Information Literacy in Education - Essay Example

Information Literacy in Education Information Literacy assists an individual to acquire the ability to collect information, to judge whether it is meaningful or not, and to solve a problem with the help of information collected. The scope of Information Literacy is beyond Computer Literacy or Library Literacy, because mere know-how may not guarantee or lead one towards quality learning experiences. Besides, Information Literacy helps an individual to consider education as a lifelong process of learning. Among the many models available to assist teachers in teaching-learning process, the Seven Faces of Information Literacy, 7 Pillars model of information literacy and Big6 are selected here for the investigation purpose. Thesis statement: An investigation to unearth the scope and importance of Information Literacy in educational field by assessing three important models (the Seven Faces of Information Literacy, 7 Pillars model of information literacy and The Big6 model ). Three models of instruction and related literature As pointed out, the models selected for the investigation are the Seven Faces of Information Literacy, 7 Pillars model of information literacy and Big6. The Seven Faces of Information Literacy formulated by Christine Bruce deals with the usage of information technology in the educational field to enhance learning experiences provided by the teacher. Leaning (2009), in the work- ‘Issues in information and media literacy: Education, practice and pedagogy’ makes clear that Christine Bruce in Seven Faces of Information Literacy describes Information Literacy as the usage of technology for the repossession and sharing of information (p.53). All the innovative methods aim to help the student community to make use of information technology in their learning process. Bruce (2006), in the work ‘Transforming IT Education: Promoting a Culture of Excellence’ makes clear that the gap between those who know how to use Information Technology and those who know how it works is becoming narrow (p. ix). So, incorporation of IT in school level may be helpful to reduce this wide gap. The Seven Pillars model aims to generate innovative ideas in educational field, especially among educational practitioners and to incorporate these ideas into higher education scenario to develop skills among student community. Bowman (2007) opines that ‘Seven Pillars’ model deals with seven information skills which is helpful for an individual to achieve information literacy (p.60). Besides, The Seven Pillars model helps the individual learner to identify the relationship between information skills and IT skills, which play an important role in teaching-learning process. One can see that the role of a teacher in the classroom environment is that of a guide who leads one towards knowledge. Besides, the ‘Big Six Skills’ method formulated by Eisenberg and Berkowitz is most helpful for the individual teacher and students to attain their aim. Chee-Kit Looi, David H. Jonassen, and Mitsuru Ikeda (2005) make clear that the method formulated by Eisenberg and Berkowitz is the best because it is supportive to co-ordinate instructional skills of the teachers and information provided by library media specialists (p.406). But school librarians play an important role in implementing Information Technology in classrooms. Roberts and Keating (2000), opine that the scope of Big Six Skills in classroom environment is wide because it helps teachers and school librarians to implement innovation into the traditional classrooms (p.122). Besides, the Big Six method is most helpful for inculcating problem solving ability among the student community. As a Secondary ICT teacher, I feel that most of the students face difficulty to collect information from different sources. Besides, incorporation of these innovative methods/models will help the students to enhance their skills in learning, speaking, reading and writing. When the curriculum is constructed by considering the difficulties faced by the students in classroom environment, the scope of Information Literacy and the innovative learning models become wider. Critical evaluation The scope of Information Literacy in Secondary ICT (Information and Communication Technology) is beyond the limits of traditional mode of classroom instruction. The traditional mode of classroom instruction does not equip the student community to be self-directed in their learning process. Besides, Information Literacy is a goal to be achieved, not mere searching for information from different sources. Seven Faces of Information Literacy formulated by Christine Bruce The first face in Seven Faces of Information Literacy deals with the usage of Information Technology to create information awareness in the learners. The second face deals with the experience provided to the individual learner in information sources and services, and the third is related to the inculcation of problem solving and decision making capacity in learners. The fourth and fifth faces are related to the recognizing and managing of information collected from different sources and critical thinking capacity of the learner. The sixth and seventh faces deal with the development of information collected from different sources and some code of conduct and usage of information collected in different situations. But Alistair Mutch (2008), in the work ‘Managing Information and Knowledge in Organizations: A Literacy Approach’ makes clear that Christine Bruce pointed out that the attributes developed in higher educational scenario cannot be inculcated into work place environment because both the areas are different (p. 19). The first four formations of the model rely much on objective analysis of information. Moreover, the model is closely connected with computer science and library science, an added advantage for a Secondary ICT student and teacher. In addition, the model is most supportive for an ICT student to enhance his/her skills in retrieving information from different sources. SCONUL - 7 Pillars model of information literacy The first and second pillar in 7 Pillars model of information literacy is linked with the ability to realize one’s needs and different ways that one can acquire relevant information. The third and pillar is related to the ability of the learner in locating relevant sources to collect information and the ability of the individual learner to locate relevant information. The fifth and sixth pillar is related to the ability of the individual learner to evaluate the information collected and the application of information collected by the individual learner. The seventh pillar is strictly related to the usage of collected information in different fields. Penny Dale, Matt Holland, & Marian Matthews (2006), opine that the Seven Pillars model helps the students to assess their skill development in Information Literacy (p. 142). The model leads the student community to appropriate learning experiences in the classroom environment. In addition, it can be inculcated to a range of scholastic levels. The model is a basic model which can be applied in other disciplines of education and it helps the students to be effective participants in teaching-learning process. The Big6 model formulated by Eisenberg & Berkowitz The first and second step in Big6 model is strictly related to the capacity to identify one’s requirements and one’s decision making capacity for collecting relevant information to accomplish a task. The third and fourth step focuses upon the capacity to trace and access relevant information and its usage. The fifth and sixth step is connected with the usage of information collected in existing pool of knowledge and evaluation of Big6 model. Karen E. Fisher, Sanda Erdelez and Lynne McKechnie (2005), make clear that the origin of the Big6 model created by Eisenberg and Berkowitz was from varied teaching-learning experiences (p.64). The Big6 model is basically an information processing replica which helps the students to be competent in problem solving and decision making processes. From the perspective of a student, the model is most helpful because it contain activities related to information problem solving strategy. The organized set of learning experiences assist the students to deal with assignments and other activities formulated by the teacher. Besides, the scope of the model is not limited to any age group or grade level. The SCONUL - 7 Pillars model is supportive for a student because it enhances learning process and helps him/her to be an effective participant in teaching-learning process. At the same time, it helps the teacher to create effective learning experience in the classroom environment. On the other side, the Big 6 model is learner-centred which helps the individual learner to be competent in problem solving and decision making processes. From the perspective of a Secondary ICT teacher, the Big6 model helps him/her to incorporate different types of problem solving activities in the classroom environment. Besides, the Big 6 model helps the learner to deal with assignments and other activities planned by the teacher. On the other side, the Seven Faces of Information Literacy model is a combination of computer science and library science and is helpful for a student to retrieve information from different sources. From the perspective of a Secondary ICT teacher, The Seven Faces of Information Literacy is most helpful because it helps the teacher to give individual attention to his/her students. Moreover, it helps the students to learn by their own and to retrieve information from different sources. The model helps the students to be in the forefront of Information Literacy because it gives ample ability in collecting information, judging the same and solving problems. The Seven Faces of Information Literacy coordinates the service of library authorities and the teaching staff and leads the students towards new knowledge. So, I will adopt The Seven Faces of Information Literacy as a standard model for use in my school. The factors that ensure successful teaching and learning process The factors that ensure successful teaching and learning are the successful inculcation of innovative educational models which enhance the teaching-learning process. The role of innovative educational models is vital because the role of a teacher in the classroom is to equip his/her students to be competent in the technologically developed world. To ensure successful teaching and learning, the teacher must be so cautious in selecting educational models. Joie Taylor (2006), opines that Information Literacy include all information and ideas that one needs in one’s lifetime (p. 2). The Secondary ICT teacher, with the help of library authorities, can play a crucial role to ensure effective learning experiences because Information Literacy is interconnected with classroom instruction. Besides, the teacher must try to understand the individual competency of his/her students because it is helpful to have effective participation from students’ side. But leading the students towards Information Literacy may not ensure skill development. There is high possibility for an average/below average student to accept information on the wed without any critical assessment. When Information Literacy leads to the creation of new knowledge, the teaching-learning process becomes successful. Summing, one can easily identify that the Seven Faces of Information Literacy is supportive to incorporate IT education in classroom environment. The Seven Pillars model leads to development in teaching learning process in the classroom environment and the Big Six method leads the student community towards high proficiency in problem solving. From the perspective of a Secondary ICT teacher, acquiring unique skills to extract valuable information with the help of information technology is more important. Ann Marlow Riedling (2004) makes clear that the first step which leads to success in accessing Information Literacy is the skill of the teacher to identify the needs of his/ her students (p.51). So, Seven Faces of Information Literacy is apt to meet the unique needs of the student community. As the world is undergoing rapid change, Information Literacy plays the most important role in classroom instruction. So, it is important to incorporate innovation into the traditional classroom environment and teaching-learning process. Besides, the Seven Faces of Information Literacy is the best way to coordinate information technology and library science in a secondary classroom environment. Bibliography Bruce, C. (2006). Transforming IT Education: Promoting a Culture of Excellence. The United States of America: Informing Science. Bowman, J. H. (2007). British librarianship and information work 2001-2005. The Great Britain: Ashgate Publishing, Ltd. Dale, P., Holland, M., & Matthews, M. (2006). Subject librarians: engaging with the learning and teaching environment. The Great Britain: Ashgate Publishing, Ltd. Fisher, K. E., Erdelez, S., & McKechnie, L. (2005). Theories of information behavior. The United States of America: Information Today, Inc. Leaning, M. (2009). Issues in information and media literacy: Education, practice and pedagogy. The United States of America: Informing Science. Looi, C.K., Jonassen, D. H., & Ikeda, M. (2005). Towards sustainable and scalable educational innovations informed by the learning sciences: sharing good practices of research, experimentation and innovation. The Netherlands: IOS Press. Mutch, A. (2008). Managing Information and Knowledge in Organizations: A Literacy Approach. New York, NY: Taylor & Francis. Roberts, S. D., & Keating, K. (2000). Library instruction: a peer tutoring model. The United States of America: Libraries Unlimited. Riedling, A.M. (2004). Information literacy: what does it look like in the school library media center. The United States of America: Libraries Unlimited. Taylor, J. (2006). Information literacy and the school library media center. The United States of America: Libraries Unlimited. Read More