Reflecting on Reflections

To understand the importance of information literacy (IL) it needs to be considered against the backdrop of us living in what I have called an ‘inforoment’ (information environment). To truly understand what an inforoment was, I developed my own definition of information as “the communication of data” (Curtis, 2021a). After having completed further readings, I adapted it to “data that has meaning to the recipient” (Curtis, 2021b). Combining this definition with what Floridi (2007, p.61) wrote about the infosphere and that the lines between being offline and online are “fast becoming blurred” lead me to reflect on how pervasive and all encompassing the inforoment is. Further reflection on the term information society within forum 2.3 (Curtis, 2021c) helped solidify my understanding of how important it is for Teacher Librarians (TL) to have a clear understanding of what the inforoment is so that we can teach students how to successfully navigate it. This resonated with Anika Montgomery’s (Montgomery, 2021) reflections within her forum 2.3 post as well.

Without realising it, I was writing that TLs have an important role in teaching IL and that we ignore IL at our own, and students’, peril. As cited in my forum 3.2 response (Curtis, 2021d), Herring (2007), Purcell (2010) and Lamb (2011) all agree that “the overarching goal of a TL is to create information literate students”. The term IL is something I had never really thought about or encountered during my work as a classroom teacher (CT) or TL until undertaking this study. After reading multiple definitions (CILIP, n.d.) I now understand that the term means that a person is able to find, critically evaluate, understand, adapt and apply information from any source. It encompasses not only a set of skills that can be mastered but also a way of thinking and learning that is essential for success in the information saturated world we live in (Fitzgerald, 2015).

Lupton’s (2014) analysis of the Australian Curriculum found it lacking in terms of clearly stating where and how IL should be taught. Lupton’s findings highlight just one of the many challenges that TLs and CTs face; a lack of clear and consistent direction from governing bodies on how to proceed. Schools also need professional development around what IL is and how to teach it as there is a lack of consistency and knowledge across CTs (Herring, 2009). However, one thing is clear, if we want students to be able to identify the information they need, “know how to acquire the desired information, [but also be confident that] they can process, critically analyse, adapt and understand it” (Curtis, 2021e), we need to make IL a priority in schools.

Inquiry learning models such as iLEARN (Neuman, 2014), Big6 (Big6.org, n.d.) and the Guided Inquiry Design (GID) process (Kuhlthau, Maniotes & Caspari, 2015) abound. Regardless of the model chosen, all of them direct students through a similar process, although not always in the same order, and not all as well grounded in research as the GID. Students are required to identify a need, conduct research/explore, evaluate, create, share and reflect. Based on this, inquiry learning models seem to be an excellent vehicle for teaching students the skills and thought processes need to become information literate individuals. Unfortunately, this is more easily written than implemented; content heavy curriculum, reluctant staff, resistant executive and the ever-increasing requirements of accountability are just some of the impediments to implementing inquiry learning. In fact, Garrison (2017) states that “the most challenging limitation to guided inquiry operating successfully is allowing time for teachers to understand guided inquiry, its processes and scaffolding”. Without sufficient time, CTs and TLs also have no time to collaborate, which is an essential element to getting the most out of inquiry learning.

Despite the above limitations the TL is uniquely positioned to take a leading role in the delivery of inquiry-based learning, regardless of the model chosen. As I stated in forum 4.3, (Curtis, 2021f) this is because the TL “brings a wealth of knowledge about the resources available (both on and offsite), can provide opportunities for collaboration and team teaching and provide additional support for staff as needed around curricular requirements, etc.” In schools where there is not a clear understanding of information literacy or what inquiry-based learning is, its importance, or how to teach it, an opportunity presents itself for the TL to be a leader and collaborator.

References

CILIP The Library and Information Association. (n.d.). Definitions and Models.

Curtis, J. (2021a, March 13). Thinking about Information. The Rabbit Hole.

Curtis, J. (2021b, March 15). Defining Information – Musings. The Rabbit Hole.

Curtis, J. (2021c, March 21). DISCUSSION: Information Society. [Unpublished manuscript]. School of Information Studies, Charles Sturt University.

Curtis, J. (2021d, March 30). DISCUSSION: The Role of the Teacher Librarian. [Unpublished manuscript]. School of Information Studies, Charles Sturt University.

Curtis, J. (2021e, May 11). Information Literacy – What Does it Mean? The Rabbit Hole.

Curtis, J. (2021f, May, 9). DISCUSSION: The TL and curriculum. [Unpublished manuscript]. School of Information Studies, Charles Sturt University.

FitzGerald, L (2015). Guided Inquiry in practice. Scan, 34(4),16-27.

Floridi, L. (2007). A look into the future impact of ICT on our lives. The Information Society, 23(1), 59-64.

Garrison, K. & Fitzgerald, L. (2017). ‘It trains your brain’: Student reflections on using the guided inquiry process. Synergy, 15(2).

Herring, J. (2007). Teacher librarians and the school library. In S. Ferguson (Ed.) Libraries in the twenty-first century: charting new directions in information. (pp. 27-42). Centre for Information Studies, Charles Sturt University.

Herring, J. (2009).  A grounded analysis of Year 8 students’ reflections on information literacy skills and techniques. School Libraries Worldwide,15(1), 1-13.

Kuhlthau, C., Maniotes, L., & Caspari, A. K. (2015). Guided Inquiry: Learning in the 21st Century, 2nd Edition. Libraries Unlimited.

Lamb, A. (2011). Bursting with potential: Mixing a media specialist’s palette. TechTrends: Linking Research & Practice To Improve Learning, 55(4), 27-36.

Lupton, M. (2014) Inquiry skills in the Australian Curriculum v6: A bird’s eye view. Access 28(4), 8-29.

Montgomery, A. (2021, March 12). DISCUSSION: Information Society. [Unpublished manuscript]. School of Information Studies, Charles Sturt University.

Neuman, D., DeCarlo, M. J. T., Lee, V. J., Greenwell, S., Grant, A. (2020). Learning in information-rich environments: I-LEARN and the construction of knowledge from information. Springer.

Purcell, M. (2010). All librarians do is check out books right? A look at the roles of the school library media specialist. Library Media Connection, 29(3), 30-33.

The Big6.org. (n.d.). The Big 6.