Trapped between a Rock and a Hard Place: What Counts as Informational Literacy in the Workplace and How Is It Conceptualized?
What does the term "discursive practices" mean?
The culture of conversation in different settings.
What does "discourse" mean?
Conversation that is connected to a group.
What is the "rock" and what is the "hard place"?
The rock refers to the way information literacy is taught as a skill “confined to information access and use,” which is primarily the way it is taught in schools. The hard place refers to how information literacy is used in the workplace.
What are the differences between the skills prescribed for information searching in academic and workplace settings?
In schools information is “systematically organized and enshrined bodies of knowledge” that are accessed by a particular set of rules. Individuals are expected to acquire information literacy skills independent of each other. In the workplace, information is a shared resource that is as much related to the social setting and discourse of the profession as it is individual, independent skills.
How do academic notions of information literacy undermine workplace notions information literacy?
Academic information literacy does not allow for, nor legitimize, the collective knowledge of “non-canonical” expertise. This undermines workplace notions of information literacy, because in the workplace knowledge is shared among members of a profession, or a setting. This collective knowledge is important to the culture of the profession.
How are information needs identified in work place setting like nursing and emergency workers?
Doctors define the informational needs of nurses and emergency workers. Furthermore, Nurses tend to value social discourse among others in their profession and their informational literacy needs are related more to the “ability to map out information landscapes and.... make judgments about the veracity of information.”
Why do issues of plagiarism not resonate in workplace settings?
Because knowledge is a “collective possession” that is shared among members of a team, and then to a workplace and into the larger profession through professional networks.
Are information literacy skills transferable across contexts and settings? Why or Why not?
This sounds like a trick question! According to this article, more research is needed to answer this question but current research seems to suggest No: “Explorations of transfer require an understanding of the setting and the way the setting functions.”
What is "practice theory"?
Practice theory is a holistic approach that allows for a framework based on “human activity, subjectivity, inter subjectivity, embodiment, language and power relationships.”
How does the author of this article define information literacy?
Information literacy is a practice (not a skill) that requires understanding the information landscape of a social situation. By this, I think the author is saying that information literacy is more than just understanding why we need information,or how to go about getting information.
How do educators need to change their understanding of information literacy in order to prepare student for the information literacy practices they will encounter in workplace settings?
Educators need to focus less on research-gathering techniques and start using questions of audience as a focal point of information.
What do the terms "ontological" and "epistemological" mean?
I think it refers to the culture of knowledge in a setting.
After reading this article, how useful is the traditional research paper we expect students to produce in school in preparing them for workplace settings? What are traditional research papers useful for? Should we still assign traditional research papers?
Traditional research papers are useful for preparing students for college and academic, scientific-based careers. It’s tough to say whether I think a traditional research paper should still be assigned. I think it’s important because student’s will encounter this in college and need to know how to research and write this kind of paper. So, yes, I think it should still be assigned, because it is a valued text in some circles, but as an explicit instruction in formal research methods.
What is one of the biggest challenges to changing the way information literacy is conceptualized in school settings?
School settings are academic-based workplaces. In this occupation, traditional forms of information research are more highly valued. To challenge that notion is a challenge to the occupational/situational, “informational landscape” of that workplace. (This makes total sense in my head, but I’m not sure I’ve fully conveyed my meaning here... what I want to say is that the teaching profession relies on hard data for assessment - testing, grades, attendance etc... this hard data is part of the profession’s “informational landscape” and, as a result, highly valued.)
What attributes of the 21st century make it essential that educators change their approaches toward information literacy?
The question of “Who is the audience” seems to be an essential question for information in the 21st Century. Understanding what the social implications of the information are is crucial to understanding the reliability and validity of information.
What changes can teachers make to their classroom activities to engage students in the information literacy practices they will encounter in 21st century workplace settings?
To address the question of audience: assignments that are created for actual groups of diverse audiences would help. I also think teachers could utilize their students in developing lesson plans and teaching subject matter that the students are “fluent” in (whatever that might be)... this would help recognize students as “experts” and legitimize the collective knowledge that the student’s have (while also forcing them to evaluate that knowledge to determine what is valuable).
References:
Lloyd, A. (2011). Trapped between a Rock and a Hard Place: What Counts as Information
Literacy in the Workplace and How Is It Conceptualized?
Library Trends, 60 (2) pp. 277-296. 
I like the idea of incorporating students into creating lesson plans. I think that there would be some challenges, but at the very least allowing students to give feedback on assignments and the instructor actually listening and evaluating the feedback would be a very positive start.
ReplyDeleteI think you bring up a good point about how traditional research papers are useful in school for preparing students for college and research-related fields. I also like your idea of allowing students to help in lesson planning. I've often thought about creating a PBL where students have to create and explore a fun way to teach a certain topic that might otherwise be considered "boring".
ReplyDeleteHeather, I did something like that with my fourth graders. When we were reviewing for WESTEST I had them pair up and pick a math topic. Then, they had to find a new way to teach it to the class. They came up with some really great ideas!
ReplyDeleteGosh - I just re-read what I posted. This week's article was a tough read - the language was very dense and not what I'm used to. I think it garbled my plain-talk voice and brought out the wrumble (that's written mumbling BTW). However, as I was reading this week's article, it made me feel like my head was going to explode (in a good way..) from all the unique pathways and thoughts I was having. I'm just not sure I was fully able to convey those thoughts in writing this week. I think this is one of those examples of the written word failing me... Maybe I need to create some sort of digital text or graphic or something to try to express myself more fully.
ReplyDeleteI really liked your point about information literacy skills not being transferable. I felt like it must have been a trick question too. It makes sense that these skills would be transferable into the workplace.
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