Information Literacy Skills

The amount of information available over the Internet, on the news, in newspapers, and in magazines and books is overwhelming for most adults, let alone children. Therefore, it is critical that students learn to find, analyze and use the information available to them at their fingertips. These skills are information literacy skills, and the sooner we begin teaching students these skills, the better their chances are of succeeding in the Information Age.

Discussing the concept first, followed by examples and modeling can teach many of the following information literacy skills. As students watch you and other students manage information, think aloud about what is being analyzed, and reach conclusions, they will begin to use similar strategies for themselves.

1.  Know when there is a need for information:

2.  Find and identify information needed:

Students need to learn to formulate well-defined questions that relate to the identified needs, problems, or research they identified in the first step. Once they complete this, it is time to let them practice their searching skills or to direct students to specific sites where their questions can be answered. Preview all sites, although there maybe times when you feel comfortable with a student's searching skills and responsibility and will allow them to search on their own. Look for meta-sites, such as Awesome Library for Kids , Ask Jeeves for Kids, or Yahooligans that have already been previewed and approved by educators. These sites, as well as others, offer a safe environment for some independent searching. Students then need to determine which of the suggested resources are most likely to meet their needs. Relevance rankings and site descriptions are two tools offered by most search engines to help users sift through resources. ITC has an extensive list of kid-friendly search tools - Kid's Tools for Searching the Internet, as well as how-to searching tips - Simple Searching Rules.

3.  Analyze the information:

These skills are very complex and can take a lifetime to learn. It is important to begin discussing these strategies with students at any age.

It is critical that students do not equate a textbook with the Internet. Many students believe that if they read it in a book or see it on the Internet, it has to be true. Many believe that to be "published" on the Internet, you have to prove your information is accurate. We explain to our students that any one of us sitting in the room could start our own Web site with false or inaccurate information and have others come and read what we wrote. Therefore, it is crucial that students eye all information with a healthy cynicism until they continue to research and find supporting information. Students should learn to always look for information about the author or sponsoring organization as one way of establishing authority and authenticity.

4.  Organize the information:

Once students have accessed and analyzed information, it is now time for them to learn to organize it in a format that is easily found for future reference and use. Students need to know how to "bookmark" specific pages (or you may already have bookmarked specific pages for students to use). Students may wish to print out specific pages and use graphic organizers or outlines to organize the mass of information. We also have students make a folder for themselves on the computer's hard drive or a floppy disk, where they can save information and copies of specific Web pages.

To help students organize information, direct them back to the first two skills taught. Students can organize their information using the overall task list or questions as guiding topics. Remember that for many students, it is important that they be able to discuss their information and eventual organization of it with a peer or adult. Many of us need to literally "think out loud" to organize information into a clear structure and format.

5.  Use information effectively to address the problem or task:

Once students analyze and organize information, it is time to begin putting it all together. Using their newfound information and knowledge, students need to summarize what they have learned as it relates to the overall tasks identified and the questions formulated. It is also important that students recognize they may have existing knowledge about the subject. Students can be taught to ask themselves if the new information "fits" with what they already know or if it is different.

6.  Communicate information and evaluate results:

Students now turn their attention to producing an end product with their information and knowledge. An important step in teaching this skill is to show students examples of well-done final products. These may be reports, drawings, oral presentations, or multimedia products you have created or have found on the Web.

One of the final steps in any product is to document where the information was found. Using a bibliography format, students can record the Web site addresses, the name of the site, and other important information such as who is sponsoring the site. Since there is no one correct way of referencing Web sites at this point in time, it is up to you to figure out what type of information is important to you to have students provide. One suggestion is to reference their Web sites in this general format:

Imagination Integration: http://www.twoteach.com; Sponsor: Innovative Teaching Concepts
E-mail: look@twoteach.com

As you work through the information literacy skills with your students, remember that these skills are not the types of skills you can teach once and assume students will learn. They require very advanced thinking and organizing skills and therefore need multiple lessons and practice sessions. Students are always on a scale of improvement with these skills; it is not a situation in which students either have them or don't.