21st Century Literacy: High School TransitionsKathleen Pickens-FrenchThomas Atwood

Agenda

Information Literacy Defined

Understanding the 21st Century Learner—Myths & Reality

Who’s Responsibility is it? Inside Faculty Expectations.

Too Much Information.

Building the Skills Today for Success Tomorrow.

Information Literacy

“Why does it matter?” Student Perceptions & Experience.

Teachers

Students

College Expectations

College Experience

Strategies

INFORMATION LITERACY•D iscover/Develop an Overview•Previewing, Examining prior knowledge, Brainstorming, Developing initial questions

•I nvestigate•Building basic understandings, Narrowing topic

•A nalyze•Applying critical thinking, Refining keywords, Questioning deeply, Problem solving, Examining concepts

•L ocate/Explore•Identifying/locating sources, Exploring relationships

•Organize/Apply•Assessing, Classifying, Categorizing, Synthesizing, Examining, Comparing/Contrasting, Interpreting

•Globalize•Relating to bigger picture, Seeking global perspective, Considering impact

•Understand/Reflect•Developing understanding and deep comprehension, Constructing new knowledge, Creating, Reflecting, Communicating new understandings

•Evaluate•Evaluating Results. Assessing Learning Process

CRITICAL THINKING

THEN• Brainstorm• Narrow Topic• Go to Library• Find Everything Available• Read/Conduct Research• Organize Ideas• Select Information to Use• Write Paper• Cite Resources Used

• Concept Map• Narrow Topic• Go to Google• Pick Top 3• Write Paper• Find Citations to Include that

Support Thesis• Cite Resources

NOW

Research THEN vs NOW

How Google Killed Research StrategiesAnd Why Students Love It

• Instant Gratification• Plethora of Results• Write First—Research Later

Common Knowledge Conundrums

Problem with this ApproachDon’t understand search engines

How Results are Ranked

Where Information Comes From

Cost of Publishing Credible Information

Using Information Ethically

How to Search Effectively

• AWARE of other resources• Understand the VALUE of different formats (news,

websites, journals, books)• Teach how to INTEGRATE new knowledge with what they

already know

Correcting Bad HabitsMake them…

FINDStarting PointsSearch Strategies

EVALUATERelevance to TopicBias/ObjectivityExpertise of AuthorTimeliness of Information

INTEGRATEQuote & ParaphraseCommon KnowledgeCitations

The Big ThreeInformation Literacy Broken Down

Organize Papers in Logical Order

Faculty Expectations1st Year Experiences

Effectively Quote, Paraphrase & Summarize

Integrate Information

Find Information

Know what Resources are Acceptable

THEN• Lower-level=memorization• Upper-level=research intense• Independent research• Focus on Written Word• Physical Library

• Research intense at all levels• Interdisciplinary• Collaborative• Technology Driven• Multimedia / Visual Literacy• Virtual Libraries

NOW

College Classes THEN vs Now

Creativity v. Credibility—If I write well, that should be enough

College Student FrustrationsUnderprepared to Meet Expectations

Grade Driven—What do you WANT from me exactly??

“Picky” Professors—Why does it matter where I got the information if it’s right?

Irrelevant—Doesn’t matter if I can do this

Entitlement—I’m paying for it

The “Coddled”—Training the Parents

THEN• Sound Smart• Didn’t know how to cite

• Time Management—Faster than Writing

• Easy—Copy & Paste• Think it’s all “Common Knowledge”• Don’t know how to find the original

source (or know that it exists)• Other Obligations take Priority• Don’t know how to cite

NOW

Plagiarism ParanoiaWhy Students Plagiarize

IT’S UP TO YOU TO MAKE IT HAPPENThey will do what’s required of them to get the A.

Stage 1

• Basic Background & Use of Reference Resources • Ability to Summarize

Stage 2

• Use of Newspapers & Magazines• Ability to Quote

Stage 3

• Introduction to Scholarly Journal Articles & Books• Ability to Paraphrase

Stage4

• Able to Search/Find Scholarly Articles & Books• Recognize Value in Different Formats• Able to Integrate New Knowledge

StrategiesTiered Approaches

Concept Mapping

Sample AssignmentsStage 1

Narrowing Topic—Teaching “AND” Search Strategy

Brainstorming Synonyms –Teaching “OR” Search Strategy

Creating Outlines

Providing Summary of Background Information

Pro/Con: Locating articles from opposite viewpoints

Sample AssignmentsStage 2

Collecting Quotations from Newspapers & Magazines

Properly Citing to Highlight Timeliness of Resources

Bias/Objectivity: Why might those authors have different views?

Reflection: What stood out?

Compare Scholarly Article to Newspaper or Website

Sample AssignmentsStage 3

Write Summary of Scholarly Article

After an Analysis or Critique, assign specific Scholarly Article. What new insights does it offer?

Write Book Review

Poetry Explication

Paraphrasing Exercises

Interdisciplinary Critique—History, Politics, Culture, etc.

Sample AssignmentsStage 4

Annotated Bibliography—Evaluating Resources

Standard Research Paper with Specific Resource Requirements

Author Biography