Information Skills for Middle Grade Students
Using the Information Process for Research Assignments
Feb 20, 2009
As technology moves forward and knowledge becomes more accessible, the focus of education is shifting. In the past the emphasis lay in the accumulation of knowledge, and students were graded on their ability to memorize and recite information on command. In contrast, present and future educational objectives are focusing more on the teaching of skills, whereby the process of finding and evaluating information is just as important as its accumulation.
The society in which modern students must function requires that they be critical thinkers, capable of objectively analyzing information from a variety of media and sources. In today's task-driven society, where knowledge is fluid and the facts are constantly changing, students need a structured format that will enable them to take any research task and independently move forward.
The Information Process
The Information Process is a step-by-step guide in how to complete a research assignment, from the initial analysis of its content through to the presentation of a finished product. Devised by the Australian School Library Association and widely used in Australian Schools, it provides a comprehensive plan for a skills-based unit of work that can be adapted to suit any research topic.
Why Study Information Skills?
Information skills are not about rote learning but about students actively participating in their education. It emphasizes not just finding and remembering facts, but coming to their own conclusions about ideas and events and discovering the deeper truths behind the facts. Like the man who has been taught to fish, the student who has been taught to locate and examine information will never be hungry for facts again.
Programming for Information Skills
Information skills are not a separate subject to be taught in isolation, but rather a set of skills to be incorporated into whichever topic the class is currently studying. Lessons and activities can be organized so that information skills are organically embedded in daily teaching practice and become an integral part of how students gather and organize information.
Sample Unit of Work Utilizing the Information Process
Topic: Research the personal and professional life of a prominent politician. Examine their motivation, achievements and impact on society. What will they be most remembered for?
- Lesson 1 – Students choose the subject for their research assignment and make notes on what they already know about this person and his place in history. Together, discuss and underline the key words and phrases in the assignment. These are the areas that the final product will need to cover. Students create a research plan, outlining the areas that need to be researched.
- Lesson 2 -– Class discussion on the different types of information found in various resources, i.e. the Internet is useful for up-to-date facts but may not have the authority of an encyclopedia. Students create a comprehensive search strategy for this research topic.
- Lesson 3 – Instructional lesson on plagiarism and how to create an accurate bibliography.
- Lesson 4 – Instructional lesson on techniques for finding information, e.g. using the Contents Page, Index and Glossary, Internet search strategies, skimming and scanning for keywords within a text.
- Lessons 5, 6 & 7 – Various methods of research. Students take down notes on their topic from books, encyclopedias, DVDs, the Internet etc.
- Lesson 8 – A Presentation Plan. Students analyze their research assignment and the information they have gathered and formulate a plan for how they will present their findings. They could choose to create a written report or a powerpoint presentation, write a speech or film a movie etc. Information is taken home and the assignment is completed as homework.
- Lesson 9 – Presentation to the class.
- Lesson 10 – Written evaluation by the student and the teacher.
Utilizing information skills in the classroom enables students to actively participate in their education. It encourages them to make decisions and promotes critical thinking. Students become more engaged in topics when they have choices about what they will learn and how they present their information. Exceptional students are able to extend themselves, whilst students who are struggling can tailor their project to a level that suits their needs. Students become more motivated to remember facts that they have hunted down themselves and are more likely to come to a deeper understanding of their topic.
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