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Powerful Partnerships as WEB 2.0 Revitalizes ResearchFriday 7th August 2009 In an explosive age of information where electronic research and touch button information are the norm, it is becoming increasingly important to teach students how to research effectively.
Teaching staff at the Information Resource Centre, St. Philip’s Christian College, Newcastle Campus have responded to the challenge of providing instruction in information literacy by working in a partnership with the classroom teachers through programs across the Key Learning Areas.
Powerful partnerships are forged between class teachers and teacher librarians as they plan and teach units of work which embrace information literacy and real research skills. The collaborative partnership is given emphasis through a ‘Scope and Sequence of Information Literacy Skills’ structured and organized to meet each learning stage of the students. Mrs Anastopoulos, Head of the Information Resource Centre says that “an engaging Library needs to have an Information Literacy Program which is both effective and accountable”. She claims that “We take responsibility for teaching kids how to research properly. We can all teach research but unless the skills are documented in a checklist and marked off then no-one really takes responsibility.”
The Information Literacy Program designed by the teacher librarian and technical staff, assists students through the provision of a ‘pathfinders’ which guide the students on their research journey. They direct students to credible websites, data bases and other electronic or printed resources which will assist students to complete the research task properly.
Web 2.0 is a powerful tool for sharing information and connecting with research in a revitalized way. Students can work at school and at home through ‘pathfinders’ and then present their work in the St Philip’s College ‘wiki’. This allows students to compare websites and resource and to share and understand the research process better. Students at St Philip’s can really make use of Web 2.0 environment, not just use Web 1.0 and static information. Publishing in a ‘blog’ completes the research process but also provides great opportunities for students to provide comments about their research task. ‘Blogs’ revitalize the research process and take the students into a whole new dimension which is productive and fun!
The key to effectively teaching information literacy and research skills is the partnership between the classroom teacher and the teacher librarian. It is the collaboration and focus on outcomes that will help provide a set of information literacy and research skills that will stand by St Philip’s students for the whole of their lives.
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