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Information Literacy 1

Information Literacy Skills: Practical Application through the Eyes of Media Specialists

and Classroom Teachers

Dottie Barrow

ITEC 7136

Dr. Judith Repman

Fall, 2007


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Information Literacy Skills: Practical Application through the Eyes of Media

Specialists and Classroom Teachers

The attempt to help students become information literate is underway at all levels

of education. The skills needed to locate, evaluate and use the vast amount of information

available are just one part of the complete information literacy package (Taylor, 2006, p.

11). Students also need to be able to think critically about information (Taylor, 2006, p.

11). In order for schools to help students along the path to becoming life long learners, it

is important to focus on information literacy, information skills, and the role of the Media

Center in this process. A few important roles of the Media Specialist are to collaborate

with the classroom teacher, teach and review the information literacy skills and seek

ways to motivate students to want to learn and find information on their own.

According to Toni Buzzeo (2007), the role of the library is to collaborate with

classroom teachers by combining content area curriculum with information literacy skills.

When I asked a Media Specialist who had worked both in public and private schools and

at all grade levels if she recalled the transition of Media Centers to places with flexible

schedules and collaborative teaching, I was surprised at the answer. I was looking for a

time period, such as the late 80s, when the push for information literacy was taking off.

She responded that the change came for her when she moved to a smaller school. She felt

like she did not have time to collaborate with the classroom teacher when she was in a

big school (700 students). I asked how she collaborated with the teachers now and she

replied that she mainly uses the weekly classroom newsletters that communicate what the

class is doing that week in each subject. She also uses the curriculum mapping that is

stored on a shared server for everyone to see. This means that there is no extra work for


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the teacher. She added that the dream situation is when the classroom teacher comes to

her with a specific request, but she said this does not happen very often. Communication

between the Media Specialist and the classroom teacher is very important when

attempting to combine content area curriculum with information literacy skills, but it is

interesting to see that the communication does not have to be face-to-face. This plan only

really works in lower grade levels. Once students are in middle and high school, face-to-

face collaboration is a necessity. In another article by Buzzeo (2006) concerning

collaboration, she explains how she feels that the Library/Media Center should be at the

heart of the school. I interviewed a fifth grade teacher in the same school and asked what

projects she had planned for this month that required the use of the media center. She

responded that they were doing a PowerPoint on an explorer. My next question was how

much time did it take for you to collaborate with the Media Center staff to plan this

project? She answered that it took about 30 minutes. I then asked if she initiated the

communication with the Media Center or did they come to her? Her answer was the

dream situation. The communication and planning was initiated by the teacher!

Because all teachers are not this way, the Media Specialist must take the lead role in

encouraging collaboration with the classroom teacher. A good time for this initial

collaboration seems to be at the beginning of the school year at each departments

curriculum meeting. Buzzeo (2006) makes this charge to Media Specialists, If you have

not yet begun true collaboration, team designed, team taught, and team-assessed units of

study that integrates information literacy skills into content area teaching, now is the time

to begin collaborating from the center of your school universe (p. 20).


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In addition to collaborating with the classroom teacher, Media Specialists must

also teach and review information literacy skills. Badke (2007) says that although

students often seem to have a handle on the skills needed to access and evaluate

information, this is not always true. The best time to teach and review information

literacy skills is just prior to students beginning a class project/assignment. Badke (2007)

also shares that it is important to find out where students are in their knowledge and

understanding of information literacy skills. This would probably require some kind of

testing. My next interview is with a middle school Media Specialist. I asked her how

much time she spent teaching/reviewing the use of the tools and research skills before she

began working with a class on a project. She answered that she usually planned for one

full class period to teach or review skills for the first time that a class comes in each year

for research. I asked what types of skills she reviewed and she answered steps in the

research process, use of print resources, use of databases, internet searching tips and

bibliographic format. I asked how often research assignments are scheduled for middle

school students with her assistance each year. She responded that what is typical for her

school is two times per year for social studies and science and once per year for language

arts. Reviewing literacy skills at the beginning of a project helps students to apply what

they have learned and reviewed right away. Since people do not naturally learn

information literacy skills on their own, Badke (2007) says that these skills need to be

taught and reviewed. It seems like a logical progression that literacy skills would

continue to be reviewed even through high school and college.

One other important role of the Media Specialist is to help motivate students to

want to learn and find information on their own. According to Sherry Crow (2007 ),


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intrinsic motivation is very helpful when working with students on information literacy.

Students who are intrinsically motivated will have a desire to read and find information

on their own. Crow (2007) explains that this concept is stated in the information literacy

standards. One standard that Crow (2007) points out is that the information literate

student is one who pursues information related to personal interests (p. 52). The Media

Specialist must ensure that there is a wide selection of print and electronic resources

available to the students to ensure that a wide variety of personal interests can be met. I

next asked a middle school language arts teacher how much flexibility she gives her

students on research or reading assignments that she uses the Media Center for. She said

that one of her most favorite assignments and one that is most popular with the students is

called bookies and cookies. She lets the students choose a novel of their choice from

the library that they will read over a period of four weeks. She said that she wants her

students to love reading and she wants them to have some freedom to read what interests

them. I asked how she assessed this assignment and she answered that the students were

required to fill out a form on the elements of literature and they were also assessed on

participation during the discussion of the books which they did as a class while enjoying

cookies and soda. Crow (2007) says that students need both the attitude and ability to

achieve information literacy (p.52). Assignments like bookies and cookies that give

students some freedom to pursue information that is interesting to them helps to keep

them motivated. My next interview was with a middle school science teacher. I asked her

the same question that the language arts teacher was asked concerning how much

flexibility she gives to students on research assignments. She answered that she likes to

give projects that have structure, but also that have choices. Right now the students are


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working on a portfolio of living organisms. The assignment has specific requirements on

certain information about the organism that must be researched, but it has flexibility in

that the student can choose the organism within the specified group that they want to

research each month. I asked how she assessed this project and she said she used a rubric.

I then asked what the reason and goal for giving an assignment like this was. She

responded that she wants the students to have hands on project based learning to

understand classification of living things and how a field guide is created. Project based

assignments that require hands on learning and creating end products help students stay

active and motivated learners.

The goal of helping students to be information literate can be challenging, but it is

necessary. Because the location of most information is in the school Media Center, the

Media Specialist is the logical person to oversee this process. Collaborating with the

classroom teacher to combine the curriculum with information literacy skills does require

time and energy. Because some teachers welcome this idea and others do not welcome

collaboration, the Media Specialist must take the lead role to encourage the use of the

Media Center for finding, using and evaluating information. Teaching the information

literacy skills to students is also important to help students become comfortable and eager

to find and use the information. By teaching information literacy skills to students, the

Media Specialist is also helping students become autonomous. According to Crow

(2007), this is one trait that students need to become intrinsically motivated to find, use

and evaluate information. Collaborating with the classroom teacher, teaching information

literacy skills and finding ways to motivate students are a few important roles of a school

Media Specialist as they help students to become life long learners.


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References

Badke, W. (2007). A champion of information literacy. Online, 31(3), 50-52. Retrieved

August 21, 2007, from Professional Development Collection Database.

Buzzeo, T. (2006). Collaborating from the center of the school universe.Library Media

Connection, 24(4), 18-20. Retrieved August 17, 2007 from Academic Search

Complete Database.

Buzzeo, T. (2007). Literacy and the changing role of the elementary library media

specialist.Library Media Connection, 25(7), 18-19. Retrieved August 17, 2007

from the Academic Search Complete Database.

Crow, S. R. (2007). Information literacy: Whats motivation got to do with it?

Knowledge Quest, 35(4), 48-52. Retrieved August 21, 2007 from the Professional

Development Collection Database.

Taylor, J. (2006).Information literacy and the school library media center. Connecticut:

Libraries Unlimited.

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