Posts Tagged ‘sociocultural’

01
May
2019

Information literacy – an overview

categories: ETL401 - Introduction to Teacher Librarian

If one searches for a definition for ‘information literacy’, they might be surprised to find that there are many different definitions of the term. It would appear that the way in which one defines the term differs depending on the context and purpose of the information. Furthermore, as the information environment changes and evolves, so too will the way in which we determine what constitutes information literacy.

The Behaviourist Approach to information literacy is concerned with the acquisition of skills and competencies required to be information literate. These skills include:

  • Recognise a need for information
  • Locate and evaluate the information
  • The ability to retrieve information and store it
  • The ability to use the information in an ethical manner
  • Use the information to create new knowledge and communicate this knowledge with others (Catts & Lau, 2008, p. 12)

On the other hand, the Sociocultural Approach focuses on the construction of knowledge through the interaction with the information environment and a shared experience (Lloyd, 2007). Collaboration and shared ways of interacting are communicating are considered paramount in the development of literacy within this approach (Talja & Lloyd, 2010). This approach challenges the traditional school of thought which assumes that learning is highly individual process.

Perhaps one of the challenges for educators is to use a combination of both approaches to developing informational literacy that will enable their students to become life-long learners and responsible and ethical users of information.

References

Catts, R., & Lau, J. (2008). Towards Information Literacy Indicators, UNESCO: Paris.

Lloyd, A. (2007).  Recasting information literacy as sociocultural practice: Implications for library and information science researchers. Information Research, 12(4).

Talja, S. & Lloyd, A. (2010). Integrating theories of learning, literacies and information practices. In Talja, S. & Lloyd, A. (2010). Practising information literacy: Bringing theories of learning, practice and information literacy together. WaggaWagga, NSW: Centre for Information Studies. pp. ix-xviii.

30
Apr
2019

Information literacy as a sociocultural practice

categories: ETL401 - Introduction to Teacher Librarian

This morning, I read the article “Recasting information literacy as a sociocultural practice: implications for library and information science researchers” by Anne Marie Lloyd. In this article, Lloyd suggests that rather than thinking about information literacy (IL) as a skills-based literacy, we should explore how IL can be used to construct meaningful learning in all contexts. This suggestion is based upon the findings of two studies which explore how emergency services officers in New South Wales, Australia use information as part of their training to either act or become a practitioner. The findings of the study helps to explain the way that the relationship with information changes when the learner moves from the epistemic mode of learning (text-based) toward the corporeal and social modalities (information obtained through experience and practical knowledge).

As a relatively new Masters student, this article resonated with me. At present, I am very much learning in the epistemic mode. I do not work in the context of a library or with other librarians and my learning is predominately text based. I often find it difficult to relate to what I am learning as I am learning it out of context. Lloyd suggests that IL learning is a sociocultural process which should not be limited to the epistemic mode only and I can certainly understand why. I wonder how much easier this course is for those who have some contextual understanding upon which to build their knowledge.

Lloyd’s article highlights the importance of teachers and TLs providing not only the epistemic mode of learning but also of providing opportunities for students to learn through the corporeal and social modalities in order to develop a holistic understanding of the concept or topic about which they are learning.

References

Lloyd, A. (2007).  Recasting information literacy as sociocultural practice: Implications for library and information science researchers. Information Research, 12(4).