The Scottish Information Literacy Project:
working with partners to create an information literate Scotland
Integrating Information and
Critical Literacy across the
curriculum
Christine Irving
Researcher / Project Officer,
Scottish Information Literacy Project
17th March 2010 Information and Critical Literacy
Joint development event for Aberdeenshire Network Librarians and
Literacy Co-ordinators
Outline
Definitions:
• Information Literacy
• Critical Literacy
• Real and Relevant Information and Critical Literacy Framework
Curriculum for Excellence:
• Information and critical literacy - Literacy across learning experiences and
outcomes
• Definition of texts
• Information and critical literacy - other experiences and outcomes
• Thinking Skills
Survey of Scottish school librarians and their knowledge and use of
Curriculum for Excellence:
• Some results
Current work:
• Information and Critical Literacy – Early and First Levels
Workshop Activity
Information Literacy is
for everyone
“In an era of lifelong learning, this effectively means that
information literacy has relevance for all ages from primary
school to senior citizens. Information literate people
understand more than how to find information, they
understand its limitations and the need to examine how they
use information, and they understand how to manage and
communicate information. Information literacy is an essential
and discrete dexterity – everyone relies on information
everyday.” CILIP
www.cilip.org.uk/get-involved/advocacy/learning/information-literacy/pages/introduction.aspx
Information Literacy
CILIP's definition of information literacy:
"Information literacy is knowing when and why
you need information, where to find it, and
how to evaluate, use and communicate it in
an ethical manner."
CILIP (2004)
www.cilip.org.uk/get-involved/advocacy/learning/information-literacy/pages/definition.aspx
Information Literacy skills and
competencies
This definition implies several skills … (or competencies) that are
required to be information literate … an understanding of:
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A need for information
The resources available
How to find information
The need to evaluate results
How to work with or exploit results
Ethics and responsibility of use
How to communicate or share your findings
How to manage your findings
Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals
http://www.cilip.org.uk/get-involved/advocacy/learning/informationliteracy/pages/definition.aspx
Critical Literacy definition
Like information literacy there are several definitions of critical literacy.
Critical Literacy can be seen as:
"the way that we interact with and make meaning from different texts"
"involves the reader analysing and engaging with a text".
Text being defined as anything which communicates meaning
Critical questions to ask of texts include:
• construction of characters
• gaps and silences
• power and interest
• whose view: whose reality?
• questioning the composer.
Department of Education, Tasmania, School Education Division (2207)
http://wwwfp.education.tas.gov.au/English/critlit.htm
Real and Relevant
Information and Critical Literacy
•
Louise Ballantyne, Primary School Teacher on secondment to
Curriculum for Excellence Literacy Team as Development Officer
•
In looking at the importance of information / critical literacy skills for today’s learners she identified
the answer to the question Why? as:
– Vast array of information in a variety of forms – information rich society
– Not the same as IT skills – crucial for lifelong learning and responsible citizenship
– Promotes problems solving approach and thinking skills – ask questions – seek answers
– Effective contributors and confident individuals form opinions, evaluate sources, make
decisions
– Learn to read – read to learn. Skills for life, learning and work.
•
Work on information literacy for Second and Third level learners Real and Relevant - literacy for 21st
century learners suggested a basic framework and material based around: Planning; Locating;
Gathering and Evaluating ;Creating and Sharing .
• Real and Relevant - Information Literacy Skills for the 21st century Learner 2008 Scottish Learning Festival 2009 National Literacy Conference
• Real and Relevant: Information and Critical Literacy Training – a guide to Information and critical
Literacy skills for second – third level learners
Real and Relevant Information and
Critical Literacy Framework
“takes cognizance of established frameworks; however it, it adapts them to fit more closely with
Curriculum for Excellence and to strike a chord with the target learners and practitioners.” Real and
Relevant: Information and Critical Literacy Training – a guide to Information and critical Literacy
skills for second – third level learners.”
Planning:
Think about what you / they want to know prior to looking for information - what do I
want to know (identify key words); what do I know already (activate prior knowledge)
and where can I find information (appropriate source of information).
Planning tools – mind maps (spider / skeleton diagrams)
Locating
Look for possible sources of information – search strategies (different words / synonyms; narrowing
or broadening the term); search terms use quotation marks “ ”, plus + or minus – (Boolean terms)
Gathering and Evaluating
Organise information found and assess how useful it is (skimming and scanning; making notes;
evaluating information (alarm bells) – credible, bias, origins of text, authority)
Creating and Sharing
Information is transformed into an appropriate form and shared with an appropriate audience
(acknowledging / citing sources; plagiarism
Curriculum for Excellence
Literacy across learning experiences and outcomes
Information literacy and critical literacy
• finding and using information - includes, reading, critical literacy
skills within the Listening and Talking, Reading and Writing sections
• understanding analysing and evaluation - within the Listening and
Talking, Reading and Writing sections
“encourage progression in understanding of texts developing
not only literal understanding but also higher order skills”
• Organising and using information – within the writing section.
Curriculum for Excellence Literacy across learning experiences and outcomes
http://www.ltscotland.org.uk/Images/literacy_experiences_outcomes_tcm4539998.pdf
Definition of Texts
“the medium through which ideas, experiences, opinions and information can
be communicated’ which covers all different formats as the table below
demonstrates”.
Examples of texts:
– novels, short stories, plays, poems
– reference texts
– the spoken word
– charts, maps, graphs and timetables
– advertisements, promotional leaflets
– comics, newspapers and magazines
– CVs, letters and emails
– films, games and TV programmes
– labels, signs and posters
– recipes, manuals and instructions
– reports and reviews
– text messages, blogs and social networking sitesweb pages, catalogues
and directories
Information and critical literacy
in other experiences and outcomes
Activities such as:
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Investigating / research
Acknowledge sources
Making notes
Reliability of information
Planning
Select, organise and represent information and ideas
Find, sort, summarise
Communicate information
Consider, reflect, evaluate
Differences between fact and fiction
Explain, debate, discuss, analyse
Assess
Linked to information and critical literacy
is Thinking Skills
Thinking allows learners to explore text and information of all kinds critically and
to use them purposefully.
In Improving Scottish Education 2005-2008, HMIE states:
“Curriculum for Excellence sets high expectations of rigour. This means that
teachers should plan consistently for appropriate pace, challenge, depth and
progression, and consciously promote the development of high order thinking
skills.”
It is important that all learners are given appropriate opportunities to develop
their thinking skills. These skills can be developed across a range of contexts
including through more practical or applied learning opportunities:
Curriculum for Excellence (2009) Building the Curriculum 4 ,
http://www.ltscotland.org.uk/Images/BtC4_Skills_tcm4-569141.pdf
Thinking Skills
• Remembering involves such activities as recall, recognition or locating
information
• Understanding might involve activities such as describing, explaining,
summarising and translating
• Applying requires the learner to use or apply their knowledge and
understanding in different contexts
• Analysing requires learners to break down information into component parts
and search for relationships
• Evaluating involves making an informed judgement about something, for
example an issue or method.
• Activities such as comparing, appraising, prioritising, rating or selecting,
could involve learners in evaluating
• Creating happens when learners are required to generate new ideas and
products through activities such as designing, creative writing, planning,
reconstructing, inventing, formulating, producing and composing.
Curriculum for Excellence (2009) Building the Curriculum 4 ,
http://www.ltscotland.org.uk/Images/BtC4_Skills_tcm4-569141.pdf
Survey of Scottish school librarians and their knowledge
and use of Curriculum for Excellence
• Questionnaire was run between 16/07/09 and 04/09/09
• 74 responses - 72 secondary sector (375 Scottish secondary schools) =
20%
• 64 (86% ) read Curriculum for Excellence (CfE): Learning Experiences and
Outcomes, Principles and Practice papers - reasons for doing so included:
– “I am a member of the Curriculum for Excellence Working Group in my
school”
– “I will be part of the school’s literacy team and will be using them in
my information skills course…”
– “…take advantage of the cross-curriculum opportunities this offers.”
Survey of Scottish school librarians and their knowledge
and use of Curriculum for Excellence
Curriculum for Excellence (CfE): Learning Experiences and Outcomes,
Principles and Practice papers – top ten read:
Learning Experience and Outcomes
Principles and
Practice Papers
1. Literacy across learning
89%
(56)
62%
(39)
2. Literacy and English
57%
(36)
36%
(23)
3. Numeracy across learning
38%
(24)
25%
(16)
4. Health and wellbeing across learning 36%
(23)
25%
(16)
5. Expressive arts
22%
(14)
13%
(8)
6. Science
19%
(12)
13%
(8)
7. Religious and moral education
16%
(10)
9%
(6)
8. Language
16%
(10)
8%
(5)
9. Mathematics
13%
(8)
6%
(4)
10. Modern Languages
11%
(7)
5%
(3)
Survey of Scottish school librarians and their knowledge
and use of Curriculum for Excellence
• 33 respondents (75%) indicated that they had identified ways in which
information literacy can be used to achieve or assist achievement of the
experiences and outcomes.
• 26 respondents (53%) replied that they are or have been involved in any
piloting activities, created any new activities or updated existing activities
based upon the experiences and outcomes.
Full results and findings are to be written up for publication:
Crawford, John and Irving, Christine (2010) The Scottish Information Literacy
Project and school libraries, Aslib proceedings, forthcoming Spring 2010
Irving, Christine (2010) The Curriculum for Excellence: knowledge,
engagement and contribution by Scottish school librarians, The School
Librarian, forthcoming Summer 2010
Survey of Scottish school librarians and their knowledge
and use of Curriculum for Excellence
Ways in which information literacy can be used to achieve or assist
achievement of the experiences and outcomes:
“Due to undertaking an S1/S2 Library Audit I have identified a number of
information literacy skills in the programme which can be directly related to the
Literacy Outcomes”
“I’ve found the Literacy Experience and Outcomes paper most useful because so
much of it fits with library and information skills. I am line managed by the Head
who has agreed to make me a key member of the Literacy Strategy working group
and will support efforts to take library skills to even hard to reach departments”
“I am currently looking at courses I provide within the Library to determine where
they fit into the experiences and outcomes”
“Mapped library services to the four capacities for citizenship, as part of our
information literacy strategy. Purpose is to inform various stakeholders - teachers,
curriculum managers , CLD [Community Learning and Development], other
learning partners - of how the library sits in relation to CfE”
Survey of Scottish school librarians and their knowledge
and use of Curriculum for Excellence
Specific examples given of cross departmental work / projects:
•
Project about the local community - tied into the 40th anniversary of the housing
estate in which the school is located. Project involved local history research;
creation of a blog for the public to read and contribute to; visits to local gallery,
museum and archives; presentation of work to local community. It is hoped the
project will continue and include a community action element, giving pupils the
opportunity to effect change in the community.
•
Interdisciplinary week - Rich Task. Working with Humanities and Languages
departments on a 3 day task based on Lachlan Macquarie, Father of Australia. This
was with S1/2. It involved planning the task, finding resources to be used, then
working with students to look at primary and secondary sources of information;
plan, carry out research and communicate results at the end of the week.
•
Piloting development of a cross departmental programme of research and
investigation skills for all S1 pupils developed and taught by a range of subject
teachers and the librarian. It is hoped that this will be made available through
GLOW soon.
Real and Relevant – Information and
Critical Literacy Skills for the 21st Century
Learner’ (Early and First Level)
Kimacolm Nursery
• Questioning – Kilmacolm’s innovative Blooming Blooms approach
St Margaret’s School, Edinburgh
• Information Literacy in Junior (Primary) 1
• Information Literacy in Junior (Primary) 2
Lasswade Primary School
• Critical Literacy @ Lasswade Primary School
Information Literacy skills and competences and opportunities highlighted
within the Curriculum for Excellence Experiences and Outcomes
http://curriculumforexcellence.pbworks.com/
Workshop activity – 40 mins
Participants in mixed groups:
• choose a Curriculum for Excellence Learning Experience and
Outcome – Science or Health and Well Being
• unpack it using CfE template created by Edinburgh Science
QIO and used by Holy Rood High School, Edinburgh (link to
case study and template)
• unpacking is effectively a mapping exercise which allows
the opportunities within the learning outcome to be
explored.
• link to Literacy across learning experiences and outcomes
specifically ‘information and critical literacy’ activities
• identify relevant ‘information and critical literacy’
resources
Contact details &
further information
Email
scotinfolit@googlemail.com
Project website
www.caledonian.ac.uk/ils/
Project blog
http://caledonianblogs.net/information-literacy/
National Information Literacy Framework (Scotland)
http://caledonianblogs.net/nilfs/