(ACRL, 2016). For additional information view the Searching as Strategic Exploration video. For example, the ability to navigate in cyberspace and negotiate hypertext multimedia documents requires both the technical skills to use the Internet and the literacy skills to interpret the information. As you review the teaching strategies, remember thata single assignmentor instruction sessioncannot fully teach students to become information literate. As teacher-librarians, how do we teach those critical, all-important information literacy skills in ways that capture and hold student interest? For cooking or baking anything, a series of steps are followed, telling us how much of the quantity to be used for cooking, the proportion of different ingredients, methods of cooking, the cookware to be used, and many more. People read and write using digital tools as well as newspapers, magazines, radio, TV, videogames, Every day we encounter an increasingly large and diverse sea of information through the Web, mass media, and published works. The video below will walk you through the five components of information literacy including academic and real-life examples. Enrolling in a course lets you earn progress by passing quizzes and exams. Explore topics such as information literacy, academic research skills, and affordable course content, and access ready-to-share instructional materials including videos, Carmen content, and handouts. Information literacy-related bottlenecks can come in many forms. Understanding this concept will help students recognize that research requires patience, persistence, and flexibility and will prepare them to make sense of the ambiguous nature of their search results rather thanseeking a single "right" answer. An information source that may be appropriate to use in one situation may not be considered authoritative in another situation. Its important to be aware of such unreliable content, to think critically about where you get your information, and to evaluate sources effectively, both in your research and in your media consumption more generally. Information literacy is a Published articles are not always credible and sometimes reflect a biased viewpoint intended to sway the readers opinion. Experts know that information has many types of value (financial, personal, social). With a plethora of information available at their fingertips, information literacy skills have never been more critical. It also helps the writer engaged in the writing process to organize and structure the information into a logical form. With so many tools available, including hundreds of, Provide analogies or examples to help students enhance their understanding of the search process (. Expert researchers understand that information sources have different levels of authority or credibility, and authority isrelated to theexpertiseor credibilityof the information creator. We will learn about using different tenses to communicate about everyday events in the past, present and future. In the U.S., functional literacy is assessed by the National Assessment of Adult Literacy, or NAAL. They must consider both ideas and transfer the new knowledge that they have into current knowledge. A credible source should pass the CRAAP testand follow these guidelines: The CRAAP test is an acronym to help you evaluate the credibility of a source you are considering using. But more importantly, fractions, and their counterpart decimals, are used so much daily that we dont even realize when we are using them. Are your students drowning in information, misinformation and downright bunk? Step 4 involves incorporating the new knowledge into prior knowledge. Digital literacy is associated with the ability to use computers, social media, and the Internet. WebOverhearing someones great idea while riding in an elevator and then later sharing the idea and saying it was yours. Information literacy is really a combination of skills and competencies that guide your research. Understanding and developing them promotes sustained learning and professional success. Each stage of a research project, from choosing a thesis statement to writing your research paper, will require you to use specific skills and knowledge. Talk with your students about the ways that scholars and researchers use sources and citations to document and engage with the conversation(s) on their topic and establish their own credibility. Digital Literacy Skills & Examples | What is Digital Literacy? At that point, they cannot just report the conclusion that they most agree with. The quality of information varies greatly between the available information choices. from https://www.scribbr.com/working-with-sources/information-literacy/, Student Guide: Information Literacy | Meaning & Examples, Frequently asked questions about information literacy, https://doi.org/10.1097/fjc.0b013e3181c5e7fd, distinguish accurate from inaccurate sources, Can assess the authority and credibility of a source, Can distinguish biased from unbiased content, Can use relevant sources to inform your research, Knowing what databases and journals are relevant to your research, Knowing how to narrow and expand your search, Establishes the credentials of your sources, Allows your reader to verify the legitimacy of your conclusions, Use relevant sources to inform your research. They understand research is rarely a simple, straightforward search for one "perfect" answer or source; instead, it is an iterative, open-ended, and messy process in which finding answers often lead to new questions. From reading vivid stories to reading elaborative articles on difficult subjects, I've developed the skills necessary to understand at least the minimum that is required to continue through the subject. More than being able to master the basics of citations, students need to understand why information is valuable and learn to navigate the complex rules, regulations, and expectations around information use. It requires significant knowledge of various types of information sources and their characteristics, the processes by which information sources are produced and disseminated, the factors that provide or temper authority or credibility, and an understanding of how context can impact these other factors. Information literacy skills should be carried out in a step-by-step process: Information literacy has a strong impact on media in society today. As they develop their information literacy, students should learn to see themselves as contributors to these conversations. Information literacy refers to a broad range of skills, including the ability to find, evaluate, and use sources of information effectively. In college, you use these skills to perform well on research papers, projects, and presentations. Model the search process by showing how you would go about searching for information on a topic or question relevant to the course. Each core concept isbriefly described below. For more information, see, After receiving instructions for a research assignment, have students work together to develop class guidelines for evaluating sources, with recommendations for the types of sources that would or would not be considered appropriate to use, The expectations for when and why attribution is required in academic research, The expectations for attribution in your discipline or field, Locating the information needed to include in a citation, Reading a citation to identify relevant information, The distinctions between plagiarism and copyright infringement. - Definition & Overview, What is Thrombocytopenia? Searching for information is often nonlinear and iterative, requiring evaluating a range of information sources and the mental flexibility to pursue alternate directions. Further along, you might look for primary and secondary sources that you will actually cite in your paper. Understand what information literacy is and why it is important to be information literate in the digital age. Meet your favorite authors and illustrators in our video interviews. - Definition, Causes & Treatment, How to Read Citations in Texts and Bibliographies, Why was To Kill a Mockingbird Banned? Becoming a lifelong learner: Lifelong learners are people who are self motivated to learn new things. As a practicing instruction librarian, I have dedicated my career to creating confident, conscientious, and capable researchers. Experts recognize that the creation process for an information source and the format can influence that source's actual or perceived value. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. This can help you to identify steps that may be challenging for students but you may have initially overlooked because of your own familiarity with the research process. Brittany teaches middle school Language Arts and has a master's degree for designing secondary reading curriculum. I feel like its a lifeline. They are used on the jobthe ability to find, evaluate, use and share information is an essential skill. Here are several takes on your writing: The piece was very clear and easy to ready. We must use the media to spread information and that includes local news and current events. Kids take in a huge amount of information from a wide array of sources, far beyond the traditional media (TV, radio, newspapers, and magazines) of most parents' youth. In other words, information literacy involves an understanding ofhow information is created, accessed, shared,and valuedandthe abilities and mindset necessary to be able tolocate, evaluate, use, and createinformation sources ethically and effectively. You are not expected toteach every information literacy concept or skill in one course. How can I effectively help my students to develop their information literacy? Webinformation to solve a problem are some of the hallmarks of an information literate individual. Create your account. Published articles are not always credible and can reflect a biased viewpoint without providing evidence to support their conclusions. Required fields are marked *. Avoid teaching students to rely on surface-level cues to determine credibility, such as: Encourage students to consider factors such as the authority of the author or publisher, motivation for publishing the source, relevance of the source to the research question or topic, and the appropriateness of the source for the context, Encourage your students to practice lateral reading, where they read across multiple sites as part of the source evaluation processfor example, searching for the author or publisher or site sponsor via a search engine to learn more about them rather than remaining on the same site. Identify the key aspect(s) of the citation process that you want to emphasize when it comes to grading (i.e. Many factorscontribute to expertise, including education, experience, and social position. Information literacy skills are of prime importance in Use The Big6 or the Super3 as a tried-and-true method to teach students to become information users extraordinaire. It is important to understand what information can be trusted and what information should not be believed. The information should be up to date and current. Youmay have questions such as: Is information literacy important for my students? Approach research as an open-ended and inquiry-driven process (Research as Inquiry), Be an active participant (provide an argument, make an interpretation) in the ongoing conversations related to their topic (Scholarship as Conversation). Information literacy refers to the specific set of skills that one needs to find information, review and verify the information, and properly use the information. For a web source, the URL and layout should signify that it is trustworthy. Published on Question the assumptions that you may be making about students pre-existing knowledge or skills, especially in areas such as: The various factors that contribute to, or temper, source authority or credibility (many students have erroneously been taught to use surface factors, such as domain name or the look of the site, to make decisions about source credibility), How to differentiate between types (e.g. Emphasize citation as part of the process of engaging in scholarly and professional conversations. Students who grasp this concept can examine information sources and ask relevant questions about origins, context, and suitability for the information need toidentify credible and relevant information sources in multiple contexts. Clearly outline your expectations for appropriate sources for your assignments and explain your reasons for these requirements, Clarify the distinction between terms such as credible, relevant, and scholarly, Model the process that you take to determine whether or not you find a source to be credible and appropriate, Provide evaluation criteria and outline steps that students can take or questions they need to consider as part of the source evaluation process.