Information Literacy for the Digital Age

Sue Bastone, Head of Learning Resources LVS Ascot,School Library Consultant and Trainer

Joyce Martin, Director, JCS Online Resources

By the end of the day you will have ...

A knowledge and understanding of what is meant by digital and information literacy and its importance

Practical ideas to help your students become independent learners and researchers

An understanding of why trusted sources are important and how they help drive up standards

Practised what you’ve learned Ideas of how to promote and embed e-resources across the

school

Where do I start?

What are you already doing ? Look for opportunities – and grab them! Know the curriculum Make a plan Remember why you’re doing it –

FOR THE STUDENTS!

What is your situation?

Positive Practice

Problems & Challenges

Discussion

What is information literacy?(just 2 of the available definitions)

‘Knowing when and why you need information, where to find it, how to evaluate it, use and communicate in an ethical manner.’ (Cilip)

‘Identifying, assessing, retrieving, evaluating, adapting, organising and communicating information within an iterative context of review and reflection.’ (JISC Collections)

‘Information literacy is a basic human right in a digital world and promotes social inclusion of all nations.’ (UNESCO, 2005)

“Some people with a shaky view of information and knowledge acquisition argue that school libraries are no longer necessary because of the ready access to a plethora of information via the Internet. The uncontrolled growth of the Internet and the variable levels of access to e-publications and e-resources are placing greater than ever demands on the information handling capacities of students of all ages...”

School libraries in the UK: a worthwhile past, a difficult present – and a transformed future? Report commissioned by CILIP SLG, published 2010

“In this digital age, information skills paired with literacy skills are vital….”

“Information literacy defines levels of educational success and the ability to participate economically and socially in society.”

The link between information literacy skills and lifelong attainment is clearly highlighted in School Libraries: A Plan for Improvement 2010.

‘The internet has become central to learning, but the skills to use it appropriately and well have not been central to learning how to learn’

‘..many young people are not careful, discerning users of the internet. They are unable to find the information they are looking for or trust the first thing they do. They do not apply fact checks to the information they find. They are unable to recognise bias and propaganda and will not go to a varied number of sources.’

Demos, September 2011

“Digital literacy gives young people the ability to take advantage of the wealth of new and emerging opportunities associated with digital technologies whilst also remaining alert to the various challenges technology can present. In short, digital literacy is the ‘savvyness’ that allows young people to participate meaningfully and safely as digital technology becomes ever more pervasive in society.

The skills, knowledge and understanding of digital literacy are therefore becoming indispensible as young people grow up in a society in which digital technology and media play an ever more important role.”

Futurelab report 2011

Digital Natives?

Futurelab report 2011

“As attention is increasingly given to children and young people’s interaction with digital cultures, it is easy to assume that young people are ‘digitally native.’ It is often alleged that having grown up with technology, young people have a wealth of digital technology skills that far surpass those of their ‘digital immigrant’ parents and teachers”

Digital Information Literacy

Futurelab report 2011

“Students frequently struggle with their research skills when searching for relevant information on the internet, for example. They can find it hard to select the information they need. Teachers who set research tasks as homework complain of ‘copy and paste syndrome’, the situation in which they find entire chunks of, often only vaguely relevant, information which has been copied and pasted from a website into a student’s homework without the student engaging with its content”

For education this has meant an increasing emphasis on its role of equipping students with the skills considered essential for their future roles in a ‘knowledge economy’.

The e-safety agendaThe Byron Review: Safer Children in a Digital World highlighted the need for young people’s education and the development of young people’s skills in order to keep them safe on the internet. It argued that the focus should be on preserving young people’s right to take risks as an important part of their development but stressed the need to support them by equipping them with the skills needed to make informed choices and think critically about the opportunities offered by digital technologies

When seeking to develop students’ digital literacy, it is important that teachers make explicit links to e-safety – whether this be about age appropriate content, concern over the predatory behaviour of adults, acceptable use and cyber-bullying or issues of plagiarism, copyright and virus protection.

Robert Gordon University: The Impact of School Libraries on Learning 2013 Higher test or exam scores equating to academic

attainment: this includes academic attainment in the form of higher standardised test scores in reading, language, arts, history and maths, and better grades in curriculum assignments or exams;

Successful curriculum or learning outcomes, including information literacy: this includes higher quality project work, the development and practice of information literacy, increased knowledge and reading development; and

Positive attitudes towards learning including increased motivation, improved attitude towards learning tasks, self esteem, and wider reading for ‐pleasure.

A good school library makes a difference:

“International research demonstrates direct correlation between a good school library and higher student attainment. School librarians and school libraries play an important role in supporting pupil literacy levels, enjoyment of reading, information literacy skills and access to knowledge, as well as their self esteem, confidence, ‐sense of safety and wellbeing in the school community”.

‘Beating Heart of the School’ APPG Report 2014

A good school library makes a difference:

Recommendation 2:The APPG recommends that the Minister considers examining the role that school librarians and school libraries play in supporting pupils’ literacy levels, enjoyment of reading, information literacy skills and access to knowledge, as well as on their self esteem, confidence, sense of safety and wellbeing in the school community in greater depth.

‘Beating Heart of the School’ APPG Report 2014

What does being ‘Information Literate’ mean today?A set of characteristics that transform an ordinary student into a "wise information consumer" and "lifelong independent learner “. Information literacy isn't just something you "do" in college, rather "information literate" is something you become, via your coursework and personal experiences and interactions with information’ Philadelphia University 2010

James Herring (2011) defines information literacy as ‘a critical and reflective ability to exploit the current information environment, and to adapt to new information environments; and as a practice’.

Problems encountered in HE More students with varying abilities are entering HE Have not developed critical thinking skills Browse rather than use catalogues Need to learn how to refine searches Find it difficult to judge the level of resources Don’t know the difference between an online

subscription, website, or article within web page Don’t know how to reference and cite Have problems with copyright and plagiarism Not good at extracting relevant information Don’t have time management skillsReading University March 2010

Problems Encountered in HE“ the increasing availability of academic materials online means that evaluating materials (to distinguish between academic materials and other online materials as well as being selective about what is best for the purpose) and managing reading time have become more important.” Reading University March 2015

In common with many universities, Reading offers resources and visits for students and teachers – find out more at:http://www.reading.ac.uk/library/contact/info-for/teachers/lib-info-for-teachers.aspxBirmingham University has good online help at:http://www.skills4uni.bham.ac.uk/

“...research can't just be going with the first answer”

Thomas Pitchford, Hitchin Boys' School, on finding that the poem “Two Sunflowers Move into the Yellow Room” has been wrongly attributed to William Blake on many websites (20 June 2013)See report on BBC News http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-22971225

How do you avoid these pitfalls and instead help drive up standards at your school?

Develop research/information literacy skills from an early age

Encourage teachers to be more demanding about citations

Offer an online library with choice of free and subscription resources from trusted sources in addition to flagging trusted websites

“We think these (information) skills need to be incubated during the formative years of childhood: by university or college it is too late to reverse deeply ingrained habits”

Information behaviour of the researcher of the future 2008A British Library / JISC Study

Becoming Independent Learners

“Learning is both a cumulative and developmental process of becoming informed. Students progress through stages of cognitive development, with their capacity for abstract thinking increasing with age.

This development is a complex process that involves the whole person thinking, acting, and reflecting, discovering and linking ideas, making connections, developing and transforming prior knowledge, skills, attitudes and values.”

Ross Todd’s Guided Enquiry

We need to give our students the skills to step from this....

To this!

Discussion: What sorts of skills, knowledge and understandings do you hope to foster that will support your students to achieve their aspirations and to be successful?

How can schools prepare students? By focusing on developing critical thinking skills as well

as searching skills Assessing and marking these skills Not spoon feeding students to gain good results Ensuring both teachers and librarians work

collaboratively Embedding IL skills in the different disciplines not

teaching them in isolation Introducing a whole school IL policy from year 7 Involving Librarians in curriculum development Including links with local Universities in the school

development plan

Duncan Grey (“Getting the buggers to find out”) identified 20 main skills which make up information literacy:

Questions; Defining the task; Making decisions;

Brainstorming; Problem solving; Identifying sources;

Locating sources; Selecting sources; Finding information

within sources; Reading for meaning; Skimming and

scanning; Evaluating material; Note-taking; Sorting and

arranging; Developing ideas; Presenting findings; Writing

clearly; Rhetoric; Citing sources; Evaluation and review.

The PLTs (Personal, Learning & Thinking Skills – 14-19 Curriculum)

• Independent enquirers

• Creative thinkers

• Reflective learners

• Team workers

• Self-managers

• Effective participators

These work well with IL skills whatever model you choose to use – use them to demonstrate the worth of your IL programme