Information Literacy and the GeST windows

Image from ehoyer's photostream

At the outset of this course and this task I viewed information literacy as the skills needed to collect and organise information in order to make meaning of the world in which we live. The way that this was achieved increased in complexity as one developed and approached tasks needing a higher order set of skills. To some extent this view is reflected in the joint statement on Information Literacy presented by the Australian Library and Information Association (ALIA) and the Australian School Library Association (ASLA):
Information literate learners are able to access, process, organise, create and present information in a range of ways that make meaning for them and all the construction of personal knowledge. Information skills must be embedded across the school curriculum and explicitly taught in the context of teaching and learning programs (2009).


However, the more I think about this statement and the deeper I delve into this area of information literacy, I believe there is more to being literate than simply accessing, selecting, collecting, organising, managing and utilising information. It is far more than the acquisition of a skill set to become highly literate. Today's 21st century learner is confronted with information in a wide variety of forms and via a variety of mediums and needs to be able to utilise the technological tools that often create access to much of this information. With this comes the need to be able to critically evaluate all sources of information and reflect upon its meaning and the way in which it changes our existing knowledge base.

Information literacy needs to be transformative; the information literacy process needs to provide opportunities for learning that will enable the learner to challenge their existing knowledge base, critically reflect on what they know and how they can incorporate new understandings and then utilise the newly constructed information to make a difference to themselves and others. Lupton and Bruce (2010) view curricula in terms of the GeST windows model. At its most basic level the Generic Window is where information literacy is viewed in terms of the acquisition of a set of skills that are unrelated to a context and that can be learnt to be used when engaging with information. The Situated Window sees information literacy as the learning and utilisation of those skills for a specific, authentic situation. Information is viewed as being part of who we are and inquiry based learning is firmly grounded here. The Transformative window encompasses the previous two windows and in addition engages the learner in practices that empower them to question the information, critique it and use it to transform their view of the world and make a difference to society.

Showing the inclusive relationship of all three windows. The Transformative Window is dependent upon the other two windows. (Image from Lupton Powerpoint used in Tutorials 2011)

I feel as though this experience of the search process has forced me to work through all three windows. At its most basic level I have learned and used the skills of database searching for a very relevant and authentic purpose, to formulate the theoretical basis of my Inquiry Learning Activity with Year Three students finding out about their local history. I have been forced to construct new understandings and incorporate the theories and models that I have encountered in the literature with my existing knowledge of teaching and learning. However this process has been far more than the acquisition of skills for the purposes of creating a blog and establishing the basis of my ILA. It has empowered me to create my own views about historical inquiry for younger students and what elements I believe are important in the process. I have been able to share these views and will share the results via a written report but I am also expressing my perspective through this blog that will reach an untold number of fellow bloggers around the world. Wow that's empowering stuff!