Information literacy models set out the steps students undertake to guide their learning and develop their knowledge for inquiry tasks.
When moving to adopt an integrated information literacy model for instruction, the teacher librarian holds a notable role. With expert knowledge of quality resources, teacher librarians create, resource, teach and assess inquiry units that enhance student outcomes and build information literacy confidence and skills for the future. The teacher librarian must champion their skills and knowledge of information literacy and subject matter. They are the scaffold for seeking and accessing information, and deepening student understanding and critical literacy skills. By guiding student inquiry and providing opportunities for developing research and learning for life, teacher librarians build on student learning across the curriculum in multimodal forms. It may be beneficial to present studies and literature on examples of information literacy models, as well as practical and collaborative units of work, for schools to consider.
Challenges to the teacher librarian integrating information literacy instruction can be school structures, timetabling and a lack of understanding of the intricacies of information literacy. School context and staffing structures can lead to minimising the use of teacher librarians in planning and pedagogical arrangements. In a smaller primary school setting like mine, the majority of teacher librarians in the region are used to release teachers from face-to-face contact. This inhibits collaborative planning, teaching and learning, an imperative part of inquiry learning. Additionally, the allowance of time in already packed schedules to effectively collaborate with colleagues to support the learning goals of students can be a challenge. Advocacy on the benefits of teacher collaboration with school executives, to support and timetable in planning meetings, is important for the longevity and success of the information literacy instruction and the teacher librarian and classroom teacher partnership.
To foster an environment conducive to the transfer of information literacy skills across subjects and from year to year is paramount in schools. A collaborative approach by teacher librarians and classroom teachers is imperative for the transference of skills across the curriculum. The need for a strong collegial relationship is an underlying theme throughout the study of information literacy and transference by Herring and Bush (2011). Facilitating a school-wide practice of transfer with consistency, collegial discussions and common terminology were identified as essential elements in the successful transference of skills in their research. Teacher librarians and teachers can support the transfer of knowledge and skills by adopting an information literacy model and collaborating on the unit of work. By educators working together using a guiding model, students will develop a common language, clear purpose and structure for their learning and inquiry skills. With the ability to transfer their information literacy skills, students will be well equipped to be able to access, use and evaluate information for their future needs and lifelong learning.
Herring, J., & Bush, S. J. (2011). Information literacy and transfer in schools: Implications for teacher librarians. Australian Library Journal, 60(2), 123-132.