literature, school librarians interviewed felt a vital
need to teach Information Literacy and most of them agreed it has to be taught to
specifically answer students’ needs, which they did. Unlike researchers, school
librarians felt vital to purchase new equipment, especially computers, to inform
their teaching. Concerns over the new generation’s Information Literacy skills are
shared by research and the sample. As highlighted in the literature review, guidance
from the government was deemed irrelevant and further advice was sought from
the professional literature.
From the data analysed for England, only one interviewee clearly expressed how
vital Information Literacy is for students. It seems that there is an ambivalent place
for Information Literacy in schools as some interviewees felt frustrated in their
efforts were dependent on senior management. Some senior management were
seen encouraging Information Literacy and school librarians while in other school,
the opposite was true. Data showed very little awareness of official government
documents and specialist Information Literacy research. Opinions collected mostly
reflected a worrying setting for Information Literacy, with no clear understanding
and no clear idea of how it fits in a school.
Answer
It was noticed that in schools supporting Information Literacy, librarians usually had
a curriculum in place and a good knowledge of issues. In schools not so supportive
Information Literacy, librarians were either unsure about the concept but taught
inductions or librarians were frustrated and felt their role was undermined by
senior management. This answer does not strictly apply to French librarians who did
not mention senior management. Senior management in France have less
autonomy as they implement national directions from le Ministère de l’Education
Nationale. Therefor what would be the place of Information Literacy in French
school if not supported by the Government?
84
5.6 What are the key actors teaching Information literacy?
Unlike what was highlighted in the literature review, French school librarians
interviewed did not feel a feud in teaching Information Literacy. All interviewees
were responsible of their teaching and welcome teachers’ input and support staff’s
involvement. Data also highlighted school librarians were considered experts in
their field and were trusted by senior management.
In England, on the other hand, interviews showed a similar situation as described
previously on the literature review. Data highlighted complex or confused roles for
school librarians, usually dependent on senior management. This was mostly felt as
unfair for librarians who were not in charge of Information Literacy teaching.
Librarians in charge felt their role was legitimate.
Answer
French data showed a team effort in teaching Information Literacy, with school
librarians as leaders. The situation was strikingly different in England. Only one
school librarian had a similar experience as French professionals while others were
in charge of leading inductions or research skills interventions. In one case, the ICT
department was delivering Information Literacy teaching.
85
5.7 Does the education of school librarians influence their teaching?
French school librarians interviewed reflected standards highlighted in the literature
review. Librarians were trained teachers, aware of current issues and strong
advocate of Information Literacy. Education clearly had an impact as all
interviewees taught Information literacy curricula they implemented based on
literature and official documents.
English school librarians had different education background and different levels of
Information Literacy expertise. Education of school librarians in England seems to
only have an influence on their teaching on the condition that senior management
recognises expertise and agrees to the school libraries’ mission and vision.
Answer
Education of school librarians has a direct impact on Information Literacy teaching.
However, in England, it is also dependent on senior management and educational
strategies in place.
86
5.8 What are concrete examples of Information Literacy curriculum and what are
they based on?
Concrete examples of Information Literacy curriculum observed in France show a
clear reflection from school librarians and a detachment from fixed structures and
governmental guidance. Curricula were logical and based on the needs of students.
In England, the sample showed that in only one case, Information Literacy teaching
was based on a concrete model. The analysis showed that there was no awareness
of the literature, professional or official on Information Literacy. Information
Literacy was taught by two school librarians as a set of transferrable skills while the
other librarians interviewed taught library induction.
Answer
Concrete examples of Information Literacy showed harmonious curricula in France
and in one English school. Other English schools had punctual interventions, often
for Year 7 only. French curricula were based on research documents and one
English curriculum on Herring’s PLUS model (1996). It seems that in schools, where
not literature was mentioned there was an approximate understanding of
Information Literacy teaching.
87
5.9 Where the aims and objectives met?
Aims
-‐ Aim 1: To investigate what literature informs information literacy teaching.
-‐ Aim 2: To examine how Information Literacy is taught in secondary schools
in France and in England.
-‐ Aim 3: To discover differences between the literature and practical teaching.
The three first aims set out were met through research and data collection.
However it is important to keep in mind that only a small sample was used for this
study and that the conclusions reached do not necessarily apply to all school
librarians in both countries.
-‐ Aim 4: To recommend how both countries could improve and learn from
each other.
Aim four is only partially reached and a larger sample and a longer study would
have provided more background for recommendations
A further aim was reached, to produce a model for Information Literacy teaching.
This was achieved by designing an hypothesis composed of elements for consistent
Information Literacy teaching.
Objectives
-‐ Objective 1: To carry out a literature review around different issues to
provide a theoretical background to the research.
This objective was met and can be found in the second chapter of this dissertation.
-‐ Objective 2: To investigate current teaching by interviewing and observing a
small sample of librarians in the UK and teacher librarians in France.
This objective was partially met. Eight school librarians, four in each country were
interviewed but only one lesson observed. This was deemed insufficient to be taken
into account in the data analysis.
88
-‐ Objective 3: To analyse data gathered during interviews and observations.
This objective was partially met as only one observation had been performed.
Analysis and discussion can be found in third chapter of this dissertation
-‐ Objective 4: To use qualitative data gathered to answer questions stemming
from the literature review.
This objective was met and answers can be found earlier in the conclusion.
-‐ Objective 5: To use suggestions gathered during interviews, the literature
review and the researcher’s knowledge in order to produce a set of relevant
recommendations.
This objective was met but the researcher feels this could have been more
extensive by gathering more data. Suggestions can be found in the conclusion.
89
5.10 Recommendations for further research
1. Only a small amount of opinions were gathered. As highlighted in the
methodology, there were bias issues, but the extent of the impact on this
study would be difficult to evaluate. The study would benefit from extended
data. The researcher suggests conducting further interviews in different
regions and different educational sectors. It would be interesting to conduct
panels of school librarians, offering the opportunity to discuss agreed and
gain a global vision of issues. Sample could be selected through the School
Library Association for England and FADBEN in France.
2. For the purpose of this study qualitative data was gathered. The researcher
felt it would have been interesting to collect quantitative data on training
and continual professional development as well as Information Literacy
curricula in order to show the correlation of librarian education and
Information Literacy.
3. A significant outcome of this study was the identification of the important
role of senior management on Information Literacy. Interviewing
headteachers would be beneficial to investigate their vision of Information
Literacy and related strategies. Interviewing headteachers to investigate
how they valuate librarianship qualifications would also be relevant.
4. A hypothesis of conditions for consistent national Information literacy
teaching was produced. After testing whether these conditions emerged
from a fuller study, the researcher recommends a qualitative study on:
-‐ How these conditions could be organised into logical steps
-‐ How the progression verifies in France
-‐ Study how these steps could be practically applied in England
5. All librarians in England had different titles and job descriptions. Gathering
sample job descriptions, analysing them and comparing results to the
standard French job description would help highlight roles and
responsibilities in Information Literacy teaching.
90
5.11 Recommendations for mutual improvement
England learning from France
-‐ This dissertation showed the radical difference in school librarian training
between France and England. English school librarians would benefit from
consistent and uniform education. A relevant qualification could influence
positively senior management and support Information Literacy teaching.
-‐ French school librarians all displayed strong working relationships with
teaching and non-‐teaching staff. English librarians would benefit from
reaching out to departments and installing partnerships in teaching
Information Literacy.
-‐ French interviewees mentioned attending regional meetings to discuss
strategies and implement action plans. There was no mention of similar
initiatives from English school librarians. Local Education Authorities could
organise these and therefor enrich local school librarianship practice.
-‐ School librarianship training in France includes Information Literacy. In
England, only Liverpool John Moores University, Loughborough University
and the University of Sheffield offer dedicated Information Literacy
modules45 . A greater emphasis on Information Literacy in librarianship
training and continual professional development would be beneficial for
future school librarians.
45 The extent of Information literacy teaching inside modules at other universities could not be verified consistently.
91
France learning from England
-‐ E4 gave examples of highly interactive Information Literacy lessons he
teaches in his school. French school librarians seemed to have a greater
emphasis on pedagogy and outcome rather than engaging students. It would
be beneficial for French professionals to instil creativity in their curricula.
-‐ French school librarians go through an intensive and competitive training in
order to be employed. This ensures high standards and uniform skills but has
the downside of preparing individuals for only one career. University training
in England offers a variety of modules to train students in all sectors of
librarianship.
-‐ French school librarians did not mention any of the models described in the
literature review and had instead developed their own curricula. It could be
recommended to become familiar with them and envisage how they could
be used to improve Information Literacy teaching.
92
5.12 Final conclusion
Information Literacy is a complex topic and it was envisaged that teaching would be
accordingly difficult. Senior management in England has a critical role to play and
there is a crucial advocacy campaign for Information Literacy to be developed in
England. In both countries, guidance and Information literacy curricula need to be
developed centrally to establish consistent training of young people. French and
English practices of Information Literacy are totally opposite and both have
strengths and weaknesses. By studying differences over Europe, policies, definitions
and strategies could be agreed which would provide young people with European
training and competencies. Partnerships could be forged making use of new
technologies to increase awareness and good practice.
Wordcount: 18480
93
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7. Appendixes
7.1 Appendix 1: Ethics approval forms
7.1.1 England
Implementation of Information Literacy in England and
France, what can they learn from each other?
This study aims at defining the state of information literacy teaching, its influences
and how it could be improved.
Researcher: Anne-‐Lise Robin, Masters Student
96 Slinn Street, Sheffield, S101NZ
07580029088
1. I confirm that I have read and understand the information sheet for the
above study and have had the opportunity to ask questions.
Yes/No
2. I understand that my participation is voluntary and that I am free to
withdraw at any time, without giving reason.
Yes/No
3. I agree to take part in the above study.
Yes/No
4. I would like my participation to remain anonymous
Yes/No
5. I agree to the interview / focus group / consultation being audio
recorded
Yes/No
108
6. I agree to the use of quotes in publications
Yes/No
7. I agree that my data gathered in this study may be stored and may be
used for future research.
Yes/No
Name of Participant Date Signature
Name of Researcher Date Signature
7.1.2 France
109
Place et enjeux de l’enseignement de l’Education a
l’Information dans l’enseignement secondaire en
France et au Royaume-‐Uni
Cette recherche a pour but de définir l’état actuel de l’enseignement de l’éducation
à l’information, ses influences et futures améliorations.
Chercheur: Anne-‐Lise Robin, étudiante en Master Documentation
96 Slinn Street, Sheffield, S101NZ
07580029088
1. Je confirme avoir pris connaissance de la brochure d’information sur ce
projet et ai posé toutes questions nécessaires.
Oui/Non
2. Je comprends que ma participation est volontaire et que j’ai le droit de
me retirer de la recherche à tout moment et sans explication.
Oui/Non
3. Je souhaite participer à cette recherche
Oui/Non
4. Je souhaite que ma participation reste anonyme
Oui/Non
5. Je consent à ce que ma participation soit enregistrée
Oui/Non
6. Je consent à être cité dans de futurs publications
Oui/Non
7. Je consent à ce que ma participation soit utilisée pour de futures
recherches.
110
Oui/Non
Nom du Participant Date Signatur
Nom du Chercheur Date Signature
111
7. 2 Appendix 2: Email request
7.2.1 England
Dear Sir/Madam,
My name is Anne-‐Lise Robin and I am currently a Masters student at the Information School
of the University of Sheffield.
As part of the requirements for the course, I am writing a dissertation on how Information
Literacy is implemented in secondary schools in both England and France.
I would like to visit your school and have the opportunity to interview your librarian.
Questions will be about Information Literacy teaching and how it relates to your school’s
ethos.
For the purpose of this visit, I will not require to interview or be in contact with students.
Could you answer to let me know if your school would be interested in taking part and the
best time to come and visit.
Anne-‐Lise Robin
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7.2.2 France
Madame, Monsieur,
Mon nom est Anne-‐Lise Robin et je suis actuellement etudiante a l’Universite de Sheffield
au Royaume-‐Uni.
Je prepare un memoire sur l’education a l’information et son enseignement en Angleterre
et en France.
Je souhaiterais visiter votre ecole et pouvoir avoir un entretien avec votre professeur
principal et votre documentaliste.
Mes questions porteront essentiellement sur la mission de votre etablissement ,
l’enseignement de l’education a l’information et son amelioration dans le future.
Pour cette visite, je n’aurais pas besoin de rencontrer d’eleves.
Pourriez-‐vous me contacter pour m’informer si votre ecole souhaite participer a mon
enquete et quells dates vous seraient favorable.
Anne-‐Lise Robin
113
7.3 Appendix 3: Initial questionnaire piloted by MA students
1. What is your definition of Information Literacy?
2. How do you define Information literacy as it is taught in your school? Do you
feel supported by senior management?
3. Is there a programme for teaching information literacy in your school?
4. What is your contribution to it?
5. How is it structured?
6. Who does it include?
7. Who designed it?
8. Do you feel supported by colleagues and other staff members?
9. Could you give me a concrete example of how this programme is delivered?
10. Is it linked to another area of the curriculum?
11. What do you think are the benefits of this programme?
12. How do you think this could be improved further?
13. Is there anything else you would like to say about information literacy and
they way it is taught in (name of country)?
14. Do you know about Information Literacy models?
15. Observation of a lesson
16. Are you chartered?/ Do you belong to FADBEN?
17. What facilities do you have in your library?
18. Do you wish you had more help from colleagues?
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7.4 Appendix 4: Rejected questions
The following questions were omitted in the interview carried out and are followed
by reasons for their rejection:
1. Are you chartered?/ Do you belong to FADBEN?
Membership could have proved an interest in current issues but this question was
dropped, as it did not bring any valid argument to the discussion on Information
Literacy.
2. What facilities do you have in your library?
It was felt that this question was unfair and that facilities might not have an
important impact on teaching.
3. Do you wish you had more help from colleagues?
This question did not apply to all interviewees and could have possibly upset some.
The researcher felt it was best to stay off potential personal arguments.
4. Do you know about Information Literacy models?
It was felt that this question could be asked within the last interview questions on
opinions on Information Literacy and its teaching.
5. What is your definition of Information Literacy
Answers would have already been provided by the sample when asking for
definition in the context of the school.
115
7.5 Appendix 5: Information brochures
7.5.1 England
Implementation of Information Literacy in secondary schools in France and England
Anne-‐Lise Robin MA Librarianship University of Sheffield 2011
07580029088
1
You are being invited to take part in a research project. Before you decide it is
important for you to understand why the research is being done and what it will
involve. Please take time to read the following information carefully and discuss it
with others if you wish. Ask us if there is anything that is not clear or if you would
like more information. Take time to decide whether or not you wish to take part.
116
Thank you for reading this.
Who is organizing and funding the research
This study is undertaken by Anne-‐-‐-‐Lise Robin, student in Librarianship at the
Information School of the University of Sheffield. The research process is supervised
by Sheila Webber, lecturer at the University of Sheffield and Francoise Chapron,
lecturer at the Universite de Rouen. The study is self-‐-‐-‐founded.
Ethics
This project has been ethically approved via the School of Information ethics review
Procedure. The University’s Research Ethics Committee monitors the application
and delivery of the University’s Ethics Review Procedure across the University.
Background
The purpose of the research is to compare how secondary schools in France and the
United Kingdom teach Information Literacy.
Objectives for this study are:
To compare policies and curricula in England and France
Study how these are implemented in both countries
Suggest how could both countries improve and what they could learn from each
other.
The study will be based on a literature review of French and English policies and
curricula. School librarians and head teachers will be interviewed in order to
provide a snapshot of the current teaching of information literacy skills and
how it could be improved. Interviews will be reviewed and provide
suggestions for recommendations as to how both countries could improve
information literacy teaching.
Why you have been chosen
117
For the purpose of this research, the student has decided to interview school
librarians and head teachers in order to gather qualitative data on the
teaching of information literacy. You have been chosen for your position and
links you have with the researcher or her tutor. Other candidates have been
selected on the same criteria in France.
Your Participation
It is up to you to decide whether or not to take part. If you do decide to take part
you will be given this information sheet to keep (and be asked to sign a
consent form) and you can still withdraw at any time without it affecting any
benefits that you are entitled to in any way. You do not have to give a
reason.”
3
About the process
Your participation will be punctual and last for the length of the interview process.
It would be helpful for the research if you could provide an email address to answer
further question should they arise.
The researcher will arrange an interview time convenient for you and travel to your
school. Questions will focus on information literacy and its implementation in your
school. Most questions will be open and offer an opportunity for clarification and
justification. Should you require the interview questions in advance, please ask the
researcher. Your answers will constitute qualitative data about information literacy
118
in England; in-‐depth answers would be most beneficial.
During the interview process, the researcher will have to record your answers. You
can choose not to be recorded when signing the consent form. Recorded data will
be safely stored and destroyed after the completion of the dissertation should you
wish to.
Disadvantage and benefit
The name of your school will be mentioned in the researcher’s dissertation. You can
choose for your participation to remain anonymous, should you feel the data will be
detrimental to your school’s image.
‘Whilst there are no immediate benefits for those people participating in the
project, it is hoped that after submission of the dissertation, you will be able to
request a copy and quote extracts reflecting your information literacy process
pending appropriate referencing.
Contact for further information
England: Sheila Webber, [email protected], 0114 222 2641 France:
Francoise Chapron, francoise.chapron@univ-‐-‐-‐rouen.fr, 06 70 00 80 81
119
7.5.2 France
Place et enjeux de l’enseignement de l’Education a l’Information dans
l’enseignement secondaire en France et en Angleterre
Anne-‐Lise Robin
Information School Université de Sheffield 2011 [email protected]
07580029088
1
Vous êtes invité à participer à un projet de recherche.
Avant tout, il est important que vous puissiez comprendre pourquoi cette recherche
est mise en œuvre et ce qu’elle engage. Je vous remercie de prendre le temps de
120
lire précisément les informations qui suivent et d’en débattre avec vos collègues, si
vous le souhaitez.
N’hésitez pas à prendre contact avec moi pour tout éclaircissement ou tout
complément d’information. Prenez le temps de décider si vous acceptez ou pas de
participer au projet.
Je vous remercie par avance.
Qui organise et légitime la recherche
Cette étude est entreprise par Anne-‐Lise Robin, étudiante à la section
Documentation de l’Ecole d’Information de l’Université de Sheffield. La recherche
est dirigée par Sheila Webber, professeur à l’Université de Sheffield et Françoise
Chapron, maître de conférences à l’Université de Rouen-‐-‐-‐Mont-‐-‐-‐Saint-‐-‐-‐Aignan. Le
sujet a été formulé par l’étudiante.
Ethique
Ce projet a été approuvé selon la procédure établie par la commission d’éthique de
l’Université de Sheffield.
Contexte
Le projet de l’étude est de comparer l’enseignement de la recherche documentaire
en France et au Royaume-‐-‐-‐Uni.
Les objectifs de la recherche sont :
comparer les programmes nationaux et les cursus en Angleterre et en France
étudier la façon dont ceux-‐-‐-‐ci sont mis en œuvre dans chaque pays
formuler la façon dont chaque pays pourrait bénéficier de la méthode de l’autre.
L'étude sera fondée sur une revue de littérature des programmes français et
121
anglais. Des documentalistes, chefs d’établissements ainsi que
professionnels de l’information seront interrogés afin de donner un aperçu
de l'enseignement actuel de l’éducation à l'information et les possibilités
d’améliorations. Les entrevues seront examinés et constituerons la base
d’une étude sur les qualités de chaque système.
Pourquoi vous?
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122
L’étudiante-‐-‐-‐chercheuse conviendra avec vous du meilleur moment pour vous
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Pour plus d’information
Angleterre: Sheila Webber, [email protected], 0044 114 222 2641 France:
Françoise Chapron, francoise.chapron@univ-‐-‐-‐rouen.fr, 06 70 00 80 81
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7.6 Appendix 6: Interviews
7.6.1 England
7.6.1.1 Interview with E1, Library Manager in Leicester on the 11th of May 2011.
Anne-‐Lise: How do you define Information literacy in your school and do you feel
supported by senior management in those terms?
E1: Erm [Pause] It’s a very broad subject Information Literacy, it encompasses
learning to read to learning how to use computers. The school here is excellent,
very supportive of students and me. The English department is also very good in
terms of what they do with the library. If students struggle, they give them extra
help. Key Stage 3, I have a library lesson once a fortnight which is brilliant because it
gives students a focus on the library. The management is very supportive; for
example, one of the school rules is that every student should have a non-‐fiction
book with them so that they have the opportunity to read often. And any initiatives
I try to implement for the library, they look at it and they often say yes. Mel and
Phil46 are always enthusiastic about what I can bring to the school. There is a
literacy coordinator in the school now who helps me extend what I do to every
department. It’s good to have a link on the teachers’ side
Anne-‐Lise: And do you have a program of information literacy?
E1: I have a reading group, which is part of the day to day tasks…
Anne-‐Lise: Can we say that this helps students to find what they want in the library
first?
E1: Yes. The English department lets me run three sessions a year with year 7
initially when they first start as an induction into the library, the layout, what is
expected of them and what you can expect from the library. And then once they
settle in a bit, I teach them a session on how to use the library management system.
46 Headteacher and Business Director
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So I take control of teaching for those sessions. I ask them to all log in and then to
search for books, how to reserve, how to access public libraries catalogues and also
where they can do their own reviews. And then the next session, I ask them do their
own reviews on a book they’ve read. Once I’ve read and approved them, they get
attached to the entry in the catalogue so everybody can read it.
Anne-‐Lise: Do you teach as well, how to look for information?
E1: I do offer that to everybody but so far nobody’s taken me up on that.
Anne-‐Lise: So the opportunity’s there but it might a be a question of freeing up time
maybe? [pause]So you’ve answered some of my questions already. Did you actually
plan the Year 7 lessons?
E1: On my own, and then I go through it with Jo47 and she’ll make any changes she
considers necessary. But when we get over it, she mostly agrees with everything I
submit.
Anne-‐Lise: Could you give me an example of lesson plan?
E1: It depends on the lesson, an induction lesson or an how to use the system
lesson. It’s based around that but the main outcome for every lesson is to improve
learning. This is always the outcome, whatever the lesson. And the actual library
lesson, the lesson plan is, return old books, choose a new book and they get time to
issue it, I’m here for support if they need it. And then also the English department,
set up lesson plans for actual library lessons. What they do in the library is totally
different from what they do in the classroom, and they have booklets that they
work through.
Anne-‐Lise: My next question is, is this programme linked to other areas of the
curriculum but I know already that the English department uses the library a lot…
47 Head of English Department
125
E1: Yes I’m really fortunate that English uses me a lot and that the senior
management feel that it is important and I have a big say in what goes on in the
library. RE48 use us a lot too, they often send students down during lessons to get
books out, but they always encourage books from the library to have research
done, rather than looking on the Internet. It is also encouraged in their homework.
RE also let me know what they need so I have the stock ready. History as well has
started doing that. They give me good notice on what they need and want.
Anne-‐Lise: So can you say that because the school’s ethos is so supportive of the
library, it makes sense that the core of your teaching focuses on how to use the
library for research as opposed to using the Internet for example.
E1: Yes.
Anne-‐Lise: What do you think are the benefits [pause and sigh] I want to say of this
curriculum but maybe it’s more of you being there, and being supported by senior
management?
E1: I think it covers everything, the fact that I’m there and able to be there for
students, the fact that I can manage my own budget and that senior management
have little input in what I buy for the library means that I can take books that
students actually want to read because it’s boring if I only get books that they have
to read. They have to get a book a book once a fortnight so the stock needs to be
new and interesting. So students get an input in the library. The fact that senior
management supports that is essential to their learning really. Because if they don’t
enjoy it, they won’t take it in .
Anne-‐Lise: And ideally, how would you improve what you do and in terms of
information literacy?
E1: I would like all departments to use the library fully, to bring classes in, to teach
research skills, to use research skills, this is something we are doing with the literacy
48 Religious Education
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coordinator, reminding them what’s available in the library. I think it will improve
with all the help provided by senior management. It just takes sometimes a while to
get people in the swing of things.
Anne-‐Lise: To finish, could you tell me if you have any comments on Information
Literacy and the way it is taught in England?
E1: I think it needs more highlighting in every subject and particularly IT49, where
just the basics of research are taught.
Anne-‐Lise: Yes, there could be a strong partnership.
E1: It seems that departments just rely on old material. Linking everything would
bring new ideas, especially between departments, creating cohesion.
Anne-‐Lise: I’m not actually sure that teachers know about Information Literacy.
E1: NO! There’s so much they need to learn that it is [pause] it’s at the back of their
minds. When they hear about it they think “Yeah it’s great” but they don’t actually
do anything about it. It is difficult and it needs highlighting in secondary schools
because students don’t have a clue! Each school and each education authority are
so different, it needs to be the same all over, nationally. It needs guidelines for
every area to be similar. I talk to other school librarians I meet during training and
not a lot have lessons in the library. The library is an optional little room. Everybody
should work towards making it a central place, with a structure. The school library
also needs to open up towards public libraries and provide a learning curve for
students by opening up on information outside the school.
49 Information Technology
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7.6.1.2 Interview with E2, Library Manager in Leicester on the 11th of May 2011.
Anne-‐Lise: Ok so it’s recording now, so how do you define Information literacy as it
is taught in your school?
E2: Especially for the new students and new staff coming in the school, showing
them how to use the library, how the library works. What functions of the library
are, rules and regulations and just for them to be comfortable in using the library.
[Pause] And the knowledge needs to be passed on and hopefully the knowledge
stays with them for the 5 years that they are here and for staff, obviously to
improve their work. Support their curriculum needs.
Anne-‐Lise: So it’s also for staff to know what’s available…
E2: Yes and to know how to use it
Anne-‐Lise Is there a programme for teaching information literacy in your school?
E2: There is no specific programme as such. I run induction periods for all new year
7 classes. There are revision classes for year 8 and 9. And there is, unfortunately
there has been a change in who was in charge of NQTs. The other new teachers,
now, it’s part of their remit. They come and have an induction of the library.
Anne-‐Lise: What would you say is your contribution to the induction programme?
E2: I have to organize, I have to teach the induction sessions and follow through
what might happen as well.
Anne-‐Lise: When you say organize, do you plan them? As in making a lesson plan?
E2: Well, now they come at registration. They used to come for full lessons with a
library induction quiz. But because of various timetable changes, it’s no longer
possible. So now they come during morning registration so they have 5-‐10 minute-‐
inductions.
Anne-‐Lise: Do you think that it is detrimental?
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E2: I do.
Anne-‐Lise: How did this happen?
E2: I just think it is what needed to happen. If they could continue with it they
probably would. But as it turned out, new timetables meant it couldn’t be done.
Anne-‐Lise: I might repeat myself there but how is it structured?
E2: It’s at morning registration, which is usually between 8.30 and 8.45. But because
a lot of students forget they’re supposed to be coming here, some turn up for 5
minutes, some don’t. So some do not get the full induction because at some point,
you have to get started otherwise it won’t get done at all. It’s very difficult because
it’s such [Pause] an unstructured time. Students coming and going, people walking
in and out of here.
Anne-‐Lise: Are form tutors cooperative?
E2: 90% yes
Anne-‐Lise: Could you give me a concrete example of an induction session?
E2: I welcome them to the library, I then explain initially how they go about it to
find books, swipe cards, how long they can borrow books for, what the process is,
the overdue system, then I explain about the Dewey system. I tell them how many
books in the library, how it’s split up. How they can find what they want. We have
about 10000 books, half fiction, half non-‐fiction. I show them the Eclipse system.
How they can search and reserve books but they can’t do anything else. Also I show
senior fictions and easy readers. And the reference section. So I explain all of that
and then we have the careers section at the end. I explain the computer booking
system. About printers. The basic rules of the library. That’s usually all we have time
for.
Anne-‐Lise: So you don’t really have time to develop in how to find information in
general, outside the library to support school work and life?
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E2: No it’s really library based, how to use the index, basic things and all you can say
really is, if you have a problem, go and talk to myself or one of the student
monitors.
Anne-‐Lise: Would you say that induction is linked to another area of the curriculum?
DO you have demand from the teaching staff?
E2: It is difficult because some teachers have a fairly good input. We’ve always had
a good relationship with Art for example. English is, erratic [laughs]. Usually there is
support from English but other than that, no we do find that in regards to the
curriculum, requests for advance notice about what may be required are always
retrospective so suddenly you have 30 students asking for such and such and you
think “oh right they have an assignment on this”. And then you have to get the
resources in. Which is difficult but I know most schools have the same problem.
Anne-‐Lise: What do you think are the benefits of this programme?
E2: I would like to say that there are huge benefits to this initiative but they tend to
forget as soon as they’ve been told. There are few who by the time they have had
the induction, use the library everyday. They’re the ones interested in it. This year,
is the first year we’ve done the refresher for year 8 and 9 but they forgot everything
except for those who use it regularly.
Anne-‐Lise: Ideally, how would you run an Information Literacy curriculum?
E2: To have a much more detailed and informative induction. To go back to doing
the basic quiz. It takes them around and teaches them how to use the index and
understading how the library works. They seem to absorb information better when
they are actually doing it practically.
Anne-‐Lise: And to finish, Is there anything else you would like to say about
information literacy?
E2: [Pause] It’s always different in every school. In some it is very important and laid
from the top. Here it is less important in some respect. They want the library to be
very high profile but there isn’t the mean to keep it that way.
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Anne-‐Lise: So is it just a façade?
E2: Yes, I shouldn’t say that but yes.
Anne-‐Lise: Also can I ask you what your formation is? How were you trained to this
job?
E2: I came into it by chance. I started in schools as a library assistant back in 1990 to
have holidays at the same time as my children. I was sent to the City and Guilds
Information Skills Certificate. It then enabled me then to get an onsite promotion
and then I came here as a library manager. I fell into this profession. You learn it as
you go along.
After the interview, E2 expressed concerns about the mission of the library. She feels
not supported by senior management and also feels that any ideas to develop the
service further are rejected. Support is erratic and while there is an expressed value
of the library, it is perceived as false by library staff. E2 feels frustrated, as she also
was not consulted for input when building the new library and new timetables being
put in place.
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7.6.1.3 Interview with E3 MA, Library Manager in Leicester on the 11th of May
2011.
Anne-‐Lise: So how do you define Information Literacy as it is taught in your school
and do you feel supported by senior management?
E3: Information Literacy in the senior department, it is more based in ICT than in the
library although the library does some things independently. The main things that
we have as a concrete thing in the timetable are in Year 6 and 7; students are given
an induction in using the library and library research skills, which includes the
Internet as well. And then every summer term, about now, we do, exam revision
skills, which also includes information research skills. It’s normally done, well it’s
done differently for every year group so in Year 6 and 7 I just go to classrooms, talk
to them and give them examples. Year 8, I did in a whole school assembly with a
PowerPoint. For year 9 and 10 and 11, I’ve produced a booklet. For sixth form, we
have enrichment days where we did the presentation and then discussed it as a
whole group. All of theses resources are available online on the VLE for girls to look
at whenever they want. They are the main active resources as opposed to people
coming in the library asking to explain things.
Anne-‐Lise: Do you feel supported by senior management in those initiatives?
E3: Probably a bit of both. Senior Management wanted me to do it and boost the
library profile. But then it depends on the Head of Year and how they want to do it.
So I am encouraged to implement but not encouraged to take part into it.
Anne-‐Lise: So I know already there is Information Literacy teaching, what is your
contribution?
E3: I put information together, I produce resources, and I give expertise and deliver
content if necessary
Anne-‐Lise: And when this happens, do you collaborate with ICT?
E3: No, independently.
Anne-‐Lise: Who does it include?
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E3: All year groups, the librarian assistant helps putting information together.
Anne-‐Lise: Who designed it?
E3: Me!
Anne-‐Lise: Was there anything in place before you arrived?
E3: There were a couple of things… because this came after a Teaching and Learning
Committee. All members of staff participate and discussed this. One History teacher
showed me what she was doing in terms of research skills and offered to help me.
So I’m not sure there were things in place. Maybe inside departments, in punctual
lessons.
Anne-‐Lise: So it used to be sporadic and now it’s more coordinated?
E3: Yes.
Anne-‐Lise: Could you give me a concrete example of how these are delivered?
Could you show me your PowerPoint?
[The both look at the PowerPoint and Anne-‐Lise takes a copy].
Anne-‐Lise: My next question is, which subjects are involved in this program?
E3: It is linked to all subjects. It is done independently as a library thing but we try to
relate it to all subjects and it is relevant.
Anne-‐Lise: What do you think are the benefits of this programme?
E3: It gives the girls skills, not only library, but skills they can use in their work and in
their lives. Them being taught how to use online encyclopaedias and search engines
are useful for schoolwork but also outside school.
Anne-‐Lise: How do you think you could improve this programme further? Ideally, if
you could do whatever you wanted?
E3: I think, if [pause]. At the moment, we do it once a year and towards the end,
just before exams so it’s fresh in their minds but I think it’d be best to do it in the
133
Autumn term, because it’s not just about exams, it’s also about coursework and
assignments so I think it’d be good to do it earlier in the year and they can practice
for the whole school year. And also do refreshers for longer periods of time, for
example an hour. We could also use computers and they could show me what they
know already, the application of it.
Anne-‐Lise: And then finally, do you have any comments on Information Literacy and
how it is taught in England?
E3: I think it needs to be a statutory requirement and an integral part of the
curriculum because I think having now done the Librarianship course; I know how
useful it is for your academic work and application to life in general. If I knew what I
know now when I did my degree, it would have made such a difference in the way I
found information. It would have saved me so much time. If you are taught and
supported by your school, it really makes a difference.
Anne-‐Lise: And I forgot to ask you, when you designed this programme, did you
base yourself on any literature?
E3: Yes, well we had quite a lot of books already in the library and then I ordered
some more that I could use, that I could read through and extract methods. I just
wanted to inform myself and see what was out there.
Anne-‐Lise: Do you have any specific titles?
E3: yes, I’ll show you.
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7.6.1.4 Interview with E4 BA (Hons) Cert Ed. MCLIP, Learning Centre Manager in
Stockport on the 16th of May 2011.
Anne-‐Lise: What is your education background?
E4: I have a degree in Information Literacy, BA Honours from Manchester Metropolitan
University. I’ve done my CertEd50 in the work place. I have five years experience in a 6th
form college. I have an MA in Information Literacy and also my Chartership.
Anne-‐Lise: okay so how do you define information literacy as it is taught in your school and
do you feel supported by senior management?
E4: [Pause] basically the way I see Information Literacy is as not just computer skills, it is not
just about looking how to find the right book. I think Information Literacy skills, is to do with
how you interact with information. What I try and do with the students is to make them
more confident with how to access the information and to actually make choices about the
information as well. That’s how I see Information Literacy. I know it sounds very small term
but that is basically how we actually focus within in our school.
Anne-‐Lise: And do you feel supported by senior management?
E4: I do actually, yes I do, I read that and I was thinking there are probably many schools
that would probably say no. I do actually feel supported not just by senior management but
also by all the teaching staff as well. I’m unsure sometimes whether they actually
understand what the term means, Information Literacy but they understand that I’m trying
to do a job in the library. It’s all to do with study skills and how to access information and
they see that as part of that but they but they don’t actually understand what the term
means.
Anne-‐Lise: So you’re bringing expertise.
E4: Yes, definitely.
[Both laugh]
Anne-‐Lise: Is there a program for bringing information literacy in your school?
50 Certificate of Education
135
E4: Not a strict program. I know some schools do a program whereby they follow the James
Herring Plus model. There are some schools that do that. Now, what I do is actually take
elements of the actual model and do it throughout the whole five years so between Year 7
and Year 11. They’ve got a program but it’s more scattered through the whole five years
rather than just doing the whole program in one year and then they don’t do anything for
the rest. I tend to incorporate the actual sessions within individual subjects rather than
being standalone sessions done in a library. They’re not done in a library, I tend to go inside
a classroom and there’s a bit more collaboration with the teaching staff. What I find about
the PLUS model and other programs, they can be very time consuming. If you have a
program and I find that if I approach a subject and say ‘I’ve got this program I want to do,
say, the PLUS model and I want to do it within their subject’. Now that doesn’t take one
lesson, it doesn’t take two lessons, it’ll probably take several lessons and I don’t think
they’d be willing to do that even though they are really supportive of what I do but I think
the actual time limit with the programs is quite a lot and it’s a big problem with exams.
Anne-‐Lise: So what’s your contribution to it?
E4: I collaborate with staff though that normally does end up with me leading the session
even though I’ve got my teacher there supporting me, which is really good. It’s really good
to have a teacher there because even though I have respect throughout the whole school,
in a classroom situation students are going to take more notice of what a teacher says and
they teacher can give the links between their own subjects as well. So I tend to lead the
session but it’s not a session where I’m just standing up and talking for the whole hour
about it. It’s very interactive and they’re doing a practical session, very practical based.
Anne-‐Lise: So you bring your expertise but its up to students and teachers to make what
they want of it?
E4: They do, yes that’s it.
Anne-‐Lise: How is the program structured?
E4: It’s done in individual subjects. I’ve got a few examples later on with the subjects that I
do but there’s not a strict program where they follow a strict model or anything at all like
that and teachers pick up parts of the Information Literacy skills within each of the
136
individual subjects so it’s not each of the individual subjects but they do pick it up in each of
their subjects and I try and make the links along the way possibly within the lesson.
Anne-‐Lise: Who does it include in terms of students
E4: I’ve got students between Year 7 and Year 11 so eleven years olds when they start and
in our schools they finish when they’re fifteen, sixteen and there’s no sixth-‐form. I don’t do
a great lot of work with the Year 11 because of exams and restrictions, which I think is
really a shame. With information literacy it’d be good to do the transition between Year 11
to them going up to sixth-‐form college or even workplace. And that’s a really critical year
group to do and we don’t do much at all in Year 11. So it seems to be mostly between year
7 and Year 9 but I do some work with the Year 10 as well
Anne-‐Lise: Who designed it?
E4: I designed all of the lessons. I keep on mentioning collaboration, which I do with the
individual subjects because teachers approach me so they ask me if I could do a particular
session on a particular topic to do with Information Literacy. For example searching
techniques on the Internet or how to evaluate information, so they approach me.
Sometimes I approach them but I don’t need to do it that often.
Anne-‐Lise: You’re the first person I’ve spoken to who has said that teachers come to them
E4: I suppose sometimes it’s to do with time as well. I’m only part-‐time now, I work three
days instead of the whole week so maybe it’s to do with that but, I keep saying that, I
collaborate with staff and I think that’s really key to Information Literacy in the future. I
think to get partnerships and see Information Literacy as not a librarian’s job but the whole
school and trying to get teachers involved in that.
Anne-‐Lise: So you’ve been mentioning Herring and the PLUS model.
E4: That’s the one I tend to use but I know there are lots of other models. I get confused
because there’s so many and they are repeating themselves. That’s one of the difficulties of
making Information Literacy happen.
Anne-‐Lise: Could you give me a concrete example of how this program is delivered?
E4: I’ve got two examples. I think inductions are Information Literacy, I think they are
important. Now what I do with Year 7 and Year 8, I have a murder mystery with a real body
on the floor, with blood and it’s a standalone lesson in the library. It’s not what I want to
137
achieve but it helps students being interested in finding information. At the end, they
figure out who the murderers are, out of three convicts. Hence, they go to a cold case two
weeks later and that is linked to Information Literacy and the quality of information as well.
I also try to include team building, communication, independent learning. But the whole
process has to be fun, students cannot see the relevance of Information Literacy as it is a
very odd subject. So if you make it fun, they will go along with it. I also work with different
subjects like business studies, I do a brainstorming keywords activity with students. The
good thing with working with individual subjects is it tends to be with older students and
they can link lessons with coursework so there is relevance. I do food technology where I
teach how to use search engine and Boolean factors for example. And also, and it is an
interesting one that’s becoming more and more important, is plagiarism. This is so
common, I had a PE51 group coming to work on computers in the library, and we found that
there was a lot of copying and pasting happening so I have now developed a session on
plagiarism. It has changed students’ perception of the subject.
Anne-‐Lise: What do you think are the benefits of this programme?
E4: I have the chance to have colleagues involved and collaboration is a massive boost, you
get noticed. They recognise you have teaching skills, experience and expertise; I think that’s
really important. There are also benefits for students. It can be a boring subject, but it is
easy to make fun through team working and presentations.
Anne-‐Lise: How do you think it could be improved?
E4: I think, librarians need to have designated times for Information Literacy rather than
teachers approaching me. There should also be a clear space in the curriculum. They do
have Information Literacy bites in their subject, it is clear that teachers do it by themselves
and gather what the term means. It’s not just my responsibility but the whole school’s.
That’s what I’m trying to get across really.
Anne-‐Lise: And finally, is there anything you would like to say about Information Literacy
and its teaching in England?
E4: We were talking about models earlier on and I think it is really confusing, we should
only have one model really for everything. It should be one model included in the
curriculum. It should be a model that could be used throughout a person’s learning path:
51 Physical Education
138
infant school, secondary school, college and university, workplace. And I think there should
be much more transition between all of them, much more collaboration between sectors.
That would mean for neighbouring places to meet and discuss strategies and outcomes for
transition.
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7.6.2 France
7.6.2.1 Entretien avec F1, Professeur-‐Documentaliste a Cormeilles le 12 Avril 2011.
Anne-‐Lise: C'est bon, on enregistre. Alors, tu veux les questions?
F1: Non c'est bon, va-‐y.
Anne-‐Lise: Comment est-‐ce que tu définis l'approche de ton établissement vis a vis de
l'éducation a l'information ou culture de l'information?
F1: [Pause] Donc l'éducation a l'information... On va dire l'équipe pédagogique plutôt que le
chef d'établissement, en question de soutien. Il n'y a pas de réelle politique telle qu'elle est
définie en France. Mais on peut dire qu'avec l'équipe pédagogique il y a une politique
documentaire car [Pause] c'est devenu culturel, depuis le temps que je travaille ici, ils sont
habitues a notre collaboration. Il même des refus tellement il y a de demandes, je peux pas
dire oui a tout. Dans notre établissement, on a des chefs d'établissement de passage donc
ils sont bienveillants mais on n’a pas de lien par rapport a ca. Je suis autonome mais ils sont
réceptifs. Il y a une méconnaissance du métier de professeur documentaliste donc la
politique documentaire pour eux, ca ne les intéresse pas. Si c'est du au cursus je ne sais pas.
Je n'ai pas encore trouve quelqu’un avec une réponse. On a toujours des chefs
d'établissement qui sont a un de la retraite donc... [Pause] en fin de carrière. Je ne sais pas
si un chef d'établissement nouveau [Pause] est... [Pause] Voila
Anne-‐Lise: Bon alors ma prochaine question, tu y a déjà répondu en partie, y-‐a-‐t-‐il une
politique documentaire dans ton établissement?
F1: Oui.
Anne-‐Lise: [Simultanément] Donc oui. [Toutes les deux rient]
F1: Donc oui j'ai les documents. La première année j'ai fait la formation sixième mais j'ai du
trouver des collaborations parce que je ne connaissais pas les collègues. Il a fallu que je
fasse une étude de base, c'est a dire la base de ma politique pédagogique quoi.
Anne-‐Lise: D'accord.
F1: Donc j'ai eu des assises et même depuis trois ans j'ai fait des modifications.
140
Anne-‐Lise: Est-‐ce qu'il y avait déjà un programme avant que tu arrives dans ce poste? Tu
avais quelque chose sur lequel te fonder ou est-‐ce que t'as mis ca en place toi même?
F1: Alors en fait déjà j'ai eu une très bonne tutrice qui faisait de la formation sixième -‐
troisième et ce qu'elle faisait me semblait vraiment cohérent donc ca m'a servi de base
d'étude qu'après j'ai étoffe et modifie pour en faire quelque chose de vraiment diffèrent.
Mon année de stage c'était en ZEP52 donc c'était la ville et des gamins, déprimant en
arrivant. Et la je me suis retrouve ici avec pas du tout le même public. Donc on adapte en
fonction du besoin et des usages des usages en fait [Pause]…et des collègues.
Anne-‐Lise: Ca va de soi, et quel est ton rôle dans l'enseignement de l'éducation a
l'information? Il est central en fait?
F1: [Pause] Mon rôle... [Pause] Je vais dire que c'est un rôle prépondérant par rapport aux
autres collègues. C'est ma spécialité... Ici je suis vraiment reconnu comme une prof, c'est a
dire que ma spécialité c'est la documentation, la science de l'information mais je suis pas un
membre a part de l'équipe éducative. Mais certes si on est dans le domaine de l'info-‐doc53,
j'ai la légitimité propre à mon cursus, à ma formation à l'information en fait.
Anne-‐Lise: D'accord.
F1: Je ne sais pas si... je vais aux conseils de classes, réunions parents-‐profs avec les autres
professeurs donc... Il n’y a pas vraiment de différence en fait. Je remplis les bulletins, je
mets des appréciations. Je me définis comme ca, je suis un professeur.
Anne-‐Lise: Donc ma prochaine question c'est quelle est la structure du programme donc tu
m'en a déjà parle. Est-‐ce-‐que tu peux me redonner les grandes lignes pour chaque année.
F1: Pour chaque... [Pause] alors... en fait je vais donner l'objectif principal pour chaque
année. Alors en sixième, c'est savoir utiliser le lieu CDI54.
Anne-‐Lise: D'accord.
F1: Donc ca va d'utiliser la base documentaire... en mode simple évidemment, se repérer,
savoir trouver le support, que ca soit l'archive ou dans le fond et savoir prendre, ranger,
c'est vraiment du manipulatoire. En cinquième, on est plus sur savoir prendre l'information
52 Zone d'Education Prioritaire 53 Information-‐Documentation 54 Centre Documentation et d’Information
141
alors savoir extraire l'information, savoir repérer l'information. En sixième c'est manipuler
mais la c'est vraiment trouver l'information par rapport au sujet, à la demande. La
pertinence de l'illustration, la pertinence de l'information, la pertinence du livre, la
pertinence des mots clés donc ca tourne vraiment autour de ca. En quatrième, parce qu'en
fait c'est un peu le cycle central, cinquième c'est le début, l'ébauche et en quatrième on
étoffe vraiment. Et on aborde aussi tout ce qui est le droit. Et en troisième je vais être plus
sur un réinvestissement de tout, de la sixième à la quatrième par le biais du dossier
documentaire. Vraiment. Est-‐ce que je suis prêt a rentrer en seconde, est ce que je suis
autonome dans ma démarche a l'information, est-‐ce que je maitrise les outils
documentaires. Enfin moi mon objectif c'est qu'ils soient armes pour la seconde.
Anne-‐Lise: D'accord. Et donc... qui est implique?
F1: Ah bah tout le monde [Toutes les deux rient] Moi en premier lieu, les éleves, parce que
si ils sont pas volontaires c'est un peu complique et surtout les collègues donc les
professeurs hein. Donc voila... la CPE55, on travaille ensemble pour former les délégués de
classe donc on peut dire que la CPE est parti prenante. Je ne travaille pas avec la conseillere
d'orientation psychologue dans le sens qu'elle n'est la qu'une demie journée par semaine.
Mais on travaille en cinquième et en quatrième sur les PFM56 donc on travaille avec tous les
élèves et les professeurs principaux. On travaille aussi dans le cadre de l'éducation à la
citoyenneté avec l'infirmière, on fait des actions ponctuelles. Par exemple, ils font un
dossier sur un métier qu'ils ont envie de faire.
Anne-‐Lise: Avec quelles matières est-‐ce que tu as le plus de relations? Donc tu me disais un
peu tout le monde...
F1: Je travaille le plus avec la SVT57. La SVT en premier lieu et en deuxième lieu les PP58.
Parce que j'utilise la vie de classe59 pour faire plein de chose donc tout ce qui est le droit et
les dangers d'Internet en quatrième, c'est sur l'heure de vie de classe et le PP est aussi la. Le
parcours de PFM en quatrième c'est aussi sur l'heure de vie de classe. En sixième, avec les
PP sur l'heure de vie de classe, par exemple on fait comment utiliser le dictionnaire. Donc
je travaille avec les PP, un peu tout le monde quoi. Tout le monde y passe.
55 Conseillere Principale d'Education 56 Parcours de Formation aux Metiers 57 Sciences et Vie de la Terre 58 Professeurs Principaux 59 Une heure en classe par semaine avec le professeur principal
142
Anne-‐Lise: Quels sont les avantages pour toi du programme que tu as mis en place?
F1: Je vois tous les élèves. Disons que par exemple je vois bien l'importance de mon
enseignement en sixième et cinquième quand on atteint le cycle central en quatrième et
que j'ai un nouvel élève. Tous les élèves ont le même niveau et je vois tous les élèves, au
niveau de ma relation pédagogique avec les élèves c'est très satisfaisant. Apres j'attend le
résultat d'une enquête de la documentaliste du Lycée Prévert60 qui recupere les élèves et
donc elle leur fait un diagnostique a l'entre en seconde, je voudrais avoir ces resultats pour
voir si il y eu quatre ans de... [Pause] quatre ans de CDI, comme ils disent [les élèves]. Ou
pas. Je voudrais mettre en place un groupe de travail avec des collègues pour savoir ce
qu'on attend d'un élève a l'entrée en seconde pour pouvoir mettre en place un projet, une
progression au collège.
Anne-‐Lise: Comment est-‐ce-‐que tu penses pouvoir améliorer ce programme?
F1: [soupire] en développant l'usage de TIS61. Je t'avouerai que ce n’est pas vraiment facile
parce que j'ai un parc informatique obsolète. On manque de moyens financiers par
exemple, hier on me proposait un abonnement a Universalis Junior, une encyclopédie
numérique performante, c'est beaucoup trop cher pour moi. Ici, on a un problème avec les
TIC, pour eux, ca ne va pas plus loin que Google. Ils sont très crédules vis a vis de
l'information. Par exemple, la j'essaye de développer une séance des la sixième sur
l'interprétation de l'information. Je me suis inspire de cet article d'Okapi62 et on peut avoir
des avis différents sur cette photo. J'ai envie de leur projeter ca sur la vidéo projecteur et la
décrire et l'interpréter avec eux et leur laisser donner leur avis a l'oral pour leur montrer
que chacun la comprend différemment. C'est encore un projet pas abouti mais je pense
qu'il faut le faire des la sixième. Ils ont une crédulité par rapport aux medias absolument
effarante et... c'est effrayant parce que c'est des futurs citoyens qu'on forme.
Anne-‐Lise: Et pour finir, est-‐ce que tu as des commentaires sur l'éducation a l'information?
F1: [Pause] Comment ne pas pratiquer la langue de bois tout en restant politiquement
correcte? Il y a une très forte hétérogénéité au sein de notre profession. [Pause] Les
circulaires... notamment la dernière, ne nous aident pas parce que ca reste toujours de
l'ordre de l'imprécis, du non-‐dit et je suis intimement persuadée que tant qu’on n’aura
60 Le lycée de proximité 61 Technologies de l'Information et de la Communication 62 Un article sur le stop avec une illustration montrant deux jeunes adultes levant le pouce
143
pas... [Pause] tant qu'on sera toujours déchirés entre notre double étiquette de professeurs
et de documentalistes, il n'y aura jamais un vrai programme, pas de cohérence nationale.
Donc ca varie d'un établissement à l'autre et ca fera des élèves avec des capacités
différentes. Personnellement ca me gène, de savoir que dans un collège, les élèves n'ont
fait que des défis lecture et dans un autre ils ont été très bien formes. C'est pas très
Education Nationale tout ca. [Rie gênée].Mais c'est le cas actuellement.
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7.6.2.2 Entretien email avec F2, Professeur documentaliste a Isneauville
Y-‐a-‐t-‐il un programme d’éducation a l’information dans votre établissement?
Projet documentaire 2010-‐2011
Quels en sont les documents fondateurs? (au niveau national aussi bien que dans la
recherché)
1) Circulaire de mission des professeurs documentalistes
Actuellement, nous sommes entre deux circulaires : la première, trop ancienne, mérite
réactualisation. Mais la seconde, proposée par le Ministère en janvier dernier est très
contestée par les professionnels. Je vous joint l’adresse des deux textes dans le cas où
vous ne les connaîtriez pas.
Circulaire 1986 : http://www.cndp.fr/savoirscdi/index.php?id=209
Projet de circulaire 2011 : http://docsdocs.free.fr/IMG/pdf/Circulaire_Documentalistes-‐
missions_2010.pdf
Vous pouvez trouver de nombreuses réactions là-‐dessus sur Internet. Il est aussi
beaucoup question du PACIFI, également contesté :
http://media.eduscol.education.fr/file/Pacifi/85/4/Reperes_Pacifi_157854.pdf
2) Circulaire académique
http://documentation.spip.ac-‐rouen.fr/IMG/pdf/academie.pdf
Comment definssez-‐vous l’education a l’information telle que vous l’enseignez dans votre
etablissement?
3) Projet 2010-‐2011-‐05-‐15
Voir pièces jointes
4) Référentiel de compétences du groupe de réflexion sur le socle commun (Rouen)
Pour bâtir ma progression, je me suis beaucoup inspiré de ce travail de groupe sur le
socle commun où nous avons voulu préciser ce qu’il y avait derrière la formule un peu
succincte du B2I : « S’informer et se documenter »
http://documentation.spip.ac-‐rouen.fr/IMG/pdf_ac_rouen_socle_commun_2008.pdf
145
Quel en est la structure? (Définition du programme et objectifs par annee)
5) Progression
Voir pièces jointes
Pourriez-‐vous me donner un exemple concret de lecons?
En 6ème, les élèves travaillent par groupe de 4 pendant deux heures. Chaque groupe
désigne un responsable du jour qui prendra les notes sur le travail réalisé (Carnet de bord).
On commence toujours la séance par une série de questions posées à l’écrit auxquelles ils
doivent répondre en groupe, sur le thème du jour (Ex : le fonctionnement d’Internet, les
différents types de document, le classement des documents, comment se repérer dans un
document…). Cela sert d’évaluation diagnostic avant le cours qui se fait naturellement en
donnant les réponses aux questions. Il peut s’agir aussi d’une mise en situation sous forme
de petites missions à accomplir (Ex : trouvez un document de tel type sur tel sujet au CDI)
ou de travail de groupe ( Ex : à partir d’un corpus de documents, trouver un système de
classement). Le « cours » en découle naturellement ; il ne dépasse jamais 15 minutes et
j’utilise volontiers des vidéos à ce moment-‐là. Il est toujours suivi d’un exercice
d’application d’une bonne demi-‐heure. Puis d’un moment « vocabulaire » où les élèves
doivent réfléchir à la définition des nouveaux termes utilisés puis l’écrire. C’est le moment
où les concepts abordés sont listés. Puis les élèves font le bilan des acquis par groupe.
Ci-‐joint les fiches concernant la première séance sur Internet, cette année.
Qui est impliqué? Quels sont les partenaires privilégiés de ce programme?
En principe, toute l’équipe pédagogique.
Dans les faits : le professeur-‐documentaliste et : les professeurs de français en 6ème ; les
professeurs d’histoire-‐géographie en 5ème ; ceux de français et d’histoire-‐géographie en
4ème ; les professeurs de SVT en 3ème.
Quels sont les avantages de ce programme?
La validation par compétences oblige à prévoir un curriculum complet qui amène
progressivement l’élève à connaître les notions essentielles (document, auteur, droit
d’auteur, référencement de l’information, validation de l’information, usage de
l’information) et à pratiquer les principaux outils utiles pour leurs recherches (catalogue de
146
bibliothèques, usuels, moteurs de recherche) et plusieurs types de document (papier et
numérique).
Comment aimeriezvous ameliorer ce programme?
En ne validant les compétences qu’en fin de cycle (en 3ème) sur un exercice complet et en
situation. En disposant de plus d’heures en 5ème, 4ème et 3ème, en particulier pour
approfondir l’histoire de l’information et des nouvelles technologies qui sont importantes
pour comprendre et le fonctionnement et l’usage qui est fait de l’information sur le Web.
Avez-‐vous des remarques ou commentaires sur l’éducation a l’information en France et sa
définition?
Le Ministère ne veut pas entendre parler de concepts dans ce domaine et considère
toujours nos interventions comme une aide aux professeurs, cantonnée au simple savoir-‐
faire des élèves. C’était peut-‐être valable quand nous ne manipulions que des livres et des
revues, mais aujourd’hui un solide enseignement sur le Web est nécessaire, car les notions
d’auteur, de droit d’auteur et de validation de l’information sont devenues nécessaires à la
compréhension et à la bonne utilisation de l’outil dès le collège. Voir le PACIFI qui parle
bien d’un parcours mais sans moyens horaires à l’appui.
147
7.6.2.3 Entretien avec F3, Professeur-‐Documentaliste a Saint Etienne du Rouvray
le 15 Avril 2011.
Anne-‐Lise: Comment définissez-‐vous l'approche de votre établissement vis a vis de
l'éducation a l'information? Etes-‐vous encouragée ou sentez-‐vous de la réticence?
F3: Alors je dirais que ca a beaucoup évolué depuis que je suis arrivée. Ca fait 6 ans que je
suis ici. J'ai remplace quelqu'un qui avait ancre l'apprentissage info-‐documentaire63 dans les
habitudes de l'établissement donc je n'ai eu absolument aucun mal a rentrer dans son
sillon. Donc je dirais que c'est bien accepte. Mais que ca prend de plus en plus d'ampleur
avec le travail particulier qu'on fait ici sur le document technique. Il y a une espèce de
légitimité qui s'est instaure par rapport aux enseignements de génie civil, le professeur
d'atelier pour la partie professionnelle, qui nous reconnaissent des compétences a nous les
professeurs documentalistes.
Anne-‐Lise: D'accord.
F3: Pour apprendre a nos élèves ce qu'est le document technique, ce qu'est un document
professionnel, qu'on en soit usager ou producteur. On nous fait aussi confiance pour la
gestion des ressources lies a ce programme d'éducation. Ils nous font confiance. Ils savent
qu'ils ont à faire un professeur documentaliste qui sait ce qu'est un document technique,
un document qui leur est destiné, un document de professionnels.
Anne-‐Lise: Je sais que cette question n'est pas dans le questionnaire, mais je voudrais savoir
ce que vous pensez de l'enseignement fait au collège.
F3: Ce n’est pas très homogène en fait. Ce n'est pas homogène du tout [insiste sur les deux
derniers mots]. Alors pour diverses raisons [pause] les collèges n'ont pas tous le même
équipement donc d'un point de vue des TIC, ca ce n'est qu'un aspect des apprentissages
info-‐documentaire, de ce cote la le niveau n'est pas homogène et puis après les habitudes
de travail au CDI64 ce n'est absolument pas homogène. Mais je dirais que j'ai peut être une
vision, les élèves viennent tous quand même avec des idées, par exemple "Wikipédia c'est
pas bien, il ne faut pas y aller".
Anne-‐Lise: Donc ils commencent a développer un esprit critique?
63 Education a l'Information 64 Centre de Documentation et d'Information
148
F3: Moi je n'aurais pas vu ca sous un angle positif, plutôt comme une vérité toute établies,
ce que je comprend de la part de mes collègues de collège parce qu'ils ont beaucoup les
élèves en sixième et très peu après et donc on essaye de faire passer des bases et
malheureusement ces bases restent souvent figées. Mais, c'est dans le contexte du collège
donc c'est particulier.
Anne-‐Lise: Ma deuxième question, c'est est-‐ce que vous avez un programme d'éducation a
l'information dans votre établissement?
F3: Oui. Il y a une progression des apprentissages sur deux choses, on concentre nos efforts
sur deux axes: élève usager du document et de l'information bien sur, parce que moi, la
grande différence que je fais entre le collège et le lycée c'est qu'on passe du document65 a
l'information. L'autre axe, c'est l'élève producteur de l'information. Ca, on le décline dans
les différents niveaux. Un autre programme c'est tout ce qui concerne l'identité numérique.
Il faut absolument que l'élève sorte du lycée en sachant qu'il doit préserver son identité
numérique. Il doit avoir une stratégie pour la fabriquer, pour la construire plutôt en vue
d'une séparation entre la sphère publique et la sphère privée, la sphere professionelle. Je
pense que c'est une de nos missions. Voila trois axes de mission qui laisse tout le champ des
possibles.
Anne-‐Lise: Donc on peut dire que votre pédagogie est influencée par votre type
d'établissement et les élèves que vous formez.
F3: Disons qu'ici il y a une réflexion qui se nourrie des avancées de l'information-‐
documentation, des chercheurs mais évidemment, on la contextualise a nos élèves et aux
formations de l'établissement. La partie document technique, document professionnel,
c'est bien sur parce que nous sommes dans un lycée des métiers du bâtiment.
Anne-‐Lise : Quand recevez-‐vous les élèves pour vos cours. Y-‐a-‐t-‐il une heure dédiée dans
leur emploi du temps?
F3: Pour l'accueil des élèves ça dépend des projets : certains sont sur l'année, et c'est inscrit
sur leur emploi du temps avec accord Chef d'établissement. Mais la plupart du temps, je
fonctionne en collaboration avec un enseignant sur ses heures à lui pour donner du sens a
la demarche.
65 Le support
149
Anne-‐Lise: Quels sont les documents qui inspirent et que vous utilisez pour votre stratégie
documentaire?
F3: En tant que professionnelle?
Anne-‐Lise: Oui.
F3: Alors les publications des chercheurs, les publications de colloques, dont le plus récent,
celui coordonne par Eric Delamotte et Françoise Chapron a Lilles66, tous les écrits de
chercheurs dans des champs plus [pause] plus information. On va chercher aussi des
didacticiens comme Pascal Duplessis et puis des gens qui, sur le terrain, font aussi avancer
la réflexion en France. Tout ce qui peut être publie sur les sites de ces gens la. Donc deux
sources: la recherche qui est en train de se faire et les didacticiens. Ce qui ne nous empêche
pas d'aller chercher dans les autres champs disciplinaires, il y a des chances intéressantes
du cote des sciences et de l'histoire. Et puis toute la littérature classique de l'enseignant, les
bulletins officiels, le monde de l'éducation etcetera.
Anne-‐Lise: Et quel est votre rôle dans ce programme d'information a la documentation?
F3: dans l'établissement?
Anne-‐Lise: Oui.
F3: On est la pour impulser. On impulse les projets, c'est notre rôle. Faire prendre
conscience à nos collègues, que c'est une nécessitée absolue. Il ne faut pas que l'élève sorte
de son cursus sans avoir des bases par rapport a l'exploitation de l'information, je fais en
sorte que le CDI soit structure, soit gère comme un système d'information auquel l'élève
est confronte tous les jours, chez lui, pendant ces périodes de stages professionnels. Du
coup il y a une double médiation. Médiation du système d'information, il faut qu’ils
apprennent à trouver les informations dont il a besoin, tout est fait pour ca et médiation
par les apprentissages. Donc c'est nous qui impulsons ca dans l'établissement.
Anne-‐Lise: Et est-‐ce-‐que vous enseignez vous même?
F3: Oui.
Anne-‐Lise: Est-‐ce-‐que vous pouvez me donner la structure du programme?
66 Chapron, F. & Delamotte, E. (2010). L'Education a la Culture Informationnelle. Villeurbanne: Presses de l'Enssib.
150
F3: Alors la seconde ca va être beaucoup sur les sources. Il est essentiel que les élèves
sachent qualifier les sources par rapport à un domaine de recherche. Le web est complexe,
enfin il n'y a pas que le web évidemment entre autre. C'est à dire qu'on sache repérer les
sources qui correspondent à un besoin d'information. La je dirais qu'en seconde c'est
essentiel. En première, c'est une démarche, il faut arriver à acquérir une démarche de
recherche, une stratégie de recherche en fonction de son besoin d'information. Et puis en
terminal, c'est tout ce qui est autour de l'économie de l'information, les enjeux de
l'information. Une fois qu'on maitrise les sources, qu'on a une stratégie de recherche, on
doit en comprendre les enjeux. Pourquoi s'informer, que veux-‐dire s'informer, qui produit
les informations et pourquoi?
Anne-‐Lise: Qui est implique?
F3: Les enseignants, les CPE67, ils savent aussi ce qu'est éduquer a la citoyenneté éclairée.
Ce sont des partenaires légitimes. Les chefs de travaux. Et le gestionnaire comptable parce
que tout ca nécessite des ressources et il est un partenaire privilégié. C'est lui qui va dire
oui ou non, enfin celui qui signe c'est le chef d'établissement, mais il doit y avoir une
collaboration avec le gestionnaire comptable parce qu'il doit comprendre les choix du
documentaliste par rapport à l'acquisition de ressources.
Anne-‐Lise: Donc la je pense me répéter, mais, qui a développé ce programme?
F3: Nous [toutes les deux rient] les professeurs documentalistes. On est énormément dans
la proposition, c’est une des caractéristiques de notre profession, nous sommes une force
de proposition.
Anne-‐Lise: Est-‐ce-‐que votre programme est connecte a d'autres matières ?
F3: Je dirais que c'est la condition indispensable, je ne fais pas un cours d'information-‐
documentation pour l'information-‐documentation. Ca n'a aucun sens pour l'élève. Il faut
toujours que ce soit ancre dans une situation disciplinaire. Pour moi ca prend tout son sens
a ce moment la. Ou une situation de vie. Quand je fais l'identité numérique, c'est ancre
dans une situation concrète de vie.
Anne-‐Lise: Quels sont les avantages de ce programme pour vous?
67 Conseillers Principaux d'Education
151
F3: Pour moi, ce n’est pas un avantage. C'est une nécessite absolue avec le contexte
sociétal, formation tout a long de la vie, le numérique qui se développe, le web 2.0 bientôt
le web sémantique. Il ne faut pas que nos élèves soient en dehors de ca, ils doivent se
l'approprier, c'est une nécessitée.
Anne-‐Lise: Est-‐ce-‐que vous pensez que vous puissiez encore l'améliorer ce programme.
F3: Bien sur.
Anne-‐Lise: Vous pouvez me donner des exemples?
F3: Intégrer toutes les nouveautés. Nous on pratique une veille informationnelle immense
parce que tous les jours ca change. Et donc je dirais que c'est une nécessite d'intégrer ca
dans nos enseignements. Et la façon dont on enseigne a beaucoup change ces dernières
années. C'est à dire que l'entrée systématique que l'on fait c'est une entrée par les notions.
Ce n'est pas une entrée par le procédural. Il faut suivre l'évolution de cette politique donc
oui, il est toujours à améliorer.
Anne-‐Lise: Et avez-‐vous d'autres commentaires a faire, sur l'éducation a l'information en
général?
F3: Le regret que j'ai c'est que malheureusement, d'un établissement à un autre, il y a une
grande hétérogénéité. Si il y avait un cadre, qui...bon on est passe a cote d'occasions. Le
B2i68, c'était l'occasion d'asseoir ces apprentissages d'un cote TIC69 et de ce qu'il fallait
maitriser pour maitriser l'outil. Pour nous c'est l'utilisation intelligente de l'outil ordinateur
et internet qui nous concerne. J'ai de grands espoirs pour le futurs car les professeurs
documentalistes font un gros travail de terrain, immense et je pense que finalement c'est
peut être ca qui va faire évoluer l'éducation a la information. On a une situation avec des
identités très différentes, malgré un CAPES70 qui depuis 1989, institue une profession. Mais
malheureusement dans les faits ce n'est pas encore une profession totalement homogène.
Mais il y a toute une littérature professionnelle qui se développe et des recherches qui se
développent et qui démontrent la nécessite absolue pour les élèves d'être des citoyens
éclaires dans un monde ou l'information est présente, ou elle est un outil et une arme.
Donc je pense que plus que jamais notre rôle est essentiel et c'est ce que nous ferons sur le
terrain, et qui nous donne notre légitimité.
68 Brevet Information et Internet 69 Technologies de l'Information et de la Communication 70 Certificat d'Aptitude au Professorat de l'Education du Second degré
152
Anne-‐Lise: Est-‐ce que vous pensez que la définition de l'éducation a l'information est
actuellement fixe ou il y a encore un débat sur sa nature?
F3: Non elle a encore du mal à être définie. Et c'est normal parce que ca bouge. Nous
sommes une profession qui tient compte de ces évolutions, ca bouge et donc elle n'est pas
encore établie mais ca le devient.
153
7.6.2.4 Entretien avec F4A et F4B, Professeurs-‐Documentalistes au Havre le 15
Avril 2011.
Anne-‐Lise: Pouvez-‐vous me parler de votre programme d'éducation a l'information?
F4B: On a essaye de mettre en place les formations qu'on souhaitait mettre en place au
lycée. Tout est parti de ce projet.
F4A: On explique comment on en est arrive la?
F4B: Ca s'est pas fait en deux minutes. [rie]
F4A: Donc on commence avec toute une partie sur l'aménagement du lieu. On part de la.
On pourrait que dans les établissements il y a une forte influence du pédagogique donc
mettre en place une progression pour tous les niveaux, donc pour nous de la seconde a la
terminale. Et avec F4B on partageait la même opinion, c'est que la progression est un peu
frustrante, on y met beaucoup d'ardeur et on n'atteind pas toujours nos objectifs et on
avait l'impression qu'il fallait qu'on prenne un peu de temps pour décider ce qui allait
vraiment être utile aux élèves. Essayer d'éviter des interventions, un peu gadget, un peu
artificiel et se concentrer sur ce qui posait vraiment problème, donc ca c'était notre
diagnostique de départ. Donc dans ce document, on rappelle la situation avant l'arrivée de
F4B : et on a change et mis, on a retravaille la base. On s'est dit qu'il nous fallait un
document71, une hypothèse de départ que voici [montre le document Mediadoc de Mars
2007]. Il a été produit par la FADBEN, la Fédération des Associations des Enseignants
Documentalistes de l'Education Nationale dont les initiateurs ont été Françoise Chapron par
exemple. Une association qui a une certaine Independence et qui fait des recherches,
mettent en cohérence, organisent régulièrement des conférences autours de thématique
et il y a eu un particulier tout un travail pour essayer de repérer des notions info-‐
documentaire, de les organiser. Cet ouvrage présente 7 notions organisatrices, ca avait un
gros travail de recherche, d'organisation, de définition. Il y a 64 compétences regroupées
en 7 notions. Et donc on s'est appuyé sur ce travail pour définir les notions qui nous
semblaient incontournables pour bien travailler au lycée, celles qui étaient secondaires,
celles qui avaient été probablement abordées au collège. Et effectivement ca répond a un
71 Albertini, F. (2007). Médiadoc Mars 2007, Les savoirs scolaires en information-‐
documentation -‐ 7 notions organisatrices. Paris: FADBEN.
154
choix particulier, dans un contexte particulier avec des objectifs particuliers. Et qui peuvent
évoluer. Donc la ca nous a pris pas mal de temps. On s'est mis autour d'une table et on a
choisis une par une les notions, lesquelles avaient été abordées au collège, celles sur
lesquelles on voulait insister. Apres c'est comment on va construire un programme a partir
de cette sélection, comment on va les aborder, a quel rythme et a quelle fréquence donc la
c'était plus complique. [ils rient tous les deux] Et la justement on ne voulait pas retomber
dans les programmes a l'ancienne mode donc on va plutôt essayer de déterminer, sur un
niveau, un ensemble de finalités. Assez générale pour qu'elles soient atteintes en fin
d'année et suffisamment précises pour qu'on puisse retrouver les notions organisatrices.
Donc ca donne en classe de seconde, formule en une phrase: Avec un point avec une
origine et un terme, donc on développe une idée de progression. Ca n'est clair que pour
nous [Tous les deux rient]. Pour nous on est partis des besoins et ce qu'on avait observe de
manière empirique, il n'y a jamais eu d'évaluation précise. Ca a demande a être vérifie par
des évaluations plus précises qu'on a fait après. On a remarque qu'en arrivant en seconde,
les élèves savaient qu'il fallait prendre des références des documents qu'ils utilisaient pour
communiquer ces références aux professeurs par exemple. Mais ils ne savaient pas que
faire référence a un document c'est aussi une richesse. Déjà, un traitement bibliographique
de l'information, la référence bibliographique, c'est aussi une information en soi. J'informe
sur le travail que j'ai accompli, comment je l'ai nourri, quels directions je lui ai donne. Et ca
en classe de secondes ils ne le savent pas. Donc on a fait des évaluations et on a demande
aux élèves a quoi servait de prendre une référence bibliographique. Et pour eux, c'est pour
retrouver un document.
F4B: Mais c'est ce qui est vu au collège. On en avait discute, en fait les élèves sont formates
et pour eux, on va insister sur repérer les éléments d'identification et insister que ca
permet de localiser un document. C'est un problème auquel on s'est heurte.
F4A: Et il ne voit pas que cette référence est susceptible d'être communique a une autre
personne. Donc du coup, ils ne pas enluns a respecter des règles et des normes. Pour eux,
ca va du moment qu'ils s'y retrouvent et donc après, a partir de ca, on a pu construire une
première séance ou ils utilisent le lieu CDI pour trouver une ressources, en rependre la
référence. Et sans les avoir prévenu, on leur demande de les échanger et de retrouver la
ressource bibliographique. Donc en général ils voient tout de suite le problème.
L'organisation du CDI prend tout sons sens a ce moment la. C’est un rappel de
l'enseignement du collège mais on a remarque que des choses vues au collège, il suffit
155
parfois du changement de lieu pour que tout soit lointain tout d'un coup. Le changement
de contexte montre qu'il a des choses a retravailler. Donc ca c'était la seconde. En
première, on voudrait qu'ils envisagent cette question des référence, par le passage par, je
prélève mais c’est pas tout, je fais référence a quelque chose, un domaine scientifique, a
une expertise, a un domaine du savoir, a un type de document. C'est la que c'est pas facile.
F4B: Non c'est un passage assez difficile. On a surtout observe ca lors des TPE72 ou on voyait
des bibliographies fournies par les élèves. Il était clair qu'il ne comprenait pas le sens de
l'exercice73. Le fait que ce soit un produit intellectuel, construit, qui permet de soutenir un
discours, tous ces éléments n'apparaissaient pas. Enfin au départ on a bien réfléchi sur ce
qu'était une référence bibliographique, sons sens...
F4A: Il faut dire que ces notions qu'on a vu la au début [cherche la référence dans le
document pédagogique] ca ne reste que des mots, il faut voir ce que nous on met derrière
et faut voir aussi le degré de complexité qu'on veut atteindre avec les élèves.
F4B: C'est vrai que c'est par petites touches, ca va se complexifier de la seconde a la
première, la bibliographie sera toujours la, on la travaille et l'enrichie...[ne finis pas sa
phrase].
F4A: On est assez souple dans notre démarche. On va travailler ca en seconde et puis on va
voir si ca progresse un peu en première. Et notamment dans les TPE, même si on continue a
exiger une bibliographie parce que ca fait partie de l'exercice, on a vraiment essaye de,
pour que ca prenne un sens tout au long du travail, de l'inclure en notes dans le travail de
réflexion. Si on fait une citation, on met une référence. A ce moment la ca prend un autre
sens. Et les élèves ont bien compris que ca rajoutais de la valeur a leur travail. C'est vrai
qu'on a vraiment travaille avec eux sur la citation, ils s'en sont facilement empare et ils ont
compris que ca ajoutais du poids a leur discours...
F4A: Alors que la bibliographie non.
F4B: On voudrait aussi qu'ils passent du copier-‐coller sans sens a la citation, ca change tout.
Qua-‐est-‐ce qu'une citation, comment elle est introduite? Il y a tout un travail qui répond a
un besoin de l'élève. Parce qu'on a toujours ca en tète, c'est que ca soit utile aussi.
72 Travaux Personnels Encadres
73 présenter un dossier de recherche
156
F4A: On a aussi du se battre et on se bat encore contre l'idée qu'il vaut mieux faire un
copier-‐coller dissimule, donc un plagiat bien fait, plutôt qu'une citation. Pour certains, la
citation n'est pas un travail personnel.
F4B: Et la en Métiers et Parcours de la Science, les élèves travaillent sur la police
scientifique donc j'insiste sur le besoin de faire des citations. Mais ce n’est pas encore clair
ce passage de la citation, de la transformation intellectuelle.
F4A: En première, on passe a l'origine des informations. Et c'est introduit justement par les
références. Si faire une référence ce n'est plus seulement citer ses sources, il faut que les
sources soient valides. Le fil conducteur c'est ca. Et donc d'abord il va falloir valider la
source et puis progressivement... On est encore en réflexion, parce qu'on a pu arrive assez
facilement jusque la, références, faire référence, citer sa source mais après ca suffit pas
valider la source, il faut aussi vérifier que l'information est bonne. On en est la maintenant.
F4B: C'est plus dur a mettre en place.
F4A: Il faudrait peut être ne faire un objectif transversal sur tout le cycle lycée. La
progression est aussi sur l'ensemble de documents du travail, la vulgarisation. En seconde,
on estime que c'est encore dur pour eux de manipuler des informations de qualité
scientifique ou universitaire. Et on souhaiterait en première, tendre vers ca. Donc que d'ici
la fin de la terminale, ils sachent qu'il y a une documentation spécialisée auxquelles il
faudra s'habituer si ils se tournent vers des études supérieures. Et donc les bases de
données c'est censé les préparer a ca. Il y a un problème, pas seulement d'information-‐
documentation mais aussi un problème de structure éducative en France. C'est que les
classes de terminales, c'est une classe a examens donc le poids des programmes ce fait très
lourd. On a beaucoup de mal a toucher ces niveaux la. Parce que ca ne serait pas plus
complique qu'un autre niveau, c'est juste que...
F4B: C'est juste le contexte qui handicape.
F4A: Nous, on est orphelins des groupes de terminales. Mais on ne peut pas aborder ca (la
préparation aux documents spécialises) en première. C'est vraiment trop complique.
[Pause]. Voila, alors l'idée c'est d'avoir des grandes directions qui nous permettent de
savoir, face a un élève de première, comment progresser. On prend en compte le profil de
l'élève, pas la progression pédagogique au sens du calendrier scolaire. Voila ca c'est les
principes généraux.
157
Anne-‐Lise: D'accord.
F4A: Apres on a, selon les disponibilités, selon les espaces que l'on peut investir, on a des
séances toutes prêtes. C'est un peu rigide mais ce sont des modules sur lesquels...
F4B: on peut varier et facilement mettre en place. Ils sont aussi l'avantage d'être flexible
donc on peut travailler avec eux aussi bien en ECJS74 qu'en dehors de tout dispositif
particulier, qu'en accueil personnalise.
Anne-‐Lise: Et est-‐ce que le programme est relie a d'autres matières? Est-‐ce que vous
travailler avec des partenaires privilégies?
F4B: Ca dépend du contexte, je sais pas ce que tu en penses Frédéric [Pause]. Le contexte
du TPE c'est un contexte vraiment particulier. Apres on va demander aux collègues qui
souvent, si ils peuvent nous permettre de prendre les élèves pour deux, trois heures pour
travailler un point particulier. Et la ils sont tout a fait réceptifs. Les contextes sont varies.
Anne-‐Lise: Donc il n'y a pas de partenariat avec certaines matières?
F4A: On peut dire qu'il y a l'obligatoire [pause] dans le cadre des exercices institutionnels
comme le TPE, les STSS75. Dans lesquels l'élève doit produire une problématique et un sujet
d'étude en croisant deux a quatre matières selon l'exercice. A la fin il produisent un dossier
documentaire et ils ont une soutenance orale. Donc il y a ces exercices la [pause]. Il y a
depuis la reforme des lycées, il y a une option littéraire et scientifique en seconde. On y a
trouve notre place facilement, parce que c'est un programme qui dure toute l’Anne, sur
beaucoup d'heures. Et les collègues ont apprécie de pouvoir collaborer et scinder une
classe en deux pour pouvoir faire des travaux pratiques. Et donc dans les deux classes
concernes, F4B et moi avons été inclue toute l'année sur la moitie du temps de toute la
classe. Et donc la on a pu aborder notre programme, la citation... et beaucoup d'autres
choses. Apres il a des matières, comme l'ECJS. Certains collègues sont très intéresse par nos
questions et nos interventions, il pourrait presque même travailler au CDI sans nous. Il nous
a même aide a avancer en se saisissant de questions et donc la on est associes étroitement
a sont travail en activités ponctuelles.
Anne-‐Lise: Quand, exactement, recevez-‐vous les élèves pour vos cours. Y-‐a-‐t-‐il une heure
dédiée dans l'emploi du temps ou est-‐ce en fonction des besoins et disponibilités?
74 Education Civique Juridique et Sociale 75 Sciences Techniques, Sanitaires et Sociales
158
F4A: Nous plaçons nos interventions dans le cadre d'activités interdisciplinaires imposées
au lycée : TPE, AID, ECJS, etc. Selon nos disponibilités nous sollicitons directement les
collègues des classes concernées pour qu'ils nous confient les élèves.
Anne-‐Lise: Vous avez répondu a toutes mes questions d'un coup. Je voulais aussi vous
demander ce que vous pensiez de l'éducation a l'information, sa traduction, son
enseignement?
F4A: Alors ca a été aussi traduit en France par Literacy Informationnelle. On a depuis un
certain nombre d'années beaucoup de modules qui s'appellent "éducation a". C'est des
grandes incitations institutionnelles sans responsable véritable. Tout le monde peut
l'assumer au même titre que tout le monde peut assumer l'éducation a l'information. J'en
suis persuade, pour preuve notre collègue dont on parlait plus tôt. Alors du coup, quelle est
notre place a nous?
F4B: Est-‐ce-‐qu'on a un point de vue particulier a apporter? C'est ca en fait qu'il faut se
poser comme question.
F4A: Donc je dirais que nous, comme n'importe quel enseignant on peut enseigner cette
éducation a, si on le souhaite et le pense légitime. En revanche, on a peut être quelque
chose de plus spécifique, une vision plus globale de tous les problèmes lies a l'information,
sa recherche, son traitement. Moi je suis plus a l'aise avec le terme "culture de
l'information". Parce que je pense que chaque enseignant a pour but de préparer ses élèves
a l'information. En revanche, nous, nous avons a transmettre une culture, du document, de
l'information, c'est a dire, en s'inscrivant dans la durée, avec plusieurs entrées possible, des
grandes finalités qui ne sont pas nécessairement celles des disciplines, qui ne sont pas
cruciales pour les disciplines. Donc moi je me sens plus a l'aise a enseigner une culture de
l'information.
F4B: Et puis c'est vrai qu'en France ca a été le sujet de beaucoup de discussions, "culture de
l'information", "éducation a l'information", tout le monde n'a pas été d'accord. Les
entrées... [pause] et... [...] il y a beaucoup de choses cachées derrière. C'est a dire que c'est
une notion qui n'est pas neutre en France. Il y a toute une littérature et des discussions
autour de ces expressions. Et en fonction de l'expression qu'on sélectionne, il y a une
volonté politique derrière. Une politique dans le sens premier. Donc des qu'on parle
"d'éducation a" il y a une sorte de diffusion des responsabilités a tous. Et quel est donc la
place du professeur documentaliste dans cet "éducation a"? Mais c'est vrai qu'il y a
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beaucoup de, il y a toute une littérature, je pense en particulier a Duplessis, autour de cette
problématique. Et ces notions ont évolue avec le temps et les objectifs des professeurs
documentalistes. Ca n'est pas neutre. Et cette recherche sur les Learning centre c'est pas
pour rien. Il y a derrière tout une réflexion, une représentation du lieu, des enjeux et des
fonctions du professeur documentaliste.
F4A: Alors ce qu'on peut dire aussi, on a une assez grande liberté dans notre métier ce qui
nous séduit mais il y a quand même un discours de l'institution actuellement, qui s'est
empare de la litera informationnelle. Je pense que tu as entendu parler du PACIFI76. Il y a eu
beaucoup de discussions autour de ce document qui a été exploite a un moment par
l'institution qui s'en est empare et qui a été, il faudra que tu ailles voir sur le blog de Pascal
Duplessis77 et qui discute et critique. C'est issu d'un groupe de travail qui réuni des
documentalistes, des inspecteurs et des enseignants chercheurs. Le préambule est
intéressant.
F4B: C'est vrai, c'est intéressant a lire. On est plus dans des...
F4A: Voila le texte , donc la c'est intéressant, Michel Planquet qui est un chercheur, lui va
parler de "culture de l'information".
F4B: La on est sur la notion de compétences.
F4A: Par contre, le discours de l'inspection générale, avec Jean-‐Louis Durpaire, lui il parle
"d'information literacy".
F4B: Il parle beaucoup de compétences, de savoir-‐faire. En gros il faut savoir classer,
identifier...
F4A: Ce qui est étonnant c'est que dans cette histoire de literacy informationnelle, il y a
l'idée que l'vêle doit savoir faire un certain nombre de choses. Alors que dans la culture, il y
a la notion de savoir faire mais aussi beaucoup d'autres choses.
F4B: Il y a une compréhension on va dire, la c'est un autre stade.
76 Ministère de l’Education Nationale. (2010). Repères pour la mise en œuvre du Parcours de formation à la culture de l’information [Online]. http://media.eduscol.education.fr/file/Pacifi/85/4/Reperes_Pacifi_157854.pdf 77 http://esmeree.fr/lestroiscouronnes/idoc/blog
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F4A: Disons que le savoir faire n'est pas nécessairement central. A la limite on peut dire
qu'un élève qui n'aurait pas compris mais aurait compris la nécessite de le faire, il serait
dans l'esprit de la culture. Alors que effectivement la on est dans, l'élève doit savoir faire.
F4B: Donc est-‐ce qu'on doit savoir appliquer un certain nombre de choses ou s'interroger
sur ces choses, comprendre leur enjeux. Ce n'est pas du tout la même position.
F4A: Est-‐ce qu'on peut alors imaginer utiliser ces objectifs pour créer un programme? Quel
est le but de ce document.
F4A: Personne ne le sait.
F4B: Disons qu'il pourrait servir d'appui. Il y a aussi une circulaire78 qui aurait du sortir et a
été finalement retenue qui s'appuyait en partie sur le PACIFI. Il y a aussi le document de
l'UNESCO79de 2008 qui sert d'appui pour certains documents. Mais c'est pareil il est surtout
sur le savoir-‐faire, les compétences, plutôt que sur la compréhension.
F4A: Alors que l'institution est encore très militante sur la partie compétence même au
niveau du collège avec une évaluation au niveau du socle commun.
78 Circulaire de mission 79 United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. (2008). Introduction à la maîtrise de l’information. Paris: UNESCO.
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