Promoting Critical Thinking through Information Literacy Dr. Michele DiPietro, Eberly Center Dan Hood, University Libraries Tuesday, March 4, Noon-2:00pm

Objectives At the end of the seminar, you should be able to: List information literacy goals Discuss connections between information literacy and critical thinking Design an assignment that promotes critical thinking and information literacy skills.

At the end of the seminar, you should be able to:

List information literacy goals

Discuss connections between information literacy and critical thinking

Design an assignment that promotes critical thinking and information literacy skills.

Agenda Introductions and brainstorming ACRL standards Principles and tools for designing assignments Course design triangle Bloom’s taxonomy Mapping standards onto Bloom Theories of intellectual development/critical thinking Group activity – designing assignments Debriefing of assignments High/low stakes High/low cost Conclusions

Introductions and brainstorming

ACRL standards

Principles and tools for designing assignments

Course design triangle

Bloom’s taxonomy

Mapping standards onto Bloom

Theories of intellectual development/critical thinking

Group activity – designing assignments

Debriefing of assignments

High/low stakes

High/low cost

Conclusions

Introductions and Brainstorming Please share your: Name Department Teaching/TAing experience One problem or gap with your students’ research skills

Please share your:

Name

Department

Teaching/TAing experience

One problem or gap with your students’ research skills

Information Literacy Standards Why standards? Where do they come from? AASL, ACRL Five standards Follow the traditional research steps

Why standards?

Where do they come from?

AASL, ACRL

Five standards

Follow the traditional research steps

ACRL standards The information literate student determines the nature and extent of the information needed. The information literate student accesses needed information effectively and efficiently. The information literate student evaluates information and its sources critically and incorporates selected information into his or her knowledge base and value system. The information literate student, individually or as a member of a group, uses information effectively to accomplish a specific purpose. The information literate student understands many of the economic, legal, and social issues surrounding the use of information and accesses and uses information ethically and legally.

The information literate student determines the nature and extent of the information needed.

The information literate student accesses needed information effectively and efficiently.

The information literate student evaluates information and its sources critically and incorporates selected information into his or her knowledge base and value system.

The information literate student, individually or as a member of a group, uses information effectively to accomplish a specific purpose.

The information literate student understands many of the economic, legal, and social issues surrounding the use of information and accesses and uses information ethically and legally.

Course Design that Supports Critical Thinking Instructional Strategies Objectives Assessment Tasks that provide feedback on students’ knowledge and skills Descriptions of what students should be able to do at the end of the course Contexts and activities that foster students’ active engagement in learning

Bloom’s Taxonomy of Cognitive Objectives Knowledge Dimension Factual Basic elements of domain Conceptual Interrelationships among elements Procedural How to do tasks, methods, criteria for using methods Meta-Cognitive Strategic knowledge, contextual and conditional knowledge, awareness of one’s own cognition Anderson et al (2001)

Knowledge Dimension

Factual Basic elements of domain

Conceptual Interrelationships among elements

Procedural How to do tasks, methods, criteria for using methods

Meta-Cognitive Strategic knowledge, contextual and conditional knowledge, awareness of one’s own cognition

Anderson et al (2001)

Bloom’s Taxonomy of Cognitive Objectives Cognitive Process Dimension Category Activity Remember identify, retrieve Understand interpret, explain, infer, compare, exemplify, classify, summarize Apply transfer, execute, implement Analyze differentiate, organize, attribute Evaluate check, critique Create hypothesize, design, construct Bloom (1956); revised by Anderson et al. (2001)

Cognitive Process Dimension

Category Activity

Remember identify, retrieve

Understand interpret, explain, infer, compare, exemplify, classify, summarize

Apply transfer, execute, implement

Analyze differentiate, organize, attribute

Evaluate check, critique

Create hypothesize, design, construct

Bloom (1956); revised by Anderson et al. (2001)

Bloom’s Taxonomy of Cognitive Objectives Create Evaluate Analyze Apply Understand Remember Knowledge Dimension Meta-cognitive Procedural Conceptual Factual

Intellectual Development Dualism/Received/Absolute Knowledge Multiplicity/Subjective/Independent Knowledge Relativism/Procedural/Contextual Knowledge Commitment/Constructed Knowledge Adapted from Perry (1970), Belenky et al. (1986), and Baxter-Magolda (1992)

Dualism/Received/Absolute Knowledge

Multiplicity/Subjective/Independent Knowledge

Relativism/Procedural/Contextual Knowledge

Commitment/Constructed Knowledge

Adapted from Perry (1970), Belenky et al. (1986), and Baxter-Magolda (1992)

Group activity – Designing Assignments Go back to the problem/gap you identified in the brainstorming Map it to Bloom’s taxonomy, Perry’s scheme, and the ACRL standards Identify an appropriate learning outcome for your students given the gap/problem Design an assessment that would enable students to practice the skills you want them to master (15 mins) Share/debrief (10 mins)

Go back to the problem/gap you identified in the brainstorming

Map it to Bloom’s taxonomy, Perry’s scheme, and the ACRL standards

Identify an appropriate learning outcome for your students given the gap/problem

Design an assessment that would enable students to practice the skills you want them to master (15 mins)

Share/debrief (10 mins)

Stakes/Cost Continua Low Stakes High stakes Low Cost High Cost Concept mapping Research Paper Exam Quiz In-class clickers In-class clickers Concept mapping SAILS (standardized test) Annotated Bibliographies Research journal (metacognitive) Annotated Bibliographies Research Paper Research journal (metacognitive) Exam Quiz Peer editing Peer editing

Low Stakes High stakes

Conclusions Students entering college generally lack information literacy skills Some of these skills are mechanics, but the core of IL is really about critical thinking Il skills will become more and more important in the future Students won’t pick up IL skills by osmosis – they must be taught There are principles and tools to guide you as you design assessments and instruction

Students entering college generally lack information literacy skills

Some of these skills are mechanics, but the core of IL is really about critical thinking

Il skills will become more and more important in the future

Students won’t pick up IL skills by osmosis – they must be taught

There are principles and tools to guide you as you design assessments and instruction

Well Wishes and Resources Thank you! Michele DiPietro – [email_address] http://www.cmu.edu/teaching Dan Hood – [email_address] http://www.library.cmu.edu For help designing information literacy instruction and assessment contact your department’s liaison librarian

Thank you!

Michele DiPietro – [email_address] http://www.cmu.edu/teaching

Dan Hood – [email_address] http://www.library.cmu.edu

For help designing information literacy instruction and assessment contact your department’s liaison librarian

Bibliography Anderson, L. W., Krathwohl, D. R., Airasian, P. W., Cruikshank, K. A., Mayer, R. E., Pintrich, P. R., Raths, J., & Wittrock, M. C. (2001). A Taxonomy for Learning, Teaching, and Assessing: A Revision of Bloom’s Taxonomy of Educational Objectives. New York: Longman Press. Association of College and Research Libraries (1998) Information Literacy Competency Standards for Higher Education. Accessed online on 3/03/2008 at http://www.ala.org/ala/acrl/acrlissues/acrlinfolit/informationliteracy.htm Baxter-Magolda, M. (1992) Knowing and Reasoning in College: Gender-Related Patterns in Students' Intellectual Development. Jossey-Bass. Belenky, M., Clinchy, B., Goldberger, N., and Tarule, J. (1986) Women’s Ways of Knowing: The Development, of Self, Voice, and Mind. Basic Books. Bloom B. S. (1956). Taxonomy of Educational Objectives, Handbook I: The Cognitive Domain. New York: David McKay Co Inc. Perry, W. (1968) Forms of Intellectual and Ethical Development in the College Years: A Scheme. Holt, Rinehart and Winston.

Anderson, L. W., Krathwohl, D. R., Airasian, P. W., Cruikshank, K. A., Mayer, R. E., Pintrich, P. R., Raths, J., & Wittrock, M. C. (2001). A Taxonomy for Learning, Teaching, and Assessing: A Revision of Bloom’s Taxonomy of Educational Objectives. New York: Longman Press.

Association of College and Research Libraries (1998) Information Literacy Competency Standards for Higher Education. Accessed online on 3/03/2008 at http://www.ala.org/ala/acrl/acrlissues/acrlinfolit/informationliteracy.htm

Baxter-Magolda, M. (1992) Knowing and Reasoning in College: Gender-Related Patterns in Students' Intellectual Development. Jossey-Bass.

Belenky, M., Clinchy, B., Goldberger, N., and Tarule, J. (1986) Women’s Ways of Knowing: The Development, of Self, Voice, and Mind. Basic Books.

Bloom B. S. (1956). Taxonomy of Educational Objectives, Handbook I: The Cognitive Domain. New York: David McKay Co Inc.

Perry, W. (1968) Forms of Intellectual and Ethical Development in the College Years: A Scheme. Holt, Rinehart and Winston.