C.O.D. Library ESL/ABE/GED Faculty Newsletter December 2010
Resource of the Month
Purdue University Online Writing Lab (OWL) http://owl.english.purdue.edu/ OWL is one of the top nonCOD sites to which we direct students here in the Library. At the reference desk, we like OWL for its excellent examples and explanations of APA and MLA style citations and paper formating, but this very robust, freely available site offers so much more than that! In addition to resources for Writing and Teaching Writing, Research, Grammar and Mechanics, and the muchloved Style Guides, OWL has an area each for ESL and Adult Basic Education. ESL resources include a range of worksheets, handouts and other materials covering grammar and mechanics, practice exercises and workplace resources. Every page is easily printable and allows the user the navigate
Information Literacy and ABE/GED & ESL Students The College of Dupage has five General Education student outcomes for Information Literacy-- five things that all COD students should be able to do after finishing their time at the College: a. Explain the need for information b. Develop a plan for finding the needed information c. Locate information effectively and efficiently d. Evaluate information and its sources critically e. Use information effectively, ethically, and legally to accomplish a specific purpose Even before the College adopted these outcomes, the COD Library used, and continues to use, a set of student learning outcomes for our Information Literacy Instruction Program-- seven outcomes for student information literacy around which we design our in-class research sessions, our SOS Workshop series and all other instances of instruction in and outside of the Library. While the language of the Library's outcomes may reflect a focus on research, they, like the Gen Ed outcomes, are truly applicable to any student at COD. On of our goals at the Library is to encourage lifelong learning in all of our patrons-- students, community members, faculty and staff. Ensuring that these diverse populations are information literate is an important part of that goal. Explain the need for information. We all have information needs. What's the phone number of the pharmacy? Where can I get information about financial aid? How do I get to K Building? Why can't I access this website? Understanding the questions we need to ask in order to get the information we need is frequently more challenging than we anticipate. Learning how to form questions-whether a research topic question or a basic question-- is the first and most important step in information literacy. Reference staff at
quickly to related materials-- a visitor never gets too far away from his or or original entrypoint! There is also a page of ESL Teacher Resources with links to professional organizations, scholarship and policy resources, and teaching resources. The ABE link brings users to the OWL Engagement page-- a landing place for the community efforts that OWL supports. A menu to the left of the page points to GED preparation. Personally, I was fairly amazed at the scope of this resource! OWL's GED prep material is a very thorough study guide which: "provides information about the two parts of the GED Language Arts, Writing test. Here you will find a test breakdown and scoring information. You will also find a review of the subject areas you will be tested on, testtaking tips, sample questions and sample essay topics. Lastly, we provide suggestions for further reading and studying." There's even an interactive online GED tutorial that helps students prepare for the essay writing portion of the exam. I hope you'll take some time to explore OWL. Although I visit the site regularly, I'm always discovering new things like videos, podcasts and more! OWL is just one more great tool for your teaching toolbox.
the Library are trained to help students find the best way to explain their information need and then go about resolving that need. Develop a plan for finding the needed information. A plan for finding information could be a research outline of sources or a mental note of the name of an expert. For many of our students, an awareness of the Library as a helpful and accessible resource is plan enough-- we are always happy to provide students with possible plans for finding information. Locate information effectively and efficiently. The Internet has made finding information quickly, but not always effectively or efficiently. A simple-seeming Google search can turn into an hourlong session of clicking in and out of not-quite-right websites or getting lost down a rabbit-hole of easily found distractions. The same tips and tricks we share for surfing the Web are easily applied to navigating the Library catalog and article databases. In some cases, just understanding how a table of contents or book index works is enough to help a student find the information he or she needs. Evaluate information and its sources critically. All information isn't created equal and recognizing this is one of the most important, and challenging, steps in becoming information literate. Once a student can understand and recognize bias, credibility, level, currency and the other factors that determine the usefulness and appropriatness of a source, that student can more easily and accurately answer his or her information need-- whatever that need is. Use information effectively, ethically, and legally to accomplish a specific purpose. The ethical use of information isn't limited to the arena of academic honesty, but extends into the realm of good citizenship and civic duty. We cite sources to avoid plagiarism, but also to give credit where it is due and to share our discoveries with others. How can you incorporate information literacy outcomes into your ABE/GED or ESL classroom? Chances are, you're already doing so! Whether you assign a project with a research component, ask your students to participate in a Library scavenger hunt or simply require that your students find a book in the Library, you're encouraging information literacy. Adding information literacy components into your curriculum is easy and can be fun for you and your students. The Library has dozens of books full of activities for every level of student ranging from basic Web searching to advanced research projects, individual activities to hands-on group work. Or take a look at Ideas for
Your Librarian Jenn Kelley Reference Librarian Office: SRC 3043A Phone: (630) 942-2383 E-mail: kelleyj@cod.edu Library Website: www.cod.edu/library Find me on Facebook
Library Research Assignments, a short list of suggested activities that you can customize to fit your class. Each assignment clearly states what your students will take away from the experience. And of course, you can always work with me to help you create the perfect assignment, activity or library session. Just let me know what you're interested in-- I'm happy to collaborate with you any time!