Understandings of information literacy change depending on your approach to the term. Is it a set of measurable skills that individuals can acquire? Should our understanding of information literacy include the context of the information need and how we have shared ways of interacting and communication with the information and each other that will impact how information is found and used?
No matter your take on ‘information literacy’ is a common agreement that is necessary component of being a productive citizen in today’s world. Both Kutner & Armstrong (2012) and the Australian and New Zealand Information Literacy Framework Principles, Standards and Practice situate information literacy within the notion of lifelong learning. My philosophy of teaching statement has always included the phrase ‘lifelong learning’, though I don’t think I ever fully thought about it beyond the idea of wanting to continue to learn new things. I certainly didn’t connect the idea of information literacy with it. It is now clearer that information literacy, (either as a set of skills or as a way of understanding and using information in a socially, culturally and ethical way) is a fundamental part of being able to continue learning over your lifetime. Information literacy should therefore be embedded in teaching and learning programs in schools.
Although the Australian Curriculum doesn’t specifically discuss information literacy, it is alluded to in some of the general capabilities. There is a general consensus among experts that inquiry based learning is an appropriate avenue for information literacy education. Embedding information literacy education into an inquiry learning program enables students to begin becoming information literate in an authentic way. This takes a lot of collaborating with classroom teachers and requires support from leadership. Advocating for and teaching information literacy is a main component of a teacher librarian’s role.
References
Bundy, A. (Ed.) (2004). Australian and New Zealand information literacy framework: Principles, standards and practice. 2nd ed. Australian and New Zealand Institute for Information Literacy. https://www.utas.edu.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0003/79068/anz-info-lit-policy.pdf
Kutner, L., & Armstrong, A. (2012). Rethinking information literacy in a globalized world. Communications in Information Literacy, 6(1), 24-33. doi:http://dx.doi.org.ezproxy.csu.edu.au/10.15760/comminfolit.2012.6.1.115