Research and Information Literacy eModules

During the Foundation Days in the Academy, I was tasked to provide and give a session to introduce the library to new students and to touch base with returning students. In the past, an assessment is always in the roster of activities. Either I make use of a question and answer survey type of tool or facilitate a skills session on Information Literacy, it is my goal to know and understand the skills level of students. 

This year, I adopted TRAILS as assessment tool. Here is a glimpse of the introduction to the report I am writing for submission to the Academic Team. 

Research plays an important role in the completion of the DP Core namely, the Extended Essay (EE), the Theory of Knowledge (TOK) Essay and the Creativity Action and Service (CAS). It is in Year 1 of the DP where Internal Assessments (IA) in the subject areas are introduced to students and culminates in Year 2 into a full well written piece of investigation or paper of inquiry. This means, a great amount of creative and critical thinking is expected of the DP student. The Beacon Academy (BA) Library, being an academic department that supports research and the development of creative and critical thinking skills of Griffins, conducted an assessment to gauge DP students’ research skills.  

Using TRAILS, Tools for Real Time Assessment of Information Literacy Skills by the Kent State University(KSU), the BA Library adapted and adopted TRAILS into its context to identify and determine strong areas and areas for improvement of DP students’ research and information literacy skills. TRAILS have six areas or skills for assessment which are: (1) narrowing and broadening topics of research,  (2) selecting and locating appropriate sources of information, (3) evaluating sources, (4) identifying and following research steps, methods and processes, and (5) documentation, referencing and citing of sources.   

The results of this assessment can provide the Teacher Librarian valuable information in crafting Reference and Research services that meet the needs of the DP students and create Information Literacy modules as well as a research skills instruction program that builds and enhances skills for development. It may validate observations and insights on the teaching and learning processes of research in the Academy which may lead to revisions and changes in the way this is delivered in formal and non-formal means of instruction. It is recommended that teachers and the Teacher Librarian work together in the implementation of the programs as guided by criteria and standards set by the IB and the Department of Education.

What follows next are specific results of the assessment. In actual practice, two students have reserved library consultations with me this week to walk them through the results of their TRAILS. I am excited to work with them because students always bring new insights and learning experiences. I learn from them and they make my practice of school librarianship authentic.

Understanding Information Literacy the Millinneal Way

Teaching Information Literacy to Digital Natives

Il the millinneal_way from Zarah Gagatiga

Workshop: Crafting A Good Information Literacy Manual

Effective Librarianship @ Work: Reference and Information Services: Tools, Techniques & Tech

My PPT presentation presented last October 14, 2016 at Southville International School during their annual librarians' conference.

Effective lib@work from Zarah Gagatiga

Library Talk and Scavenger Hunt

Puzzle Time! Final round of the Scavenger Hunt

The Library Talk and Scavenger Hunt activities I had with grade 9 students last week was a good one. Both are regular activities by the library under its instructional program and the participation of a new batch of grade 9s made it different from the previous years. Students are the uncontrolled variables. Often, their context and experience make or break a learning encounter. This makes teaching really fun!

For the Library Talk, I simply provided students pointers on going about their research: what the task is; what information is needed to accomplish the task; how to go about seeking and locating for information to finish the task. There. The BIG 3 in the BIG 6 research process. These three pointers make up the crucial analytical steps of Information Literacy. I then re-introduced the library OPAC and basic online databases that the library subscribe to. I get a kick showing how cool the PDFs can get when you email it to yourself with annotations and citations.

The Scavenger Hunt on the one hand is a game where players use the basic search tools in the library. In the BIG 6 model, this is step 3: Location and Access. After the game, the CRe (Comparative Religion) teacher and I processed the experience. Students said:

- they were able to use the "websites" that the library has;
- they were able to locate information;
- they were able to see more of the library -- it is not just books;
- they got to save documents in World Book Online using My Research;
- they learned how to find books more efficiently;

The first term is about to end. While I am happy that this batch of grade 9 students have had three library visits with me, and that their respective teachers articulated the need to work with me to strengthen research skills, I hope to do more library encounters with them. We have only just begun.

PPT: Designing an Information Literacy Skills Porgram for the New K-12 Curriculum

Il k 12-school_libs_aug2015.ppt from Zarah Gagatiga

IL Lesson: Academic Honesty, Plagiarism and Citation

Information Literacy skills can be taught in chunks. This week, I'm facilitating a session on academic honesty, plagiarism and citations.

Sharing my PPT -

IL Lesson Plans of MUNPARLAS Participants (4 of 4)

 Here is the lesson plan of Ms. Regine Abool, library assistant at the Divine Light Academy.

Lesson plan.docx from Zarah Gagatiga

IL Lesson Plans by MUNPARLAS Participants (3 of 4)

Here is the lesson plan of Ms. Rosalinda Timbol, school librarian of Elizabeth Seton School.

Il lesson plan from Zarah Gagatiga

Storytelling and Information Literacy Seminar-Workshop

I was at De La Salle Zobel twice last week!

Presenting my two new books, My Daddy! My One and Only! and A Tale of Two Dreams

I was there for a storytelling session with grade one students on July 15, a Monday. It was also the opening of DLSZ's celebration of National Children's Book Day (though they have a week long program of activities for all grade school students). I have been to the Primary Grades library several times but every time I'm there I see something new. This year, the librarians had enclosed an area for storytelling session complete with pillows and carpet. Mr. Jay Diola, the librarian assigned in the Primary Grades library made sure that every session with the grade one students were in order.

Then on Friday, July 19, I was back again at DLSZ for the MUNPARLAS seminar on Information Literacy. Thanks to Eric Ramos, librarian of the University of Perpetual Help for this wonderful write up.

I gave an assignment to the the participants at the end of my workshop. The first five school librarians who can submit an Information Literacy lesson plan will be given a free copy of my new book, A Tale of Two Dreams. The deadline for this is on July 31, 2013. I have received one lesson plan from a participant. Will post her lesson plan, and reveal her identity, in the blog next week.

I am waiting for four more.

A matrix of IL skills and lesson plan basics @ the IL seminar-workshop by MUNPARLAS

MUNPARLAS Presentation on Information Literacy Services

Il services & teaching programs munparlas from Zarah Gagatiga

The Impetus for Information Literacy at the School Level

The Borderless Society

The rapid growth of technology changed the way people think and use information. It created new knowledge and modes of communication. It spawned diverse communities in virtual and online environments. The borderless society is ever growing and it is known by many names – global community, information society, electronic era, etc. The most dominant characteristics that it constitutes, given the labels and definitions, are the following; the proliferation of Information and Communications Technology (ICTs); information and knowledge; and use and access of ICTs (Singh, 2003).

These characteristics permeate all aspect of society and human activity. It has an effect in teaching, in learning and in the way information is created and communicated. More and more teachers are exploring ways to improve instruction by using ICTs. Learners today are very much different from the ones we had ten years ago. They are more visual, more interactive and are able to tap different modalities of learning. The basic skills of reading, writing and mathematical reasoning remain paramount as foundations of learning. However, different kinds of literacy are inevitably emerging in the borderless society. Computer literacy, technology literacy, family literacy, cultural literacy, media literacy are examples. Information is present in all these kinds. In a borderless society, the necessity to handle and use information and the acquisition of these competencies is intertwined with another kind of literacy – INFORMATION LITERACY.

Information Literacy

Simply put, the American Library Association (ALA, 2000) defines it as a set of abilities requiring individuals to recognize when information is needed and have the ability to locate, evaluate and use effectively the needed information. In the report of a study conducted by a team of Southeast Asian librarians (2004), Information Literacy (IL) does note end with the critical and effective use of information. It includes the communication of (created) information and that, the process by which information were gathered and derived from a variety of sources was done ethically and responsibly.

The American Association of School Librarians (AASL) provides a conceptual framework and guidelines for describing the information literate student. It has three categories with nine indicators. The three categories are a) Information Literacy Standards; b) Independent Learning Standard and c) Social Responsibility Standards. Below are the nine indicators:

The learner who is information literate:

a. accesses information efficiently and effectively

b. evaluates information critically and competently

c. uses information accurately and creatively

d. appreciates literature and other creative expression of information

e. strives for excellence in information seeking and knowledge generation

f. pursues information related to personal interests

g. contributes positively to the learning community and to society and thus recognizes the importance of information to a democratic society

h. practices ethical behavior in regard to information and information technology

i. participates effectively in groups to pursue and generate information

The indicators are actually the core skills required of librarians.

Libraries have information and ideas. Librarians evaluate collection and organize it; write abstracts, make indexes – this is a way of analyzing and synthesizing information. Finding, locating and gathering information is a basic readers and reference services. Librarians also campaign for the ethical use of information and are involved in networking and resource sharing. Librarians are models of Information Literacy. Librarians are living testimonies of Information Literacy and how it works. In this case, librarians are information specialist called upon more frequently to consult with teachers and learners, and to provide training and guidance toward the sharpening of information literacy skills not only in school and academic libraries but in public and special libraries as well.

Since librarians’ roles change, so do libraries. Libraries are no longer repositories of materials but activity centers. It is an extension of the classroom and a laboratory for life long learning.