ENGLISH 109 -- LESSON ONE

INTRODUCTION TO INFORMATION LITERACY

LEARNING OUTCOMES: Upon completion of Lesson one, you will be able to:

  • Understand the value and usefulness of information and give examples of how information can be used.
  • Define information and information literacy.
  • Explain the information cycle and the principles behind accessing information.
  • Identify and provide examples of different types of information.
  • Formulate and refine an appropriate research question and develop a strategy to answer that question.
  • Become familiar with the basic standards of critical thinking and what it means to be an information literate person.
  • Understand the steps in doing a research paper and take the first step, i.e., choosing a research topic and formulating a research question.
  • Identify the key concepts in a research topic.
  • Understand that information on a topic can be found from a variety of sources and formats and begin a plan of action by identifying the potential relevant sources of information.
  • Use critical thinking skills to evaluate the validity of information and its relevance to the topic.

“If I teach well, you may or may not learn, but if you want to learn, you learn regardless of how I teach. You will find a way to learn!!” (Source unknown)

The joy of discovery!! Learn how to learn!! Become a life-long learner!

INFORMATION CYCLE

Experiments

News Media Observation

References Conversation

Cultural InformationReaction to environment

______

AuthorsAuthors

Researcher______Researcher

JournalistGeneral Public

______

______

DEFINITION OF INFORMATION:

Information is the communication or reception of knowledge or intelligence. (Webster’s Third New International Dictionary)

DEFINITION OF INFORMATION LITERACY:

Information literacy is the ability to access, evaluate and apply information from a variety of sources and in a variety of contexts. (American Library Association)

DIFFERENT TYPES OF INFORMATION!

Primary vs. Secondary

Primary: Information in original format, events as they are first described or recorded, and original or raw data in a research project are considered to be primary sources of information. For example, first report of a discovery of cancer, notes taken by a clinical psychologist, interviews, debates, and diaries are all primary sources of information. Primary sources are published first in the publication cycle.

Secondary: When information is changed from its original format, it becomes secondary. For example, your interpretations of an interview or diary, books, encyclopedia articles are all secondary sources. Any evaluation of information contained in a primary source will be considered as the secondary source of information. This type of information tends to get publishedlater (or second) in
the information cycle.

Keep in mind that the time can be a dependable factor in deciding whether the information is primary or secondary. A historian studying the World War II finds articles on the topic. If the article was written around the time of the event, chances are it is primary, but if the article written about this war in recent years would be a secondary source of information.

Checklist: To make sure that an article is primary or secondary source, ask the following questions. If your answers to these questions are “yes,” the chances are that you have a primary source of information.

  • Does the article tell you the purpose of the study?
  • Does the article have an abstract?
  • Does the article give you the methods used to conduct the research?
  • Does the article have the detail results of the experiments?
  • Has the article gone through peer review process?

Factual vs. Analytical

Factual: Factual information is what is done, happened, or existing. Some examples are: WorldTradeCenter terrorist attack on September 11, 2001; Hurricane Katrina hitting the New Orleans on August 29, 2005; Almanacs usually provide such information.

Analytical: Analytical information is an interpretation of facts. For example, the analysis of the data on Hurricane Katrina is considered to be analytical information.

Objective vs. Subjective

Objective: Information is objective when you present all sides of a topic or an issue, including facts. For example, if you are doing research about the use of marijuana as a medicine, you consider both the benefits and the side effects of the drug on the patients. Encyclopedias provide you with such information and therefore it is a good starting point for writing a research paper.

Subjective: Subjective information does not present all sides of a topic, but could be helpful if you recognize the bias and know what you are looking for. For example, information presented by the National Rifle Association is considered subjective information since they are advocating for their mission only.

ROLE OF CRITICAL THINKING IN INFORMATION SEARCH

Traditionally our thinking has been planned for routine, day-to-day habit, and a set of established procedures. Things have changed significantly and just like everything else in life, we need to adjust ourselves with this change. We can no longer learn how to do something once, and do it over and over. There is a new world for us to explore! Let’s ask a few questions from ourselves!!

What is it we are trying to achieve?

What is it that we want to know?

How are we going to do it?

What is our expectation from ourselves?

What is our expectation from our teacher?

How much are we willing to put into achieving our goal?

How do we respond to these questions in this ever changing world? Change continues to move faster and faster and becomes more and more complex. We need to revolutionize our thinking and develop and constantly improve our critical thinking skills. Skills that can be applied to everything and throughout our lives, in school, at work or for our personal needs!

DEFINITION OF CRITICAL THINKING: Critical thinking is the ability to analyze problems accurately and reasonably. A critical thinker is able to:

identify problems and formulate questions

work in groups to solve problems

gather relevant information

examine reality from many angles

explore opposing points of view

evaluate information objectively and fairly

evaluate his/her thinking effectively and objectively

evaluate thinking of others effectively and fairly

discover answers on his/her own

relate subject matter to his/her own lives and to other courses

STANDARDS OF CRITICAL THINKING: The following characteristics can be applied to thinking in reading, writing, and studying all subjects.

clearvs. unclearlogicalvs.illogical

exactvs. vaguecompletevs.incomplete

accuratevs.inaccurateobjectivevs.biased

relevantvs.irrelevantfairvs.unfair

QUESTIONING: is the heart of learning and improving our lives. Questions allow us to make sense of what is around us. They help us see and discover what is beyond our touch! They are the most powerful tools we have for making decisions and solving problems.

PROBLEM SOLVING: The primary key to solving any problem is the true understanding of that problem and identifying all the hidden parts that would lead to meaningful answers.

  • Read the problem carefully and clearly to identify what it is. What is it that you need to know about that problem?
  • Break the problem into smaller parts. What are the smallest pieces that you can break this down and it will still make sense?
  • Utilize all sources available to you and select the ones that most likely will answer all or parts of the questions.
  • Be logical and objective in your approach. Trial and error is a good way of discoveries, but make sure you are utilizing all resources that are available and relevant to the issue.
  • Be objective and fair in your approach. Think of other alternative sources; considering all side of an issue.
  • Consider other related events, similar problems and especially the process that you have experienced in that past that could possibly help you solve your problem.
  • Analyze and evaluate the finding based on established criteria.

EXAMPLE: If you were to write an essay about “media violence” you might start by listing such questions as:

  • What do I mean by “media violence?”
  • What do most people mean by “media violence?”
  • What is violence?
  • Who is the audience I should take into considerations?
  • When did “media violence” become an issue in my life?
  • What should we do as a nation to control “media violence?”
  • What background information do I have in this area?
  • What else is going on that is related to this issue?
  • Why has this become such an important issue?

RESOURCES:

Review Questions:

Who is an information literate person?

What is your understanding of ‘Information cycle’?

What is the difference between primary and secondary sources of information?

What does each of these statements mean?

Your information does not cover all sides of this controversial topic!

Information you have provided is fair and compares all sides of an issue!

Give an example of ‘factual information’:

Name 3 standards of critical thinking that are most important to you and tell us why?

Think of a question that has been in your mind for quite sometime and break it into smaller parts and see which standards will be most useful in the process of finding the answer to your question.

Vocabulary review:

Access

Evaluate

Raw data

Format

Rowhani/Longpré/Paulsen Fall 2007