Reflection of January 31, 2011 Class

class Last week's class was a great mix of information and practicality. Starting off with viewing screencasts and providing feedback to our peers was a great way to start. The screencast was such an interesting project that I really liked seeing others' work and hearing opinions. Plus, the feedback part fortuitously led into this weeks' reading about formative assessment (constructive feedback!).

Secondly, the discussion of information literacy was very useful after having picked our own articles to read and reflect on. Creating our own definition was thought-provoking and engaging. It was definitely useful to create our own version of what information literacy MEANS and then see how emerging professionals would define it as well. I learned a lot about information literacy last week and am excited to move forward in this field with the appropriate knowledge.

The information provided in class about the psychology of the research process was, however, the most interesting part for me. I haven't thought much about research lately (because I have yet to write a research paper at SI) and found Kuhlthau's research and model extremely relevant to the work of libraries. Knowing the science behind people's feelings about research can only be helpful when working with someone on a research project as a librarian. When people come up to the reference desk, it's often visible to me how the patron is; most of the time I can tell they are extremely frustrated or in a time-crunch. Those are surface level feelings; Kuhlthau's research about how people feel throughout the process will help me to more appropriately deal with people in my work. Knowing where they are in their process can help me determine how I can really help them.

Further, Barb Stripling's Inquiry Model was so simple that it's amazing to now have this in mind as I consider how people ask questions and what they really want to know. CWICKER (love it!) is a great way to think about the information people need to synthesize what they want to know. The process of connection, wonder, investigation, construction, expression and reflection can be applied to any inquiry process, and it is one that I will consider as I both continue learning and someday, provide instruction. Knowing that these steps will help one get where they need to go in their thinking process will allow me to tailor instruction and my own learning to the appropriate needs of the user.