A Guide to Teaching Information Literacy: 101 Practical Tips

Citation

Winzenried, A. (2012), "A Guide to Teaching Information Literacy: 101 Practical Tips", Library Review, Vol. 61 No. 5, pp. 390-391. https://doi.org/10.1108/00242531211280559

As the title implies, this is a very practical guide to the teaching of a rather critical aspect of current curriculum – formal and informal. It is the collected wisdom of three folk who have together a very considerable range of experience and so are able to speak with considerable authority. The work is a practical one based on the understanding of information literacy as information seeking. There is no theoretical argument or justification but rather a collection of 101 teaching and learning topics (or “hints”) covering a huge range of planning, delivery and activity aspects relevant to the formal teaching of information literacy. The authors set out quite deliberately to provide nothing other than a set of hints, tips and guidelines of a very practical nature.

Commencing with practical suggestions for a creative teaching program this text works through the three broad areas of planning, delivering and activities. Each section includes the headings of “Best for” – suggestions; “More” – extension activities and “Watch out” – things to keep an eye on for best progress in the learning. There are also useful references at the end of each section.

This practical layout offers very quick access to the points being made in each of the 101 short sections. The ideas are immediately accessible and their advantages clearly shown. For the often time‐poor instructor/learning guide, this aspect of A Guide to Teaching Information Literacy will prove invaluable. Added to this, each section heading is clear and helpful. The content is brief, to the point and helpful. Topics include learning outcomes, lesson planning, questions, technology‐enhanced learning, video, card sorting, body language, assessment, managing sessions, handouts, room layout, blogs, wikis, collaboration, problem‐based learning, self‐assessment, and many, many more. With each section short and to the point, users of this book are offered a huge range of tried and tested approaches. In a matter of minutes a new idea can be accessed and implemented.

For some, a number of the suggestions in this book may simply be a statement of what they are already doing – the hints are not necessarily unique. However, many practitioners will find a host of new ideas here to complement and extend their existing practice.

In summary this book is a really valuable, succinct and extremely practical “tool kit” for the information literacy teacher and guide. It is not an academic text or a theoretical discussion but rather a compact set of tried and tested ideas for the more effective presentation of information literacy in the learning context. It is written by practitioners for practitioners. Recommended.