Information Fluency

Image result for information literacy
Information Literacy. ESchool News. Web. 17 Jan 2018.



Evaluation of reference sources and teaching information literacy is an essential task for each teacher librarian. As someone who is just starting out in their library education, I was overwhelmed by the importance of it (as well as the numerous terms I was not familiar with).
However, I am now adjusting to vocabulary and jargon that comes with library administration and reference sources. I spent a lot of time reviewing the glossary in our text, in order to better understand. I found some videos online which helped me to better understand information literacy.

This link has a series of videos pertaining to information literacy: https://www.lynda.com/Higher-Education-tutorials/What-information-literacy/368046/420105-4.html


My key takeaway from these first four lessons was the importance of student understanding of how to properly navigate the resources in the school library. Whether it be an online source or a print reference source, the ability of students to think critically about which sources they need and how to best find them is a skill that must be taught by teacher librarians.

collaborate
Communication. Media Information Literacy. Web. 17 Jan 2018.

This caused me to reflect upon how I could improve the way I teach students to do their research. Last year, whether or not students used “reputable” sources was worth a small percentage of a research project. My middle school students had a lot of difficulty understanding what this meant, and why they couldn’t just retrieve all of their information from Wikipedia. In fact, a Stanford University study “determined that students from middle school through college were not able to distinguish between reliable news sources and sponsored content or advertising.” (ESchool News 2017) This was not surprising to me, but it drove home the point of how essential information literacy is, and how it is up to teachers and teacher librarians to ensure that it’s taught in class.

Page 115 of Reference Skills for the School Librarian gives a list of pertinent questions to ask students about the sources that they use in their research. I plan to post this list in my classroom (or library) in the future, as it will help students to understand which questions to ask themselves before trusting a resource. Additionally, I believe it would be very worthwhile to teach a lesson to each class at the beginning of the school year outlining how to best evaluate sources.

 Another issue that was very apparent was the student's ability to conduct research. Most were simply typing their research subject into Google and waiting for the results. Sifting through the material and bumf was therefore a daunting task for many of them. It is clear to me that, as a teacher librarian in the future, it will be necessary to conduct tutorials on how to best use databases and print resources, as well as how to narrow research focus and find the best possible information.In reading our text and reflecting on the last four lessons, I became increasingly conscious of how much this skill is needed. 

 As teacher librarians, we have a unique ability to influence the entire school culture surrounding an issue such as this. Encouraging teachers to bring students to the library for lessons, or educating teachers about the problem would help to lessen the difficulties and greatly improve the research process for students. Introducing these skills at an early age will also help to alleviate stress during high school and university years. I am excited to learn more about how to best educate students on these skills, as well as how to best select resources that will guide them to success and support curriculum.

                
               Works Cited

Riedling, Ann Marlow, et al. Reference skills for the school librarian: tools and tips. California, 2013.

“7 resources for much-Needed information literacy skills.” ESchool News, 7 Apr. 2017, www.eschoolnews.com/2017/04/10/resources-information-literacy/2/.

“Media Information Literacy as Freedom of Speech/Expression.” Site Title, 11 Dec. 2016, kiaradyla.school.blog/2016/12/11/media-information-literacy-as-freedom-of-speechexpression/.

Loftis, Elsa. “What is information literacy?” Lynda.com - from LinkedIn, 20 July 2015, www.lynda.com/Higher-Education-tutorials/What-information-literacy/368046/420105-4.html.


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