Information Literacy: Scholarship Practice and Leadership
Information Literacy: Scholarship Practice and Leadership
Leaders face significant challenges in trying to understand and manage complexities of dynamic individuals and groups in an organization. However, with daily observable behavior and practice of leaders that are in line with information literacy, it is possible for leaders to rely on personal and professional competence to integrate feedback from the dynamic workforce and their research to create positives outcomes in the organization. Uniting dynamic groups in an organization calls for disciplined employees, and information literacy plays a big part in it. Turusheva (2009), urges that everyone at professional and personal level ought to know the type of information necessary and be able to retrieve such information efficiently. Turusheva (2009), reminds students that they need to evaluate information critically and use it in ways that show consideration for ethical, moral and legal implications. This paper, therefore, discusses the concept of information literacy and how it contributes to critical thinking, not only in leaders but also among employees. Within the researched article, the SPL model is used as a key to improving information literacy during school life and in the professional arena with the focus on putting theoretical knowledge into practice that is fundamental to improving leadership capabilities.
Information literacy remains to be an important component of everyone’s life since everyday experiences require individuals to have critical thinking, both in professional and personal lives. It is, therefore, appropriate that educators prepare students right from the time they are at the lower levels so that by the time they advance to the institutions of higher learning, they already have the capability to source for valuable information and applying it practically. However, while educators are believed to the ones to guide students through their literacy experience, the case is not a reflection of what the teachers in today’s educational settings do. Teachers have allowed students to rely more on internet sources whose objectivity, validity, accuracy (or lack of it, thereof) cannot be established. According to Bradke (2010), information has become the cheapest commodity on the planet with educators contributing to the inability of students to think critically. Turusheva (2009), concedes that 50% of the information acquired by students is considered too old after only five years while the additional 50% is forgotten a few months after using it for research purpose. Bradke (2010), reminds students that they need not rely on their educators since it is imperative to show responsibility for their critical thinking development by focusing on ways through which they can keep themselves updated with new and valuable information. Also, the blame cannot be shifted to educators since, while they are the ones to improve information literacy of students, it is the latter’s personal initiatives to set personal goals. Additionally, students ought to have a plan in place and optimize the sources of information that play the most crucial role in finding valuable information.
With the SLP (Scholarship, Practice, and Leadership) model in place, leaders understand the need to use information literacy consistently to change the position of the organization. Scholarship, according to the model, is critical since it improves understanding of various theoretical frameworks that can be applied in real life situations. The practice element enables individuals to prepare themselves formally for roles that would require them to transform theoretical knowledge into practice. Leaders need to have the ability to develop critical thinking by assessing a situation, laying out possible solutions and determining the applicability of the decisions they make. Educators need to be keen on monitoring information literacy among students to avoid scenarios where almost 70- 80% of college students rely on search engines such as Google for information. It is largely the role of educators to ensure they assess students’ aptitude for critical thinking in such a way that it is possible to identify any weaknesses before the learners graduate.
Additionally, students need to recognize the fact that learning requires more than just desire. Students need to maximize their learning experience by ensuring they have the capability to locate valuable information, critically assessing and using it in preparing themselves for their future career aspirations. There is a need to save costs of literacy re-orientation later in life when one is in a professional capacity. According to Russell (2009), it is necessary to select appropriate information and internalize it such that it becomes possible to use the information for healthy decisions. One of the areas in which information literacy is need is the health care sector where millions suffer due to lack of sufficient health literacy skills. Only a minority use the routinely available information in health care facilities and from the media to improve their sanitary conditions and lifestyles. In circumstances where patients would leave physicians’ office with a good understanding of what they are advised, then it would be possible to reduce disease burden and the cost of health care in the nation. Health literacy is believed to be a better predictor of wellness than age, income or education levels since with literacy; it is likely that individuals would develop critical thinking towards adopting lifestyles that keep them healthier. Medical practitioners, on the other hand, need to have the health literacy skills necessary to pass the right information to patients in a form that is understood so as to help the latter make appropriate health decisions.
Conclusion
Bradke (2010), suggested that information literacy not only plays the role of preparing graduates for professional life but also aids in improving the effectiveness of making personal decisions. According to Turusheva (2009), the current education system seems to have failed in making students rely on credible sources of information and develop critical thinking that translates theoretical knowledge into practical applications. Students nowadays tend to use online sources from platforms such as Google with the majority of the information acquired being considered old after only five years. The conclusion is that educators need to prepare students and let them take personal initiatives in developing critical thinking by shifting learning to that which induces a search for updated and valuable information.
Recommendation
Since educators are the ones who are relied on to shape information literacy of their students as they advance for the academic to professional lives, it is imperative that measures be taken to monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of educators. The fact that Turusheva (2009), reminds us that teachers have failed in disallowing research work submitted by students with unreliable sources and lacking creativity. Teachers need to realize that most students have resulted to using online platforms such as Google to make their research easier hence interfering with their critical thinking ability. The suggestion, therefore, is for educators to ensure they train students how to improve their information literacy while at the same time rejecting substandard research papers that do not reflect the concept of critical thinking and whose sources cannot be validated.
References
Bradke, W. (2010). Information as a tool, not destination. Online, 34(4), 52-54.
Egbert, N., & Nanna, K. (2009). Health literacy challenges and strategies. Online Journal of Issues in Nursing, 14(3), 5.
Russell, P. (2009). Why universities need information literacy now more than ever. Feliciter, 55(3), 92-94.
Turusheva, L. (2009). Students information competence and its importance for life long education. Problems of Education in the 21st Century, 12, 126-132.
