I felt like there has been a lot to unpack or think about this week in this section of the module and course readings; particularly when focusing at the Information Literacy (IL) models and the continual change involving how literacy is taught in schools within the last decade.
There were five IL models that were discussed this week that convey different learning structures and encourage students to follow in order to obtain the most out of a research task. The models that I thought were the most useful this week were the Information Search Process (ISP)/Guided Inquiry Design Process (GIDP) and the Big 6 model. Both models provide that continual process of understanding where the student is up to in their learning process before that final evaluation or assessment phase. I thought the ISP certainly structured each learning skill in a fundamental way as Maniotes & Kuhlthau (2014) stated in their reading “through inquiry, students discover real questions about academic topics.”
I believe that’s an important point that deserves more explanation as learners are continually building upon their prior knowledge in order to deliver the best presentation or assessment for their teachers. This consumption of new knowledge can also be known as a transfer which encourages each student to build upon what they’ve already learnt during a previous topic or subject. For me I contemplate so many of my thoughts a lot of the time and know that I need to work on specific areas in my own learning too. I need to take more time to identify and gather relevant information rather than continually exploring for a while then create a document filled with too many thoughts that hasn’t provided a relevant answer. I have found this during my teaching in primary school classrooms too as students want more information given to them rather than finding the information for themselves.
The way that literacy is being presented has also changed significantly over the last decade as the video ‘What Does it Mean to be Literate in the 21st Century?’ was an interesting eye opener this week as the teachers were talking about how literacy skills in 2009. The sorts of things that were mentioned kind of acted like a prediction for what students would be using in the future in order to develop their literacy skills. Each resource or skill that was mentioned seemed to touch back on the idea that students are constantly using screens as a way of learning whether that be through programs like PowerPoint (that is still being updated for improved use today) or the ways in which students are interacting with screens on a daily basis. Whereas now as teachers we look to use interactive websites for presentations and incorporate Smartboard slides into lessons as they have become such an integral part of teaching literacy in Australia. The video also explored the idea that with this continual use of screen time, students are limiting how much information that they’re taking in outside of school whether it be through visual text or symbols (perhaps on a sign in a supermarket or a promotional poster) as well as interacting with other people in conversations (oral and social literacy). This continual shift between the exposure to screens, which can be a great tool for learning, sometimes becomes more of a distraction and may result in an unhealthy balance of screen time. Teaching our students to not only utilise technology in the classroom but also during time in the school library can expand their literacy skills as well as develop all manner of different life long skills that can be used every day.
References:
Maniotes, L.K, Kuhlthau, C. (2014) Making the shift. Knowledge Quest. 43(2) 8-17
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