Living in the information age means we must acquire multiple literacies in order to survive and thrive in the 21st Century. I am not proud to admit that I am scientifically illiterate, however this is something I wish to rectify. Nevertheless, I have managed to survive and thrive whilst being scientifically illiterate. Information Literacy is one of the most important literacies we can acquire, and it is not possible to truly function in society without the skills required to be information literate.
I work in a well-resourced and well-staffed library at a highly academic Top-10 school in Victoria. We welcome classes into the Library for bookings for assistance with the research process, and yet we do not have many bookings. When I cover classes and see how students “research”, I am often horrified. Students do not have the skills to find “gold-standard” resources and are not employing critical thinking skills to the sources they come across. I think we cannot wait for teachers to make bookings of their own volition; making a booking and emailing the students of the change of class venue can feel like more things to organise when they are already strung out.
The Library staff must collaborate with the Senior Leadership Team (SLT) to show exactly how we can augment student learning outcomes by supporting their acquisition of Information Literacy skills. I have also seen teachers give their students the task, and then leave their students to their own devices to research. Whereas the TLs know how to support and guide students throughout the research process.
Working collaboratively with the SLT would likely be the only way that we can ensure that information literacy outcomes are a major school focus. Information Literacy is not necessarily on teachers’ radars, and with all that they have going on, I understand. This is why our library team must be conducting professional development in information literacy for teachers, so that this information is disseminated more widely and students are acquiring and transferring these skills throughout their schooling, in every subject.
Being literate plays a central role in determining our opportunities in life, and of course we want our students to achieve all their dreams and goals. Society has advanced immeasurably since the word ‘literate’ came into the vernacular, resulting in many literacies emerging. Critical literacy is a literacy that also underpins all other literacies. Across all subject areas we will come across conflicting information, and must be able to discern, make meaning and contribute our own original interpretations. This is a literacy that should be taught across the educational frame, and yet I wonder if it is. My impression in my context is that the responsibility of Information Literacy acquisition is almost solely relegated to the TL. Yet information literacy depends on the ability to think critically, and is this another literacy that TLs are responsible for?
I think parents and caregivers must be made aware of the critical role they also play in literacy development. Educators often feel that all the skills needed for life is lumped solely on them, and with the way that politicians can speak about educators, it is understandable that we feel lumped with all the responsibility. We must conduct information evenings for parents explaining how they too can contribute to their children’s literacy acquisition. This would include trips to their local library, discussing age-appropriate issues and promoting an interest in diverse cultures, backgrounds and perspectives.
Margaret Merga (2022) explains that literacy targets must be set out in policy in order to drive meaningful change. Merga cites research highlighting how literacy is supported by reading-for-pleasure. Reading-for-pleasure is often cut from the curriculum as for some reason that boggles my mind, despite the wealth of research highlighting otherwise, it is not seen as fundamental.
Reference
Merga, M. (2022) Every teacher needs to be a literacy teacher – but that’s not happening in most Australian schools, The Conversation, https://theconversation.com/every-teacher-needs-to-be-a-literacy-teacher-but-thats-not-happening-in-most-australian-schools-184557