A large portion of a librarian's and technology coordinator's position is to provide direct instruction to staff and students. Using the principles of good instructional pedagogy and design is critical for effective instruction. Equally important is to develop engaging assignments that fulfill the purpose of the digital information fluency goals as well as the specific teacher's purpose.
Effective instruction and assignments:
- support diverse approaches to teaching
- incorporate appropriate information technology and resources
- include active and collaborative activities
- encompass critical thinking and reflection
- respond to multiple learning styles
- support student-centered learning
- build on students' existing knowledge and
- link digital information fluency skills to ongoing coursework and real-life experiences appropriate to program and course level
(Source: "Characteristics of Programs of Information Literacy that Illustrate Best Practices: A Guideline." American Library Association . 2005. http://www.ala.org/ala/acrl/acrlstandards/characteristics.htm (Accessed 15 Sep, 2005))
Suggestions for developing effective assignments:
- Offer to help faculty achieve their Illinois Learning Standards goals by designing assignments and teaching the information fluency skills.
- Use the Illinois Learning Standards - Classroom Assessments
Tip: Select the subject-specific Descriptors and Assessments on the right side of the web page to find links to lesson ideas for individual subject areas. - Collaborate between teacher and librarian/tech coordinator to decide who teaches the concept.
- Adopt a school wide citation model. (MLA, APA, Chicago, etc.)
- Develop assignments that discourage plagiarism.
Resource: http://www.virtualsalt.com/antiplag.htm - Follow the NCREL Engaged Learning Model when designing lessons.
Module Activities
1. Explore 21CIF standards-aligned Lesson Plans.
