Variation theory as a basis for designing a module on teaching information literacy

Webber, Boon & Johnston, 20 May 2008

Variation theory as a basis for designing a module on teaching information literacy

Sheila WebberUniversity of Sheffield Department of Information Studies

Stuart Boon & Bill Johnston, Centre for Academic Practice and Learning Enhancement, University of Strathclyde22 May 2008

Presented at the SIG Phenomenography conference, Kristianstad, May 2008


Outline• Basis for the approach: project on

conceptions pedagogy for IL• Variation theory• Thoughts on applying variation theory

in a module on Education for Information Literacy


Our project

Stuart Boon

Bill Johnston

Sheila Webber

http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/362/1416/1600/stuart with water.jpg


• Three-year Arts & Humanities Research Council (AHRC) - funded project (Nov 2002- Nov 2005)To explore UK academics’ conceptions of, and pedagogy for, information literacy

• Sheila Webber; Bill Johnston; Stuart Boon• Phenomenographic study: interviewing 20

academics in each of 4 disciplines to identify variation in conceptions (visited 26 universities to collect 80 interviews)

• Marketing, English, Civil Engineering, Chemistry


"Phenomenography is the empirical study of the differing ways in which people experience, perceive, apprehend, understand, conceptualise various phenomena in and aspects of the world around us.”

Qualitative research aiming for insights

Marton (1994)


Insights

Information Literacy

?

IntervieweeUs

What is key focus of Interviewee’s conception of IL?


Accessing information quickly and easily to be aware of what’s going on

Information literacy?Using information literacy to solve real-world problemsBecoming

confident, autonomous learners and critical thinkers

Mastering a chemist's information skill set

An essential part of the constitution/ construction/ creation of knowledge

Creating, and incorporating information into a professional knowledge base

Accessing and retrieving textual information

Some of the conceptions in English, Marketing, Engineering

& Chemistry that our research discovered


Key research questions

1. What conceptions of information literacy are held by UK academics?

2. What are academics’ conceptions and reported practice in educating students for information literacy? (today’s focus)

3. Do differences in conception correspond to differences in discipline?


Whole purposive sample• 80 interviews, 20 per discipline• 26 universities: 69% from pre-1992 (“new”) universities• 61% male, 39% female• Ages in ranges 21-30 to 61+• Years of teaching in ranges 0-5 to 31+• All taught undergrads, 93% taught Masters, 54% PhDs• 48% course/programme coordinators• Research Assessment Exercise ratings from 2 - 5*• Teaching quality grades from Satisfactory - Excellent


Marketing: Pedagogy for Information Literacy as…

1. Someone else’s job2. Upgrading students’ information toolbox at an appropriate point3. Facilitating access to a variety of resources4. Showing students how and when to use information skills5. Helping students understand how information literacy is critical

to them, for marketing & life

Key factors: 1) Academics' conceptions of information literacy2) Their approach to pedagogy


Chemistry academics' conceptions of pedagogy for IL as …

1. Implicit in teaching students to understand chemistry. “we teach them to find chemical data and structures for their assignments” (Chem 2)

2. Designing a path for students through a chemistry course “So we do make sure that we’ve assessed them and we introduce them to all the different databases throughout the four years, em, but we will always ask them to do stuff outside of that to widen their understanding.” (Chem 4)


Chemistry academics' conceptions of pedagogy for IL as …

3. Challenging students to respond independently, critically and creatively with information “… to be able to question, to disagree, to… really to have fun with information as well.” (Chem 11)

Key factors: Pedagogic approach; Outcomes for learning IL


Approaches to teaching

• Compatible with other "conceptions of pedagogy" research, for example as reviewed by Samuelowitz and Bain (2001)

– Knowledge conveying categories (e.g. transferring knowledge, explaining curriculum)

– Intermediate categories (e.g. focus on student-teacher interaction)

– Facilitation of learning categories (e.g. facilitating conceptual change & understanding)


Factors for variation• Approach to teaching and/or outcomes for learning

emerged as factors in each discipline• Relationship of information/ IL to discipline• As hypothesised, were variations within and

between disciplines• See Webber et al (2006), Webber and Johnston

(2005)


Variation theory


• That people learn through experiencing variation• Build up awareness and understanding through

discerning object of study in different ways• Using discoveries from phenomenographic

investigation may provide variations that can be taught/ discerned


“The point of departure for variation theory is that learning is characterized in terms of the learner’s dynamic structure of awareness, and is related to discernment, variation, and simultaneity …. Learning is associated with a change in discernment, which entails a change in the aspect(s) of the phenomenon in the focal awareness of the learner.”(Pang and Marton, 2005; 162)


“In using variation theory, the role of the teacher is to design learning experiences in such away that helps students to

discern the critical aspects of the object of learning with the use of variation. … By consciously varying certain critical

aspects of the phenomenon in question while keeping other aspects invariant, a space of variation is created that can

bring the learner’s focal awareness to bear upon the critical aspects, which makes it possible for the learner to experience

the object of learning.”(Pang and Marton, 2005; 164)


The module: Education for Information Literacy

The “Object of learning” for the module is: approaches to learning, teaching and assessment of information literacy


Basics• Core part of new (for 2008/9) MA Information Literacy (IL) at

Department of Information Studies, Sheffield University, UK (we think 1st internationally)

• 30 credits (half of teaching in Semester 1 of this 12 month programme) c. 3-4 hours per week contact

• Other core modules: IL & resources; information retrieval; Educational Informatics; IL research

• Also available as stand-alone for professional development• Blended learning – face to face plus use of WebCT etc• Constructivist/ Inquiry Based Learning approaches amongst

faculty in the Department


Background• Small cohorts anticipated: librarians, teachers etc.

who want to make IL core part of their job• Teaching seen increasingly as a role of the library &

information professional internationally • Challenge is that librarians may be obliged to fit in

with teaching approach of lead educators (schoolteachers, faculty etc)

• Librarians may perceive teachers’ problems in teaching IL as arising out of teachers’ lack of information literacy


Already ….• With MA Librarianship & MSc Information

Management cohorts– Introduce categories of pedagogy for IL in first session

of Information Literacy class– Ask students (in groups) to see whether they can

identify which category their subject lecturers fell into + identify implications

– Mini presentations from students– Students able to categorise; and discuss their own

learning experience


Proposed “Education for Information Literacy” module learning outcomes

By the end of the module, a candidate will be able to:• identify their existing capabilities, strengths and areas for

development in teaching information literacy;• compare different approaches to teaching information literacy and

demonstrate awareness of implications for adopting different approaches;

• analyse different contexts (disciplinary, national etc) for teaching information literacy, and identify their own position within those contexts;

• plan, design and implement an intervention to facilitate students’learning of information literacy;

• communicate effectively, orally and in writing.


Assessment85% Portfolio of evidence relating to development in

learning, teaching and assessment of information literacy; including reflective reports, example material; reports and reviews on specific aspects of the class;

15% Individual presentation


Approach to curriculum design• Key sessions focus on clusters of conceptions of

pedagogy for IL (taken from 4 disciplines)• Students reflect on their own conceptions of IL and

teaching IL at various points• Explaining/ exploring variation theory at start of

module• Involve external teachers/ practitioners who

– espouse a particular conception of pedagogy for IL, or – work with people who espouse it, or – experienced it as learners


Conceptions of learners taking the module• Opportunities for these conceptions to emerge

through reflection (e.g. reflective diaries) and explicit discussion

• Thus hope to treat module also as collaborative research exercise

“The opening of variation can be done by the teacher herself or by the teacher and the pupils jointly. The way the pupil understands that which is being taught, can sometimes contribute to opening

dimensions of variation and thereby to the extension of the space of variation constituted” (Runesson, 1999: 9)


Issues!

• Involving colleagues in design• Variation theory will be a curriculum design principle

– will this also give the message that it is a major approach to teaching information literacy?

• Different critical aspects of the object of study (information literacy) are discerned along with different critical aspects of pedagogy – is this: an issue, inevitable, desirable?

• Also disciplinary differences … sectoral differences


Sheila Webber [email protected]

Stuart [email protected]

[email protected]


References• Pang, M.F. and Marton, F. (2003) “Beyond ``lesson study'':

Comparing two ways of facilitating the grasp of some economic concepts.” Instructional Science, 31 (3), 175-194

• Pang, M.F. and Marton, F. (2005) “Learning Theory as Teaching Resource: Enhancing Students’ Understanding of Economic Concepts.” Instructional Science, 33 (2), 159-191.

• Marton et al. ( 2004) Classroom discourse and the space of learning. Lawrence Erlbaum.

• Runesson, U. (1999) “Teaching as constituting a space of variation.”Paper presented at the 8th EARLI-conference, Göteborg, Sweden, Aug. 24-28 1999.http://www.ped.gu.se/biorn/phgraph/civil/graphica/ur.pdf

• Samuelowicz, K. and Bain, J.D. (2001) Revisiting academics’ beliefs about teaching and learning. Higher education, 41, 299-325.


• Boon, S., Johnston, B. and Webber, S. (2007) "A phenomenographicstudy of English faculty's conceptions of information literacy." Journal of documentation, 63 (2), 204-228.

• Webber, S., Boon, S. and Johnston, B. (2005) “A comparison of UK academics’ conceptions of information literacy in two disciplines: Englishand Marketing.” Library and information research, 29 (93), 4-15.

• Webber, S., Boon, S. and Johnston, B. (2006) "Comparaison des conceptions pédagogiques de la maîtrise de l’information chez des universitaires britanniques de différentes disciplines.“ [British academics from different disciplines: comparing their conceptions of pedagogy for information literacy] Actes des 5èmes Rencontres Formist: Lyon: 2005.Lyon: ENSSIB. http://babel.enssib.fr/document.php?id=315 (English version at: http://dis.shef.ac.uk/sheila/webber-FORMIST.pdf)

• Webber, S. and Johnston, B. (2005) “Information literacy in the curriculum: selected findings from a phenomenographic study of UK conceptions of, and pedagogy for, information literacy” In: Rust, C. (Ed)Improving Student Learning: Diversity and Inclusivity: Proceedings of the 11th ISL symposium, Birmingham, 6-8 September 2004. Oxford: Oxford Brookes University. pp212-224. http://dis.shef.ac.uk/sheila/literacy/webber-johnston-isl.pdf

Variation theory as a basis for designing a module on teaching information literacy

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