From Lesson #2 - Information Literacy

Why is it so difficult to get your teaching colleagues to buy into the idea or construct of "information literacy"?

Do you think a "scope and sequence curriculum" works in the school library setting?

The idea or construct of "information literacy" may be a difficult sell because these skills have been taken for granted and have not been the focus in our educational past. I agree with many that it is not directly part of the classroom teacher's curriculum and therefore they may find it difficult to include it in their busy schedule. I think it is important for the librarian to incorporate these skills and encourage teachers to work together in order to strengthen student research skills. Yes students are now more technologically advanced but their skills are still limited and the focus of their knowledge base is not educational. I think that the deeper comprehension and evaluating skills necessary to be information literate definitely needs to be reinforced with students. Skills like: where to locate the best resources available, how to use these sources (including how to find the information you need using the tools in your resource), how to refer to your chosen resource using the proper citing methods (quoting, paraphrasing, bibliographies, etc.) and how to incorporate technology in presenting your findings in unique and interesting ways. These are time consuming skills that teachers may find difficult to focus on and many times over-look when concerned about covering curriculum. They need to realize that their TL’s have strategies at their finger tips to assist teachers and their students in learning these essential skills and saving them valuable time.

I was not familiar with the term scope and sequence curriculum. I did a little research and came to the conclusion that it is following a systematic guide in teaching skills sequentially, like following learning outcomes in the regular classroom or scaffolding learning.
I think it may be an asset to the library setting. A general guide to the types of library skills students should have at a certain grade level would be beneficial. This guide may prove to show that students are not at the level they should be in order to be prepared for high school and then on to college or university. It may even help school boards actually realize how important these skills are to lifelong learning and to student achievement.