Bruce, Edwards and Lupton (2007) describe six approaches to teaching information literacy. Each has its own focus and related skills and assessments. This is useful for teacher librarians who are interested in developing the information literacy skills of their students because they can assess which skills the students are strong in and which need further instruction. Teacher librarians can then work with class teachers to design tasks that fall within that frame.

While Six Frames (bruce, Edwards & Lupton, 2007) seems to be advocating the use of a particular piece of software , ROSS, the concept behind it is useful in so far as it demonstrates a method of ensuring students have the opportunity to engage in different search techniques and to reflect of the success or otherwise of each one. This also has the advantage to encouraging students to be cognisant of the strategies they employ and to apply different techniques in different situations as appropriate. The authors describe four categories of information search “lenses”, increasing in complexity with the increased focus on planning and reflecting on the information search process. If teacher librarians recognise the lens that students are using most often, they can tailor teaching and learning activities to encourage students to be using more sophisticated methods.

Kutner and Armstrong (2012) argue that information literacy teaching must be incorporated into discipline based teaching and learning activities in order to give an authentic purpose to the learning. This requires a high level of collaboration with class and subject teachers. While the authors were writing specifically about the higher education environment, their argument is equally applicable to the school environment. In order to keep information literacy instruction relevant and engaging for students, an authentic purpose for the learning is required. Bruce, Edwards and Lupton (2007) recommend that this might be accomplished through the use of assignments that require students to engage with the information skills they are learning in order to meet the standards of the assessment.

There is much debate in the literature regarding the nature of information literacy: whether it is a learning process or the outcome of a learning process (Combes, Fitzgerald & O’Connell, 2019). At this early stage in my studies, I agree with the notion that information literacy is a set of skills which can be taught and assessed. There is always context, growing global context, social context, for these skills and any search for, analysis, synthesis or use of information sought and found must take account of that context. This is also, in my view, a skill that can be taught. The extent to which it can be taught in a primary school situation, or even a high school situation, is less clear.

References

Bruce, C., Edwards, C., & Lupton, M. (2007). Six frames for information literacy education. In S. Andretta (Ed.). Change and challenge: Information literacy for the 21st century. Blackwood, SA: Auslib Press. eBook, CSU Library Reserve.

Combes, B., Fitzgerald, L. and O’Connell, J. (2019). Information Literacy Theories. In ETL401: Introduction to Teacher Librarianship. Retrieved from https://interact2.csu.edu.au/webapps/blackboard/content/listContent.jsp?course_id=_42381_1&content_id=_2899468_1

Kutner, L. & Armstrong, A. (2012). Rethinking information literacy in a globalised world. Communications in Information Literacy, 6(1), 24-33. CSU Library.