Putting critical
information literacy skills into action - use them or lose them
Inspired by a display following a visit to a museum to study the
land Wars. To make good use of such an exciting experience students need a full
range of literacy, numeracy observation , inquiry, and expressive skills in
place. Real literacy requires a context, or need, that students can see the
point of acquiring such vital skills. Literacy and numeracy are all about
gaining meaning and power.
Exciting studies provides the context for such learning. The
trouble is, these days, classrooms seem to place emphasis on literacy and
numeracy as stand alone subjects and, by doing so, lesson students engagement
and ability learn deeply about whatever the class is studying.
The first term ought to have been the opportunity to ensure
the appropriate learning 'how to learn' skills are in place through reasonably
guided studies. And the success of such studies will depend on how well a wide
range of literacy skills have been implemented. By now teachers will have a
better idea of what they need to focus on to ensure in depth understanding and
presentation of whatever the current inquiry topic is. Students need to
comprehend, pick out key points, learn to write persuasively about questions
that they have chosen ( with their teacher's help), and to present their ideas
through a range of media.
Such learning is based on a vision of what inquiry ought to
look like appreciating that a powerful inquiry topic provides the context for
acquiring required literacy skills.
The following components of an inquiry study are:
1 The need to immerse students in the topic to be studies to
invite curiosity and wonder. A good way to start is to make a display around
the study to capture the students interest. Literacy time is vital at this
immersion stage. Students need to be helped to define study questions, consider
their prior knowledge, and to explore background content material. During
literacy time students can undertake guided reading of well chosen experts, and
illustrative material, related to the study. Through such focused literacy
activities students gather ideas to answer their chosen study questions. As
well a range of presentation techniques ( including information media) can be
introduced for students to make use of as their study progresses. Some of this
material can be added to the original teacher display.
2 From the initial immersion students need to be helped to
develop open questions, to search for information and to discover answers
expressing their own 'voice'. All this can be done during literacy time.
Students can work individually or in small groups exploring aspects of the
chosen study. And during this time teachers can help their students learn how
to source, and refer, to information using book resources the web, or through
first hand experiences. Perhaps the most important role of the teacher is
through dialogue with their students to ensure they are gaining in depth
understandings and to ascertain what skills their students might need -
diagnostic teaching.
3 From the above students need to be helped to pull together
the information they have been exploring to ensure focused learning. Whatever
is expressed should be referenced to sources or state that it their own view or
opinion. It is important that students appreciate that quality of thought is
more important than quantity - the idea of digging deeply into chosen aspects
rather than 'cutting and pasting' ideas glibly.
4 Finally students need to demonstrate their understandings
and share their learning. This can be done in a number of ways each way
requiring its own subset of skills to be learnt. They can create well presented
booklets withe well chosen illustrations and diagrams, charts, websites, blogs,
articles, videos, PowerPoint's, parent evenings ... Much of this work can be
added to the display, or presented for viewing on the classroom walls with
suitable headings. A class evaluation of the study can be added as well.
Students need to reflect on what they have learnt, what new skills they have
gained and areas to work on for their next study.
Literacy and inquiry -all part of the same learning process.
After an in-depth study you would expect to see:
Some imaginative language based on the study.
Research writing ( not 'cut and paste') based around 3 or 4
chosen study questions
Illustrative art featuring aspects of the study ( or
included as part of student research)
Creative art based on the study.
A wall display with: a heading (as provocation), key
questions and or agreed tasks, prior ideas about chosen questions, examples of
creative language, research findings, models, appropriate mathematical
data/graphs and diagrams associated with the topic,imaginative art and possibly
a final class evaluation about main ideas learnt. Even ideas for further
research.
Each study should result in three or four specific outcomes
( selected from above) and each outcome will need to have skills in place - or
to be introduced during the study time. It is such skill development that ought
to be the focus of the literacy time. Preparing simple research report needs
several skills to be in place to achieve quality learning - persuasive writing,
how to focus on answering questions using their own 'voice', how to reference
material, how to layout/design the work, how to introduce illustrations, how to
design a cover ,if one is requited, and none the least handwriting skills if
not using the computer.
Students should feel , at the conclusion of the study, that
they have only scratched the surface of the topic.
1 comment:
Looks great!
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