Information Literacy as a Catalyst for Educational Change. A Background Paper

Information Literacy as a Catalyst for Educational Change. A Background Paper
Bruce, Christine S. (2004) In: "Lifelong Learning: Whose responsibility and what is your contribution?", the 3rd International Lifelong Learning Conference, 13-16 June 2004, Yeppoon, Queensland.
By
Musa Salih Muhammad MIMEDUC/7995/2009-10
Salisu Ramat Umar MIM/EDUC/9113/2009-10
Zakari Andrew MIM/EDUC/6517/2009-10

Introduction:
Information literacy is a natural extension of the concept of literacy in our information society, and information literacy education is the catalyst required to transform the information society of today into the learning society of tomorrow. Across the world, educators in primary, secondary, tertiary and professional education contexts have been developing strategies and policies for designing learning opportunities that will enable learners to take advantage of the information and communication infrastructures available to them. This paper, a reprint (with permission) of Bruce's paper in the proceedings of the UNESCO Information Literacy Meeting of Experts, provides a background discussion of information literacy as a catalyst for educational change.

Christine Bruce makes reference to how in Australia library schools try and expose IL to students in their courses and that once qualified they are encouraged to do the Graduate Certificate in Learning and Teaching. As Bruce says:
“There is no point in teaching IL if you are not experiencing it in your own learning…Being a librarian is not just about librarianship, it’s also about being a teacher, a manager, a whole range of different things – you have to see yourself as an educator and a librarian.”
“Research suggests that, although UK information departments regard information skills training as important, the extent to which these skills are specifically embedded within course curricula is inconsistent. And partnerships between faculty and academic library staff, providing a co-ordinated approach to learner support, are not as widespread as one would hope.
Bruce’s three main approaches
Bruce identified three main approaches characterizing IL.
Behaviourist model
“Information literacy is defined in terms of attributes and skills that can be learned and measured objectively.”
Constructivist model
“The individual is seen as constructing his/her own representation of what is being learned, and where the emphasis is on the development of critical thinking and problem-solving competences.”
Relational model
“The relational model frames information literacy into seven different ways of experiencing information use through the learner’s active and reflective engagement with the relevant information practices. This therefore approach focuses on the user’s interpretation, or conception, of the various stages of information literacy.
• Information technology (IT) conception, which associates information literacy with the use of IT to gather and communicate information.
• Information sources conception, in which information literacy is perceived as the knowledge of sources and the ability to access these directly, or indirectly via an intermediary.
• Information processing conception. Information literacy here is seen as ‘executing a process’ (Bruce, 1997: in which a new situation is tackled through the use of an appropriate strategy to find and use information. The nature of the process varies according to the participant who is engaging in this process.
• Information control conception. Information literacy here is associated with the effective control and manipulation of information through the use of mechanical devices, memory or IT.
• Knowledge construction conception, in which information literacy is perceived as ‘building a personal knowledge base in a new area of interest’ (Bruce, 1997 Bruce stresses that this differs from the storage of information, because it involves the application of critical analysis of the information read.
• Knowledge extension conception, which envisages the application of knowledge and personal perspectives that lead to new insights.
• Wisdom conception, which is associated with the wise and ethical use of information considered in a wider historical or cultural context, such as historical or cultural perspectives. In addition, the information here undergoes ‘a process of reflection which is part of the experience of effective information use’ (Bruce, 1997)
Clear strategy of collaboration between faculty, library and administrative staff to ensure flexible provision Embedded approach (ACRL, 2000; Bundy, 2004) Top-down & Bottom-up (Lantz et al, Stubbings et al)Learning and teaching institutional strategies
Critical and reflective pedagogy (Lantz et al, Whitworth, Hepworth et al) Learning and teaching provision by staff Learning outcomes (Stubbings et al) Prevention of plagiarism