This subject has significantly reshaped how I understand my role in developing students’ information literacy (IL) skills. Previously I viewed IL mainly as teaching students how to search for information and use reliable sources. Through my learning in this subject, I have come to see it as an continual and ethical skillset that underpins critical thinking, wellbeing and responsible participation in our digital world.
Before beginning this subject I underestimated how digital reading and information overload affected students comprehension and engagement. The readings on infowhelm and digital reading behaviours (Hu, 2022; Lim & Toh, 2020) highlighted that students often skim, multitask and lose focus when reading online. The National Library of New Zealand (2019) explains that comprehension and memory retention are stronger when reading in print as digital texts require greater metacognitive control. Learning about this has made me realise that supporting IL means explicitly teaching digital reading strategies such as annotating, paraphrasing and purposeful note-taking (Roessingh, 2020). Previously I assumed students naturally possess these skills due to the amount of screen time they are often exposed to.
I have also developed a deeper understanding of how media and information literacy intersect. As Notley and Dezuanni (2020) argue, Australian students are not learning enough about how algorithms, bias and misinformation shape what they see online. This connects closely with Caulfield’s (2019) SIFT approach, which encourages students to stop and question what they are reading, check the source, look for other perspectives and trace information back to its original context. Embedding such strategies within inquiry units can empower students to read laterally, think critically and navigate misinformation confidently.
Another key learning for me has been recognising the ethical dimension of IL. Hossain (2022) emphasises the Teacher Librarian’s responsibility in cultivating academic integrity and modelling ethical use of information. Developing students’ understanding of attribution, copyright and plagiarism prevention from an early age is not an “add-on” but central to building integrity and trust in learning communities. The same idea is reinforced by ALIA and ASLA (2016), who highlight that being information literate means understanding how to use information responsibly and appropriately, no matter the medium.
Looking forward as a Teacher Librarian, my practice will focus on embedding information literacy across curriculum areas rather than teaching it in isolation. I plan to codesign learning sequences with teachers that integrate ethical, evaluative and metacognitive IL components. This will be achieved through the use of frameworks like Guided Inquiry and SIFT to structure learning. I will also introduce explicit mini-lessons on digital reading and note-taking to help students develop deep comprehension and retention skills. Most importantly, I will continue to model and promote integrity, curiosity and critical thinking as core values of the library.
This subject has reaffirmed that developing information literate students is not simply about accessing information, it is about teaching them to question, evaluate and ethically contribute to the information landscape.
References
ALIA & ASLA. (2016). Statement on information literacy. Australian Library and Information Association and Australian School Library Association. https://asla.org.au/resources/Documents/Website%20Documents/Policies/policy_Information_Literacy.pdf
Caulfield, M. (2019, June 19). SIFT: The four moves. Hapgood. https://hapgood.us/2019/06/19/sift-the-four-moves/
Hossain, Z. (2022). Teacher-librarians as agents of academic integrity education in Australian schools. Synergy, 20(1). https://slav.vic.edu.au/index.php/Synergy/article/view/591
Hu, X. (2022). Reading literacy and digital engagement. In 4.3 Reading digital information (pp. 10–11). Charles Sturt University.
Lim, F. V., & Toh, W. (2020). How to teach digital reading? Journal of Information Literacy, 14(2), 24–43. https://doi.org/10.11645/14.2.2701
National Library of New Zealand. (2019, October 10). Reading on screen vs reading in print: What’s the difference for learning? https://natlib.govt.nz/blog/posts/reading-on-screen-vs-reading-in-print-whats-the-difference-for-learning
Notley, T., & Dezuanni, M. (2020, July 6). We live in an age of ‘fake news’. But Australian children are not learning enough about media literacy. The Conversation. https://theconversation.com/we-live-in-an-age-of-fake-news-but-australian-children-are-not-learning-enough-about-media-literacy-141371
Roessingh, H. (2020, August 31). Note-taking by hand: A powerful tool to support memory. The Conversation. https://theconversation.com/note-taking-by-hand-a-powerful-tool-to-support-memory-144049
