Blog Task # 2. The role of the teacher librarian with regard to assessing information literacy and inquiry learning.

Information Literacy and Guided Inquiry are vital roles of the Teacher Librarian (TL). Therefore, assessing the effectiveness of these roles is of vital importance not only for accountability purposes but ultimately achievement of student learning outcomes.  The Australian School Library Association highlights the importance of the development of information literacy skills and the need for evaluation. Standard 2.4 states that the Teacher Librarian (TL) should “evaluate student learning and library programs and services to inform professional practice” (ASLA, 2004).

Information Literacy and Guided Inquiry have been defined by the following:

Abilock (2004, p.1) argues that information literacy ‘is a transformational process in which the learner needs to find, understand, evaluate, and use information in various forms to create for personal, social or global purposes.’

Kuhlthau, Maniotes & Caspari (2007, p. 111) state that guided inquiry is an active process for both teacher and student, based on continual assessment and evaluation throughout an inquiry unit. This is to inform the instructor when what interventions are required as well as what students have learned.

Guided Inquiry as an instructional method of teaching has been identified as an effective strategy as it improves critical thinking skills and information literacy skills. (Kuhlthau et al., 2007, p. 112). These skills prepare students for 21^st Century Learning. The effectiveness of the TL and units of work addressing these outcomes can be assessed in many ways.

Diagnostic assessment, formative assessment and summative assessment across curriculum areas have been identified as the most effective way in assessing the usefulness of the TL’s active process in the inquiry process and efficiency of units of work (Stripling 2007, p. 25) along with authentic assessment.

Diagnostic assessment identifies students’ prior knowledge and an example of this assessment includes concept maps. The most important aspect of assessing prior knowledge is that it allows students to self reflect on their own misconceptions which enable them to identify these and replace them with more accurate knowledge (Stripling 2007, p.26),

Formative assessment is a measurement of knowledge through the inquiry process and is assessed throughout a unit of work. Examples of formative assessment include observations of engagement, student collaboration and how students are going about the inquiry process. Other forms of formative assessment include journals, logs, timelines, flowcharts, information search process timeline, conferences and portfolios (Kuhlthau et al., 2007, p. 119). These forms of formative assessment indicate what has been learned and what hasn’t.

Summative assessment assesses knowledge and skills at end of the learning process. An example of summative assessment is a written report at the end of a unit of work in collaboration with conferences and portfolios. Exams and multiple choice questions are examples of traditional forms of summative assessment, they are however limited as these forms of assessment do not assess the different types of learning (Cirriculum, Inforamtion Literacy, Learning How to Learn, Literacy Competence and Social Skills, (Kuhlthau et al., 2007, p.112) which require different types of assessment.

The most effective form of assessment identified by Mueller (2005) is authentic assessment. Authentic assessment is based on real world problems that make it more meaningful and significant to students. Authentic assessment and for that matter effective assessment, cannot ask students just to recall information they must be able to demonstrate that they have accurately constructed meaning (Mueller 2005, p.14). The steps in creating Authentic Assessment allow for TLs to collaborate with classroom teachers to implement Information Literacy specific for the school and develop standards and skills that are significant to students, observable criteria of standards and skills and the development of rubrics for rating these skills and standards. This form of assessment is helpful in identifying the effectiveness of the TL with regard to Information Literacy and Guided Inquiry.

Assessment is essential for guiding students through the inquiry process allowing for strengths and weaknesses of students to be identified. This is true also for the effectiveness of the unit of work and allows for TLs to organise what form of intervention is required to help students achieve learning outcomes and ultimately be effective 21^st Century learners.

References:

Abilock, D. (2004). Information literacy: an overview of design, process and outcomes. Retrieved from http://www.noodletools.com/debbie/literacies/information/1over/infolit1.html

Australian School Library Association (ASLA). (2004). Library standards of professional excellence for teacher librarians  Retrieved October, 2013, from http://www.asla.org.au/policy/standards.htm

Kuhlthau, C. C., Maniotes, L. K., & Caspari, A. K. (2007). Assessment in guided inquiry. In Guided inquiry: Learning in the 21st century (pp. 111-131). Westport, Conn: Libraries Unlimited. Available CSU Library Reserve.

Mueller, J. (2005). Authentic assessment in the classroom… and the library media center. Library Media Connection, 23(7), 14-18. Available EBSCOHost

Stripling, B. (2007). Assessing informative fluency: Gathering evidence of student learning. School Library Media Activities Monthly, 23(8), 25-29. Available CSU Library Reserve