RATIONALE
Information Literacy is the ability to learn for oneself from the ever-increasing amount of information sources available. “To be information literate, a person must be able to recognise when information is needed and have the ability to locate, evaluate, and use effectively the needed information ... [I]nformation literate people are those who have learned how to learn.” (American Library Association). In this learning climate we have a responsibility to enable children to become information literate.
PURPOSE
The purpose of this policy is to raise student achievement by ensuring that they are able to locate, evaluate, manage, and effectively use information from a range of sources for problem solving, decision-making and research.
GUIDELINES
This will be achieved by:
- The formation of a team including appropriate specialists and senior managers to develop a school-wide approach to information literacy. Initially this will be called the Focus Team and be under the guidance of the National Library Focus Project.
- School-wide recognition of inquiry learning as foundational to teaching and learning across the school.
- Integration of information literacy teaching and learning with the development of our school curriculum.
- School-wide adoption of Action Learning as the process for teaching and learning through inquiry learning.
- School-wide implementation of an Information Skills Planning Grid based on the Action Learning steps to be used when planning inquiry learning units.
- Development of appropriate forms of assessing students’ information literacy skills based on Action Learning and the Information Skills Planning Grid.
- Professional development for staff, including the participation of all staff in
- The provision of sufficient access to information sources in a variety of formats to support students’ inquiry learning, with the school library and its staff playing a central role in this.
- The school library and the ICT department to collaborate closely in the development of access to information resources.
- Making access to the various stores of information resources in different parts of the school as simple and streamlined as possible.
CONCLUSION
- There will be a consistent approach to and vocabulary for the teaching and learning of information literacy across the school.
- Students and staff will have sufficient understanding, ability and tools to become independent, life-long information users.
Procedures
Process model
Action Learning is the basis for the model developed by the school.
Information Skills planning grid
Teachers will complete the Information Skills planning grid at the start of term either individually or as a syndicate. This will be checked by year deans as part of their planning.
Referencing
Students are expected to reference their sources in accordance with the school Citation Procedures.
Printing
Students should normally only print completed work. They need to ask their class teacher before printing. They are not allowed to print websites as this is not finished work and if they need to take notes they can do this on the computer.
Note taking
Among other methods that students can be taught they should learn “dot, jot, source” approach from Action Learning, so that there is a “default” that everyone knows.