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Abstract
Awareness of the need for all teachers to be information literate has prompted a proof-of-concept project to create an online resource for use in self-directed study by teacher-librarians and teachers. The resource includes information literacy theories and teaching strategies that are modelled in supporting adult educators and students as learners. The professional development gains for participants, evidence of student learning resulting from teaching for information literacy and factors to be considered in moving from live workshops to online environments for self-directed study are examined. Questions are raised concerning the nature of online in-service education to promote information literacy. Implications for teacher-librarians as collaborators and information leaders are discussed.
Background
In many schools in New Zealand, the concept of information literacy is now attracting greater attention. There is a growing awareness that to promote information literacy, all teachers, not just teacher-librarians, will need to be confident in the retrieval, management and manipulation of information in all modes of delivery and presentation. Previous research (e.g. Slyfield, 1997, Moore, 1998) confirms a need for professional development in this field at both primary (elementary) and secondary (high school) levels. Thus, online access to a professional development resource appears attractive.
The Ministry of Education has prompted and funded initiatives to provide information literacy resources for self-directed study. Online delivery does ensure nation-wide access to appropriate information literacy resources free of charge to users, but it also highlights several issues. For example, information literacy awareness and practice is usually developed through continuing education programmes that attract academic and professional credit. An online resource for self-directed study provides no such extrinsic reward, has no specific time allocation and competes for attention with a variety of curriculum and other initiatives in schools. Thus, efficacy of the approach is likely to be a function of the way the resource is used as a professional development tool by teacher-librarians and teaching staff. This and other issues have required the project to be conceived as a proof-of-concept activity, to be evaluated from a variety of vantage-points.
The completed evaluation will examine evidence of the impact of the resulting Teaching for Information Literacy resource, as a function of participation in the resource development process and compare professional development benefits for teachers both developing and...