PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT INSTITUTECATHY CRANSTON

JANUARY 7 , 2010

Make Them Think:Revising Library

Research Assignments for Powerful Critical Thinking

Results

What did I promise?

Come with ideas. Leave with results. If you would like to find ways to get students to dig deeper for information

than a quick Google or database search, come to this session to exchange ideas on how to make them think. Searching for and evaluating information is a cornerstone of lifelong learning. Research based assignments offer an opportunity for both skill building and deep thinking. This session will include time to work on revamping or creating an assignment that could be ready to go for the spring semester!

  Goals and Target Audience: The goal of this session is to have faculty revise

or create an assignment which includes specific information literacy learning outcomes and assessments.

  Targeted audience: Faculty who have assignments that include library

research, or those who would like to add critical thinking components to their course/assignment.

Today’s Time

Introductions Time Travel Exercise Introduction to Information Literacy Learning

Outcomes Resources Workshop an Assignment

Brainstorming Testing Sharing

Big Picture Thinking Wrap-up / Questions / Contact details exchange /

Evaluations

Introductions

‘Round the room three times

1. Who we are2. What prompted you to pick this PDI?3. What are your most pressing concerns with

student library research?

What prompted me to host this PDI?

10 years of witnessing students research behaviors

Opportunity to talk about library research assignments with the people who create them

Interested in challenging assumptions about what “Library Instruction” and “Information Literacy” is and isn’t

Curiosity to see who would turn up and why

TIME TRAVEL EXERCISE

Time Travel Exercise

Example: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/03/educatio

n/edlife/03adult-t.html?emScenarios worksheetA couple of volunteers to demo and record

Barbara Strauch – forthcoming April 2010

The things we take for granted

How many steps did we take for granted between

What are the stumbling blocks for students?

Narrowing the focus of a topicEfficiently accessing informationMaking sense of primary materialsTime management / procrastination

What do you see? more examples…

INFORMATIONLITERACY LEARNING

OUTCOMES

Information Literacy

Association of College and Research LibrariesInformation Literacy Competency Standards

for Higher Educationhttp://

www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/acrl/standards/informationliteracycompetency.cfm

General Standards Created/Codified 10 years ago

Standards in the disciplineshttp://

www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/acrl/standards/infolit.cfm

Information Literacy Objectives

“The IS Objectives provide terminal objectives, those that "break down the overall objectives [the Competency Standards' 'Outcomes'] into specific discrete measurable results.“

http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/acrl/standards/objectivesinformation.cfm

RESOURCES

Your LibGuide

http://libguides.colostate.edu/makethemthink

YOUR ASSIGNMENT

Your Assignment for Your Assignment

See worksheetBrainstorm

work with a partner or small groupTake time to work on your assignment

individuallyDo some testing individually or with a partnerShare with the whole group

BIG PICTURE THINKING

It starts with an assignment…but where does it go from there?

Discussions with your librarian, colleagues, department, curriculum committees

Does the faculty in your area share the same concerns with students' research skills?

Are there steps that can be taken to strategically address these concerns? 

Which classes should be targeted? Which assignments? Which grade levels?

WRAP-UP

Thank you for coming today

Final questions or comments?Exchange contact information if you want to

continue the conversationEvaluations – please place in the envelope