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LIBR 250-11_Leonard_Week 4_Summer 2010

Active Learning and Participation: Thinking

Critically About Academic Subscription

Databases.

Alison Leonard

July 4, 2010

Active Learning and Participation:

Thinking Critically about Academic Subscription Databases.

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Reminder: Click for AUDIO on each slide.

Start: Define Databases.Too often educators and librarians make

assumptions that users know about the tools

and materials that they provide. For example,

do not assume that a student user has ever

used a database before. Therefore, define its

uses and share its BENEFITS at the beginning.

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For students to think critically about the materials they access from databases, ask them to begin by thinking about how they can personally benefit from the use of databases after you have defined them.

PERSONALIZING the use of a tool or resource creates a more meaningful connection, thereby promoting the use of the tool. Accordingly, the user will return again and again.

Consider various learning styles:

� Humanist-will feel a part of the design and construction of the learning experience, i.e. learner-centered teaching.

� Behaviorist-will feel material is being broken down into small units.

� Cognitive/Constructionist-will feel the importance of relevance/personal meaning is met.

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The educator/librarian needs to remember the following in designing instruction:

Varied learning styles require varied teaching styles as well asmixing and matching instruction for varied audiences and varied learners. Variety allows you to reach as many learners as possible.

Be a flexible, self-aware, open minded and a risk taker.

Reflect on teaching methods you have been using. Try new methods outside your comfort zone from time to time. Be a leaderof change.

It is the responsibility of the librarian to present material in a way that will appeal to the learner.

The result of good instruction is “a sense of pride, enthusiasm and shared ownership.” (Learning to Lead, Grassian and Kaplowitz, p. 11).

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All three learning styles

respond to ACTIVE PARTICIPATION. People

learn best by doing. Therefore, write something,

say something, play

something, move around, and interact. (ILI, Grassian and

Kaplowitz, p. 95).

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Share with students the questions posed to vendors when selecting databases, they include:

Which materials are indexed?

What time periods are covered?

Which words are used as descriptors?How can one search for materials?

How will the results be displayed?

What are they including? What are they leaving out?

(ILI, Grassian and Kaplowitz, p. 89)

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Encourage students to ask basic critical thinking questions:

� What is the purpose?

� Who is the audience?

� Who is the author or sponsor?

� What is the author’s expertise?

� How accurate is the information?

� Is it up to date?

� How complete is the information compared to

other material on the topic?

(ILI, Grassian and Kaplowitz, p.91).

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Other critical thinking questions to consider:

What is the purpose?What is the main question?What is your interpretation of the material?What are your assumptions about the material?

Encourage the student to bring critical thinking into their discussions, listening habits and inner dialog.

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In Elmborg’s article, Critical

Information Literacy: Implications

for Instructional Practice, (2006), he

states:“There needs to be a further move to CRITICAL CONCIOUSNESS.

Thereby,students control their lives and

learning by become active agents by asking them to ask and answer questions that matter

to them and the world around them.”

“They learn to negotiate the world and information by THEMSELVES, not by

educators who define and describe it.”

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Elmborg goes on to describe a “student-centered, educational

philosophy” by saying (2006):

“American education is an industrial assembly line with ideal students emerging with

standardized knowledge.”

He suggests that students must develop

“MEANING MAKING in their own right” instead of adapting to system of

“conservative, protectors of traditional, authoritative knowledge.”

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Some interesting thoughts to consider from

Cody’s article, Critical Thoughts on Critical

Thinking (2006):

“The acknowledgement of lack of agreement of a definition of critical thinking

is significant because it admits to an ambiguity in understanding critical

thinking. Moreover, librarians' efforts to instill a critical thinking attitude in their

students are a futile enterprise due to an ambiguous determination of the

outcome.”

“Is it possible to teach critical thinking skills in an information environment

characterized by multiple user interfaces and rapidly changing technological

developments?”

Is critical thinking best taught as subject specific or as a general application?

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Critical Thinking is “one way” to navigate

the information universe.

Consider the two sides to Information Literacy:

Critical Thinking-Knowing how to manage information in creative and meaningful ways.

The growth in reflection we experience in our inner-self, i.e. appreciation in response to information (inspiration and motivation).

(Riedling, Week 4, PowerPoint presentation).

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CONCLUSION:Take time to reflect on the results of your instruction

from a teacher and learner perspective. Continue to

learn as much as you can about different learning styles and how you can apply them to what you

teach and/or design.

Effective leaders are perpetual learners and are on the lookout for new ideas. (Learning to Lead,

Grassian and Kaplowitz, p. 21).

Remember that not every idea succeeds.

“Change is the rule. Change is the only constant.”

(Learning to Lead, Grassian and Kaplowitz, p. 3).

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References:

Cody, D. (2006). Critical Thoughts on Critical Thinking. The Journal of Academic

Librarianship, 32(4), 403-7. Retrieved from Library Lit & Inf Full Text

database.

Elmborg, J. (2006). Critical Information Literacy: Implications for Instructional

Practice. The Journal of Academic Librarianship, 32(2), 192-9.

Retrieved from Library Literature & Information Full Text database.

Grassian, E., & Kaplowitz, J. (2009). Information literacy instruction (2nd ed.).

New York, NY: Neal-Schuman.

Grassian, E., & Kaplowitz, J. (2005). Learning to lead and manage information

literacy instruction. New York, NY: Neal-Schuman.

Tate, M., & Alexander, J. (1996). Teaching critical evaluation skills for World

Wide Web resources. Computers in Libraries, 16, 49-52. Retrieved from

ProQuest database.

You tube. (n.d.). Critical thinking and the basic elements of thought. Retrieved

June 30, 2010, from

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_VPg_cGAfHk&feature=PlayList&p

=9A79BE7311F32E8E&playnext_from=PL&playnext=1&index=24