Whole School Planning for Information Literacy

1. Whole School Planning for Information Literacy Successful information literacy programs do not only focus on teaching information skills, they focus on designing learning experiences that require the use of information skills. Bruce (2003) Information Literacy as a Catalyst for Educational Change

2. Whole School PlanningWhen implementing any change in a school setting: People must recognise a need for change for it to be effective. Change is a process, not an event…it takes a long time (at least 2-3 years). Change involves people, therefore individuals must be a focal point. Change is a complicated process that involves people in taking risks, doing something new and running the risk of failure. Change can be frustrating, hard work and will involve conflict, disagreement and compromise. Change happens at different rates to different people. Attitudes to change will vary over time for each individual. As change is adopted it will almost certainly not look the way the initiator intended. Not everyone will change. However desirable whole school planning is, it is important to be realistic!

3. Pre-requisites • Paradigm shifts • Staff PD - to develop clear understanding of the research or information process and the skills and capabilities involved in Guided Inquiry learning • Commitment & leadership • School structures that support collaborative planning e.g. timetabling, meeting schedules • Resources • Adequate staffing and resourcing of the school library • The establishment of information infrastructure and networks – LIMS, LMS, local community resources - libraries and people • TIME!!! What pre-requisites are missing for you?

4. Paradigm shifts • Movement from a content orientation to a process orientation to teaching, • Teacher-centred to a learner-centred view of learning • Personalised education - an increased emphasis on understanding the perceptual worlds of students and their pedagogical implications. Teachers who value these new paradigms find it much easier to embrace information literacy education. How do these shifts relate to your practice?

5. Commitment & leadership demonstrated by: • Principal and school leadership team are actively involved in and support the change • Support networks are set up, both in and beyond the school • PD strategies are developed collaboratively and based on adult learning principles • The experiences, strengths and learning styles of individuals are acknowledged and accepted • Time, incentives and support are sustained over a number of years • A cycle of development, implementation, monitoring and reviewing is overt and sustained over time • Achievements and successes are recognised and celebrated Describe the details behind these for your school.

6. Resources Research has proven thatschool libraries can have a positive impact on student achievement….. • a strong library program that is adequately staffed, resourced and funded can lead to higher student achievement, regardless of the socioeconomic or educational levels of the adults in the community; • a strong computer network connecting the library's resources to the classroom and laboratories has an impact on student achievement; • the quality of the collection has an impact on student learning; • test scores are higher when there is higher usage of the school library; • collaborative relationships between classroom teachers and school librarians have a significant impact on learning, particularly in relation to the planning of instructional units, resource collection development, and the provision of professional development for teachers; • a print-rich environment leads to more reading, and free voluntary reading is the best predictor of comprehension, vocabulary growth, spelling and grammatical ability, and writing style; • integrating information literacy into the curriculum can improve students' mastery of both content and information seeking skills; and that • libraries can make a positive difference to students' self-esteem, confidence, independence and sense of responsibility in regard to their own learning. Impact of School Libraries on Student Achievement: a Review of the Research (ACER, 2003) How well staffed and resourced is your school library? Do you plan with a teacher librarian?

7. 4 Enablers for Successunderlying principles for successfully implementing a process approach to information skills. • A team approach to teaching with administrators, teachers, and teacher librarians playing essential roles in the instructional team. • A mutually held constructivist view of learning compatible with the process approach that provided the foundation for actively engaging students in problem driven inquiry. • A shared commitment to teaching skills for lifelong learning and for motivating students to take responsibility for their own learning. • Competence in designing activities and strategies to improve student learning. Kuhlthau, 1993 How do you establish these at your school ?

8. 3 primary Inhibitors of Success • Lack of time • Lack of student time • Insufficient collaborative planning time • Role confusion – no clear notion of teacher/TL collaborative roles; no recognized or articulated role for administrators • Poorly designed assignments – often viewed as ‘add-on’ rather than ways of learning key concepts and Essential Learnings Kuhlthau, 1993 How can these ‘road blocks’ be removed?

9. Reviewing Information Literacy policy and practice in your school • How does your school teach students to develop information literacy skills? • What information does your school collect on information literacy? • How does your school encourage your students to enjoy reading? • How does the organisation of your resources (school library, ICT, classroom book collections) assist students’ learning in the information landscape? • How does your school ensure that its information resources support the needs, interests and abilities of all of your students? • How does your school develop and promote the school library’s resources? Education Review Office, New Zealand , 2006. Student Learning in the Information Landscape: Good Practice. Evaluate existing policy & practice

10. An action plan • Identify desired information skills for development across year levels e.g. using ILPO or LFTF matrix • Identify occurrence and type/topic of research tasks across subjects and year levels. • Map 1 and 2 to create an information literacy continuum across the school; eliminating any overlaps and filling any gaps using SACSA framework. Provide related PD when and where necessary e.g. staff induction Start with what already exists!

11. An action plan contd… • Re-shape or create research tasks to ensure information skill development is explicit and assessed. • Digitally document and store tasks and related resources for ease of retrieval and editing e.g. Moodle, Virtual Library. • Deliver, evaluate and fine tune tasks on a regular basis Embed program in Site Learning plan Review and refine program to meet school needs on a regular basis …don’t re-invent the wheel; aim for sustainability!

12. Critical components of an information literacy program • Resources to facilitate the learning of specific skills, e.g. Web-based information skills enhancement packages and other point of need, or self paced instruction. • Curriculum that provides the opportunity to learn specific skills, either early in a course or at point of need, (from self-paced packages, peers, teacher librarians) [integrated]. • Curriculum that requires engagement in learning activities that require ongoing interaction with the information environment (as in the SA Stage 2 Research Project or any Australian Curriculum research task) [embedded]. • Curriculum that provides opportunities for reflection and documentation of learning about effective information practices (as required in the compulsory Research Project in SA) [embedded]. What needs to done to put these in place at this school?

13. Some shifts in thinking and changes in practices: • Developing emotional literacy by teaching coping strategies and that anxiety and uncertainty are normal parts of the process. • Investing time to build engagement - providing opportunity for lengthy and rich exploration of a topic (such as in the Research Project). • Supporting students during their work by using the staged model of inquiry and making effective use of the ‘zones of intervention’ • Teaching role of the librarian is an essential corollary. • Understanding the process approach – teachers and teacher librarians need to fully understand the Information Process and the Guided Inquiry model of learning. How can this resource help to implement these shifts?

14. Planning tools and guidelines • ACER (2003) Engaging secondary school students in lifelong learning (2003) This ACER research conducted in SA high schools provides tools for secondary schools to orient themselves towards lifelong learning and plan for information literacy across the school. http://www.acer.edu.au/documents/LifeLongLearning_Engaging.pdf The theory behind the research is outlined in a previous paper: The era of lifelong learning: implications for secondary schoolshttp://www.acer.edu.au/documents/LifelongLearning.pdf (2000) • ACER(2003) Impact of School Libraries on Student Achievement: a Review of the Research, http://www.asla.org.au/research/summary.htm • ACRL (2003) Characteristics of Programs of Information Literacy that Illustrate Best Practices: A Guidelinehttp://www.ala.org/ala/acrl/acrlstandards/characteristics.cfm • ASLA/ALIA. (2001) Learning for the Future - developing information services in schools, 2nd edition, Curriculum Corporation. • Bruce, Christine (2003) Information Literacy as a Catalyst for Educational Change,http://dlist.sir.arizona.edu/300/01/bruce-fullpaper.pdf • California School Library Association(2004) Standards & guidelines for strong School Librarieshttp://www.csla.net/pdf/CSLA_Standards.pdf - comprehensive guidelines and standards for strong school libraries, including resources, staffing, facilities, literacy skill levels, and models of excellence. • California School Library Association (2006) A Process Guide for Library Media Programshttp://www.csla.net/pub/pdf/Focus_on_Learning2006.pdf is tied to Focus on Learning - a self-study process for school improvement for library media teachers (TLs), administrators, and others. http://www.acswasc.org/pdf_cde/Complete_CDE_Charter_JointProcess.pdf • Colorado Department of Education (2008) Criteria checklist for Power librarieshttp://www.cde.state.co.us/cdelib/powerlib/download/CRITERIACHECKLISTFORAPOWERLIBRARY.pdf • Council for the Australian Federation (2007) The future of schooling in Australia, http://www.dpc.vic.gov.au/CA256D800027B102/Lookup/FederalistPaper2TheFutureofSchoolinginAustralia/$file/Federalist%20Paper%202%20The%20Future%20of%20Schooling%20in%20Australia.pdf • Education Review Office, New Zealand(2006). Student Learning in the Information Landscape: Good Practice.http://ero.govt.nz/ERO/Publishing.nsf/Print/InfoLandscapeGP_Jun06_Summary • ILPO or The Information Literacy Planning Overview, is a comprehensive suite of tools that can be used by individual teachers or for whole school planning. A very detailed breakdown of information or research skills is tagged to student year levels to create an information skills continuum. Available for P-7 or 8-12 students. Related resources include posters, Research Organiser workbooks, and ILPETS (Information Literacy Planning - Extra Teaching Support - blackline masters).  An updated version entitled "ILPO in outcomes" now pulls together all the content of ILPO K/P-12 and all ILPETS Bks 1-4 on one easy-to-use CD-ROM. http://search.curriculum.edu.au/texis/search?pr=www.curriculumpress.edu.au&dropXSL=html&query=ILPO • International Federation of Library Associations(2005) The Alexandria Proclamation On Information Literacy And Lifelong Learning,http://www.ifla.org/III/wsis/High-Level-Colloquium.pdf • Kuhlthau, Dr Carol. (1993) Implementing a Process Approach to Information Skills, http://www.ala.org/ala/aasl/aaslpubsandjournals/slmrb/editorschoiceb/infopower/selectkuhlthau1.cfmv • Queensland Department Education, Training and the Arts. (2000) Whole-school Literacy Planning Guidelineshttp://education.qld.gov.au/curriculum/learning/literate-futures/wsl-guidelines.html are from the Queensland Literate Futures Projecthttp://education.qld.gov.au/curriculum/learning/literate-futures/resources.htmlhttp:/education.qld.gov.au/curriculum/learning/literate-futures/pdfs/lf-review.pdf Why re-invent the wheel?!