Weekly Reading #5

1. What does the term "discursive practices" mean?

Discursive practices, in this reading, are authorized discourses of the setting in which information literacy is enacted as a situated, collective, and embodied practice that engages people with information and knowledge about domains of action.

2. What does "discourse" mean?

Discourse is a formulated association of concepts and context that are legitimized by the ones interacting within its setting.

3. What is the "rock" and what is the "hard place"?

The “rock” is a current conception of information literacy, while the “hard place” is the translation and understanding of information literacy practice.

4. What are the differences between the skills prescribed for information searching in academic and workplace settings?

The information in academia is often formalized by particular rules, regulations and curriculum that are guided by a specific rationale; however, the workplace is messy, complex, and distributed through a range of practices that are entwined to contribute to the collective performance of the work.

5. How do academic notions of information literacy undermine workplace notions information literacy?

Academic notions of information literacy are an organized depiction of workplace notions of information literacy. Academic information literacy would be far more helpful to students if it represented the vast array of knowledge and skills needed for workplace notions of information literacy.

6. How are information needs identified in work place setting like nursing and emergency workers?

Information needs are identified in work place settings like nursing and emergency workers by the dominant and codified knowledge of the medical profession, which acts as the knowledge authority in relation to medical need, practice, and procedure. For example, nurses’ information need is developed by doctors that are considered the lead authority. As far as emergency workers, their information needs come from a group working collectively to share information, which in turn allows for common understanding about how practice and performance should proceed to develop.

7. Why do issues of plagiarism not resonate in workplace settings?

Issues of plagiarism do not resonate in workplace settings because it is considered a collective possession and then is disseminated and circulated throughout the workplace, by storytelling, and extended through the distributed networks of professional practice.

8. Are information literacy skills transferable across contexts and settings? Why or Why not?

Information literacy skills are not transferable across contexts and settings because one word can be used different ways in various settings. One would have to know in which context it was used in order to fully understand and apply the information given. Information literacy skills are specified to each setting that a person interacts with, and thus, not transferable across contexts and settings.

9. What is "practice theory"?

Practice theories emphasize the analysis of ways of engaging with the world.

10. How does the author of this article define information literacy?

Information literacy is a critical information practice that encompasses not only the mastery of information but also a mastery of the information landscape.

11. How do educators need to change their understanding of information literacy in order to prepare student for the information literacy practices they will encounter in workplace settings?

Educators must focus their research efforts toward understanding information literacy, so that our students can adapt and adopt their information practices to suit ever-changing environments, such as done in the workplace.

12. What do the terms "ontological" and "epistemological" mean?

Ontological and epistemological means that they are the settings of information and knowledge that bounds the practice of information literacy. They are a critical feature of context and forms part of any holistic analysis of information literacy practice. This is the setting where information is shared, enabled, and/or constrained.

13. After reading this article, how useful is the traditional research paper we expect students to produce in school in preparing them for workplace settings? What are traditional research papers useful for? Should we still assign traditional research papers?

The traditional research paper we expect students to produce in school is not useful in preparing them for workplace settings. The traditional research papers are useful for describing the purpose of information skills in relation to the research process. I believe that we still should assign research papers because it structures the first baby-steps in gathering information from resources. It makes students think about where the information comes from and teaches some information literacy skills. However, I do not believe that it prepares students for the workplace, unless they were to become a researcher at a University.

14. What is one of the biggest challenges to changing the way information literacy is conceptualized in school settings?

The biggest challenge to changing the way information literacy is conceptualized in school settings is the idea of it being a collaborative and shared experience rather than an individualistic task. So often, schools promote individual and original work, that students have trouble collaborating with others. It’s these skills that will most benefit a student in the workplace. However, traditions and habits are the most difficult things to break.

15. What attributes of the 21st century make it essential that educators change their approaches toward information literacy?

Students have to learn to change their information literacy based upon the setting and environment they’re in. Students need to be able to adapt and adopt different information practices, which is what the workplace requires.

16. What changes can teachers make to their classroom activities to engage students in the information literacy practices they will encounter in 21st century workplace settings?

I believe that research-based group work would be a good way to engage students in the information literacy practices they will encounter in the 31^st century workplace setting. Also, giving students a problem and letting them discover strategies to answer that problem would be a good activity for students to become less reliant on structure and more dependent on collaboration with their peers.

Lloyd, A. (2011). Trapped between a Rock and a Hard Place: What Counts as Information Literacy in the Workplace and How Is It Conceptualized? Library Trends, 60 (2) pp. 277-296.