Theme 1 Blog Post: My New Understanding of Reference Services

 

Introduction

    A little background information about me: I have spent my 15-year teaching career in elementary schools, and mostly in early primary. It is through an early literacy lens that I have viewed all the courses in my teacher librarianship diploma so far, I can’t help it, it’s just my default setting. I think it’s important to understand that about me before reading this reflective blog post.

    As an early primary teacher my focus is always on teaching students how to read, so that eventually they will be able to read for information and develop the essential skills to solve what Riedling (2013) calls “an information problem”, which is “based on a question, problem to solve, or just plain curiosity”. Early primary students have ENDLESS information problems. As teachers and teacher librarians, we need to help these young learners acquire the skills to be information literate so they can solve these information problems. We must also prepare them to pursue their own interests and inquiries. Riedling (2013) states “it is imperative that students possess the skills required to learn efficiently and effectively”, and this can certainly begin in the early years.

What are 'reference services?

    When I began this course, I was utterly confused about what the terms ‘reference services’, 'reference materials', and ‘reference sources’ meant. They simply weren’t terms I had considered or come across in early primary. Needless to say, it’s been a steep learning curve this past month. Upon learning that reference sources are “materials, from book to computer to periodical to photograph, that can be found anywhere in the library or online” (Riedling, 2013) the picture became clearer for me. At first, I thought reference materials were simply encyclopedias, dictionaries, and atlases. I thought that I hadn’t ever used reference materials with primary students. I certainly wasn’t locating encyclopedias and dictionaries for my Kindergarten and grade 1/2 students. As I ventured further down this path, I realized that, indeed, I had been using reference materials all along! One example is when my students and I have been navigating World Book Kids and Nat Geo Kids to explore our questions around animals, nature, science, places around the world, and Terry Fox.  

World Book Kids

Nat Geo Kids

    Helping students solve an information problem, which Riedling (2013) explains is “based on a question, problem to solve, or just plain curiosity” is a regular occurrence in early primary. It looks different than with older students because primary students are only just learning to read, but it’s important we teach them how to read and understand this information as it takes an entirely different skill set to read non-fiction text than it does to read fiction. Before we can teach students to evaluate, analyze, synthesize, and make conclusions, we must teach them how to read and understand reference materials that are at their level. Reading and understanding labels, captions, headings, sub-headings, bold and italicized print, fact boxes, maps, and graphs is an important piece of the information puzzle. I have always used a resource called Non-Fiction Reading Power, created by Adrienne Gear. It is a wonderful resource to help guide teachers in teaching non-fiction reading skills (which I think are the pre-cursor skills that eventually enable learners to develop higher level skills like evaluating, synthesizing, and analyzing) to elementary learners. I hadn’t realized until writing this blog post that so much of Adrienne Gear’s teacher resources connect to our learning about the necessity of teaching students’ information literacy skills. Below is a link to her website for those of you who would like to know more about her. 

Non-Fiction Reading Power, by Adrienne Gear

Research and problem solving models

    Riedling (2013) looks at 3 research problem solving models: Information Seeking by Kuhlthau, Big6 by Eisenberg and Berkowitz, and Research Process by Stripling and Pitts. They were overwhelming for me at first, as they are geared toward mature learners, whom I have little experience with. It was hard for me to visualize what these methods would look like at the grass roots level because they would be challenging to use with primary students, and the thought of a learner being capable of something so complex seems remarkable, nay, unimaginable! Reading Eisenberg and Berkowitz’s Big6, Kuhlthau’s Information Seeking Process, and Stripling and Pitts’ Research Process was like reading a foreign language for me. When you spend your days sounding out c-a-t and r-a-t, ‘synthesis’ and ‘analysis’ are about as familiar as Greek. 

    I found the Points of Inquiry and Research Quest by the BCTLA (Ekdahl et al., 2010) much more accessible for young learners. However, in my opinion, Eisenberg and Berkowitz’s adaptation of their Big6 method proved to be the most useful when imagining how to implement teaching information seeking skills to young learners. This adaptation is called the Super3 which simplifies the Big6 down to:

Plan

-What do I need to do?

-What information do I need to do it?

-Write a list of questions.

 Do

-Where can I find what I need?

-Read, listen, view, and touch.

-Write notes.

-Organize your information.

-Make something to show what you learned.

-Cite your sources.

 Review

-Did I do what I was supposed to do?

-Should I do something before I turn it in?

-Do I feel good about what I did?

 (Riedling, 2013).

    I like how this method is written in kid-friendly language that I could use with my primary students. I am curious why it doesn't include a component of audience consideration or sharing their finished product. A possible question could be "Did my classmates understand what I shared?" or "Were my findings organized in such a way that my classmates were interested?".

Reference Collections in Schools

    I found it interesting reading Riedling’s (2013) guidelines for replacing reference materials. Riedling suggests most materials be replaced every 5 years, with the exception that “print psychology, history, business, and education” resources be replaced every 10 years. Asselin et al. (2003) suggest “appropriate funding for learning resources is necessary for school libraries to meet curriculum expectations and the individual learning and social needs of their students and teachers.” In a world where appropriate funding doesn’t always exist, and it’s not feasible to replace reference materials every 5 years, online reference sources such as World Book Kids, World Book Early World of Learning, and World Book Student are very appealing. I’ve used these resources with elementary students, and they have qualities that make them excellent options to supplement the available print resources. Online reference materials certainly open up a whole new world of possibilities. Riedling (2013) states, "The Web has become the most important reference tool in the digital age".  Online reference sources also provide new opportunities for young learners who are at a lower reading level. World Book Kids and Nat Geo Kids have options where the text can be read aloud to students who can not read it themselves.

Conclusion

    Theme 1 has taught me the basics of reference services and has opened my eyes to how much more I have to learn. I have spent a lot of time thinking about what I’ve been reading and how it applies to the primary students I currently work with. How can I change my practice to better teach information literacy? How can I empower lifelong learners to be mindful of the information they consume? How can I help students develop the skills to decode and understand the information they encounter in print and online?

Works cited

Asselin, M., Branch, J., & Oberg, D., (Eds). (2003). Achieving information literacy: Standards for school library programs in Canada Links to an external site.. Ottawa, ON: Canadian School Library Association & The Association for Teacher-Librarianship in Canada.

Ekdahl, M., M. Farquharson, J. Robinson, L. Turner. (2010). The Points of Inquiry: A Framework for Information Literacy and the 21st Century Learner. Vancouver, BC: British Columbia Teacher Librarians’ Association.

Gear, Adrienne. Reading Power. (n.d.). Retrieved January 29, 2023, from https://www.readingpowergear.com/reading-power  

Riedling, Ann. (2013). Reference skills for the school library media specialist: Tools and tips,                          (Third Edition). Linworth.