James Herring’s PLUS Model

  • has a Behaviourist Approach to skills building, focusing on developing and acquiring more traditional information literacy skills.
  • doesn’t explicitly include steps/stages for evaluating information/sources of information
  • ‘PLUS’ stands for and covers:

Purpose

  • cognitive skills in identifying existing knowledge
  • thinking skills such as brainstorming or concept
  • skills in identifying information resources

Location

  • locational skills such as the ability to find information in library catalogues, books, journals, CD-ROMs and online information resources
  • selection skills in assessing the relevance of information resources
  • IT skills in using electronic sources such as the Internet

Use

  • reading skills including the ability to skim and scan information resources to find relevant information or ideas
  • interactive skills including the ability to understand what is being read, viewed or listened to and the ability to relate this to existing knowledge
  • selective skills including the ability to select the appropriate information and reject information in the context of the purpose identified for using a particular information resource
  • evaluation skills including the ability to evaluate information and ideas in relation to aspects such as the currency of the information or ideas, the author and any possible bias in the text
  • recording skills including the ability to take notes in a systematic way which relates to understanding and purpose
  • synthesising skills including the ability to bring together related ideas, facts and information about a topic and relating this to existing knowledge
  • writing or presentation skills including the ability to write an essay or report or project in a well structured, logically ordered manner which uses the information and ideas found to good effect

Self-evaluation

  • self-evaluation skills including the ability to reflect on the processes involved in assignment-related work and to identify areas of improvement in the effective use of information resources in the future

NSW Information Search Process (ISP)

  • based on Kuhlthau’s Information Search Process but reduces her 8 steps to 6
  • emphasis is on the process of learning new information
  • focuses on developing information literacy skills to enable lifelong learning
  • builds on prior knowledge and experiences
  • students learn 3 key skills:
    • skills concerned with locating information
    • skills concerned with understanding and using information
    • positive information attitudes and values
  • specifically allows for active involvement from and collaboration with the Teacher Librarian as a specialist teacher to encourage the integration of skills across disciplines, rather than keep them isolated (p.16)
  • incorporates the process of evaluating information sources (p.22)

Neuman’s iLearn Model

  • makes explicit the link between information literacy and learning
  • based on the ideas that “Information itself is the basic building block for
    learning” and “Developing expertise in accessing, evaluating, and using information is the authentic learning modern education seeks to provide.”
  • “information literate people are those who have learned how to learn” (American Library Association in Neuman, 2020, p.119)
  • aims to help learners use information literacy skills beyond the immediate context to a broader one (transferable skills)
  • looks beyond traditional formats of information (p.124)
  • “focuses primarily on information use—applying information to the creation of knowledge, reflecting on that creation, and instantiating and personalizing the acquired knowledge” (Neuman, 2020, p.124)
  • not linear; acknowledges and incorporates shifting back and forth, “looping” between steps and overlapping (p.124)
  • seems oddly prescriptive in how it is adapted (my interpretation, could be wrong)
  • steps are:
    • identify
      • activate a sense of curiosity
      • scan the environment
      • formulate a question or problem
    • locate the information
      • focus on what is to be learned
      • find information needed for that learning
      • extract the most relevant and salient information for that learning
    • evaluate the information
      • authority: the credibility of source and/or author; accuracy, completeness, internal logic
      • relevance: topic and/or task at hand, level of
        learning, depth required,
        appropriateness
      • timelines: currency, physical accessibility
    • apply
      • generate: construct new understanding, personal meaning
      • organise: create appropriate cognitive structure (e.g., chronological, hierarchical)
      • communicate: create appropriate product to convey that structure
    • reflect
      • analyse the adequacy of process and product in both form and content
      • revise: improve as necessary
      • finalise: polish as appropriate
    • know
      • internalise: integrate with previous knowledge
      • personalise: recognise meaning as personal construct
      • activate: draw upon as necessary/appropriate

Big6

  • outlines a problem-solving process in 6 stages
  • steps are:
    • Task Definition
      • Define the information problem
      • Identify information needed

    • Information Seeking Strategies

      • Determine all possible sources

      • Select the best sources

    • Location and Access

      • Locate sources (intellectually and physically)

      • Find information within sources

    • Use of Information

      • Engage (e.g., read, hear, view, touch)

      • Extract relevant information

    • Synthesis

      • Organize from multiple sources

      • Present the information

    • [self-] Evaluation

      • Judge the product (effectiveness)

      • Judge the process (efficiency)

Guided Inquiry Design Process (ISP)

  • acknowledges the emotions students experience while going through the Information Search Process, most noticeably a “dip in confidence” and an “increase in uncertainty” during the Explore stage.
  • emphasises collaborative learning, laying the groundwork (before selecting an inquiry topic), building background knowledge and allowing time to encounter and process inconsistencies, incompatibilities and differing perspectives
  • incorporates information literacy skills but also incorporates reflective practice, enabling learners to review the process, the emotions they went through and understand how we learn
  • 8 steps which are:
    • OPEN
      • Invitation to inquiry
      • Open minds
      • Stimulate curiosity
    • IMMERSE
      • Build background knowledge
      • Connect to content
      • Discover interesting ideas
    • EXPLORE
      • Explore interesting ideas
      • Look around
      • Dip in
    • IDENTIFY
      • Pause and ponder
      • Identify inquiry question
      • Decide direction
    • GATHER
      • Gather important information
      • Go broad
      • Go deep
    • CREATE
      • Reflect on learning
      • Go beyond facts to make meaning
      • Create to Communicate
    • SHARE
      • Learn from each other
      • Share learning
      • Tell your story
    • EVALUATE
      • Evaluate achievement of learning goals
      • Reflect on content
      • Reflect on process