Metaliteracy

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Metaliteracy is the ability to evaluate information for its bias, reliability, and credibility and apply them in the context of production and sharing of knowledge. It is especially useful in the context of the internet and social media. [1] A formal concept of it was developed as an expanded information literacy framework by State University of New York academics Thomas P. Mackey and Trudi E. Jacobson. It has been used to prepare people to be informed consumers and responsible producers of information in a variety of social communities.

Contents

Definition and usage

Metaliteracy is a unified understanding of literacies to support the acquisition, production, and sharing of knowledge in collaborative online communities. Like the more skills-based approaches of information literacy, metaliteracy encourages the use of a variety of new and emerging technologies. It also incorporates related literacies such as visual literacy, digital literacy, media literacy, and transliteracy, and promotes metacognitive reflection as an empowering practice for learners. Metaliteracy supports effective participation in social media and online communities, with a comprehensive approach to learning that encourages the production and sharing of original and repurposed information in participatory environments. [2]

Metaliteracy is intended to promote critical thinking and collaboration in the digital age and provide a comprehensive framework for effective participation in social media and online communities through acquisition, production and sharing of knowledge in collaborative online communities. While information literacy was focused on skills-based approaches and its standard definitions had been insufficient for the social technologies currently prevalent online, metaliteracy recognizes related literacy types and incorporates emerging technologies. [2] [3] As such metaliteracy is an overarching framework for integrating information literacy with other literacies such as media literacy, digital literacy, and visual literacy. It puts an emphasis on active production and sharing of new knowledge through technology. [4]

Metaliteracy can be used in the practical world by helping learners with elusive topics throughout their learning and to understand the concepts better. It goes beyond information literacy and dives deep into enhancing the teaching- learning process by including the production aspect of accessible reference material which can be consumed by a wide audience over social media. Metaliteracy is particularly relevant to current literacy needs as it not only addresses the integration of information and technology, helping to optimize the use of available resources; but also introduces the use of collaborative learning to better produce and share information. [1]

History

Metaliteracy developed out of scholarly work on the changing perceptions of information literacy resulting from technological changes in the creation of and access to information. Mackey and Jacobson argued in their 2011 paper, Reframing Information Literacy as a Metaliteracy, that it was necessary to create a new framework to withstand the challenge of rising social media networks and emerging technologies and therefore include Web 2.0 technologies and social media as these developments were not included in previous information literacy models created by the ALA in 1989, [3] ACRL in 2000 [4] and various SCONUL models. [5] Donna Witek and Teresa Grettano further elaborated on the idea of metaliteracy in Teaching Metaliteracy: A New Paradigm in Action. [6] Leona Ungerer discussed the importance of digital curation and metaliteracy in higher education in her 2016 paper Digital Curation as a Core Competency in Current Learning and Literacy: A Higher Education Perspective. [7]

On January 11, 2016, the board of the Association of College and Research Libraries adopted the Framework for Information Literacy, which draws upon the concept of metaliteracy as inextricably linked to the domains of "behavioral, affective, cognitive, and metacognitive engagement with the information ecosystem." [8]

Objectives

The objectives are categorized in four domains: behavioral, cognitive, affective and metacognitive. The frameworks of information literacy consisted of the first two mentioned domains (the behavioral and cognitive), while the affective and metacognitive domains are introduced in the discourse by the framework of metaliteracy. [9] The behavioral domain is based on the skills and competencies expected to be achieved by completing the objectives and the cognitive domain is based on the knowledge of using comprehension, organization, application and evaluation expected to be achieved by completing the objectives. The affective domain is based on raising awareness about the changes in one’s emotions and attitudes during learning activities and the metacognitive domain is based on reflecting the process of learning while understanding the need for it. [10]

The goals and objectives of metaliteracy have been translated into English, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish, Afrikaans, and all other official languages of South Africa. [11]

In education

As awareness of metaliteracy has spread, teachers have integrated it into a variety of contexts, including English as foreign language [12] and adapting information literacy assessment strategies to reflect metaliteracy's emphasis on metacognition. [13]

In the acquisition of information in modern technology, metaliteracy is mentioned as a concept. It is used in teaching about the use of social media as an information source. [14] Metaliteracy has been used to develop and support holistic course design in collaborative, intercultural learning endeavours. [15] The potential of metaliteracy concepts to enrich blended learning environments in China has been investigated by Ma, Li, and Liang and has been found beneficial to test how much it helps the students acquire skills relevant for information literacy. [16] Furthermore, metaliteracy has been acknowledged as a useful concept for the promotion of information literacy in German universities. [17] Such inclusion was also suggested in 2019 for Bosnian higher education. [18]

Additionally, metaliteracy can be used to reduce digital divide. In an empirical study concerning the connection of older adults to iPad technology, their metaliteracy skills were examined. Metaliteracy was measured before and after using the iPad. The study showed that the participants were able to improve their metaliteracy skills including their knowledge and self-reflection. [19]

Importance for understanding political media

Metaliteracy has been cited as being an effective tool to fight false or misleading content presented as news, especially in the context of the 2016 United States presidential election. [20]

In Does Media Literacy Help Identification of Fake News? Information Literacy Helps, but Other Literacies Don't, [21] metaliteracy is mentioned as a solution for a need of a comprehensive framework regarding the better handling of fake news, although they still see a need for more comprehensive measures.

Related Research Articles

Media literacy is an expanded conceptualization of literacy that includes the ability to access and analyze media messages as well as create, reflect and take action, using the power of information and communication to make a difference in the world. Media literacy is not restricted to one medium and is understood as a set of competencies that are essential for work, life, and citizenship. Media literacy education is the process used to advance media literacy competencies, and it is intended to promote awareness of media influence and create an active stance towards both consuming and creating media. Media literacy education is part of the curriculum in the United States and some European Union countries, and an interdisciplinary global community of media scholars and educators engages in knowledge and scholarly and professional journals and national membership associations.

Bloom's taxonomy is a set of three hierarchical models used for classification of educational learning objectives into levels of complexity and specificity. The three lists cover the learning objectives in cognitive, affective and psychomotor domains. The cognitive domain list has been the primary focus of most traditional education and is frequently used to structure curriculum learning objectives, assessments and activities.

Instructional scaffolding is the support given to a student by an instructor throughout the learning process. This support is specifically tailored to each student; this instructional approach allows students to experience student-centered learning, which tends to facilitate more efficient learning than teacher-centered learning. This learning process promotes a deeper level of learning than many other common teaching strategies.

In psychology, cognitivism is a theoretical framework for understanding the mind that gained credence in the 1950s. The movement was a response to behaviorism, which cognitivists said neglected to explain cognition. Cognitive psychology derived its name from the Latin cognoscere, referring to knowing and information, thus cognitive psychology is an information-processing psychology derived in part from earlier traditions of the investigation of thought and problem solving.

The Association of College and Research Libraries defines information literacy as a "set of integrated abilities encompassing the reflective discovery of information, the understanding of how information is produced and valued and the use of information in creating new knowledge and participating ethically in communities of learning". In the United Kingdom, the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals' definition also makes reference to knowing both "when" and "why" information is needed.

Personal knowledge management (PKM) is a process of collecting information that a person uses to gather, classify, store, search, retrieve and share knowledge in their daily activities and the way in which these processes support work activities. It is a response to the idea that knowledge workers need to be responsible for their own growth and learning. It is a bottom-up approach to knowledge management (KM).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Constructivism (philosophy of education)</span> Philosophical viewpoint about the nature of knowledge; theory of knowledge

Constructivism is a theory in education which posits that individuals or learners do not acquire knowledge and understanding by passively perceiving it within a direct process of knowledge transmission, rather they construct new understandings and knowledge through experience and social discourse, integrating new information with what they already know. For children, this includes knowledge gained prior to entering school. It is associated with various philosophical positions, particularly in epistemology as well as ontology, politics, and ethics. The origin of the theory is also linked to Swiss developmental psychologist Jean Piaget's theory of cognitive development.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Information and communications technology</span> Extensional term for information technology

Information and communications technology (ICT) is an extensional term for information technology (IT) that stresses the role of unified communications and the integration of telecommunications and computers, as well as necessary enterprise software, middleware, storage and audiovisual, that enable users to access, store, transmit, understand and manipulate information.

Metacognition is an awareness of one's thought processes and an understanding of the patterns behind them. The term comes from the root word meta, meaning "beyond", or "on top of". Metacognition can take many forms, such as reflecting on one's ways of thinking and knowing when and how to use particular strategies for problem-solving. There are generally two components of metacognition: (1) knowledge about cognition and (2) regulation of cognition. A metacognitive model differs from other scientific models in that the creator of the model is per definition also enclosed within it. Scientific models are often prone to distancing the observer from the object or field of study whereas a metacognitive model in general tries to include the observer in the model.

Educational technology is the combined use of computer hardware, software, and educational theory and practice to facilitate learning. When referred to with its abbreviation, "EdTech," it often refers to the industry of companies that create educational technology. In EdTech Inc.: Selling, Automating and Globalizing Higher Education in the Digital Age, Tanner Mirrlees and Shahid Alvi (2019) argue "EdTech is no exception to industry ownership and market rules" and "define the EdTech industries as all the privately owned companies currently involved in the financing, production and distribution of commercial hardware, software, cultural goods, services and platforms for the educational market with the goal of turning a profit. Many of these companies are US-based and rapidly expanding into educational markets across North America, and increasingly growing all over the world."

Cognitive apprenticeship is a theory that emphasizes the importance of the process in which a master of a skill teaches that skill to an apprentice.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dunning–Kruger effect</span> Cognitive bias about ones own skill

The Dunning–Kruger effect is a cognitive bias in which people with limited competence in a particular domain overestimate their abilities. Some researchers also include the opposite effect for high performers: their tendency to underestimate their skills. In popular culture, the Dunning–Kruger effect is often misunderstood as a claim about general overconfidence of people with low intelligence instead of specific overconfidence of people unskilled at a particular task.

Digital literacy is an individual's ability to find, evaluate, and communicate information using typing or digital media platforms. It is a combination of both technical and cognitive abilities in using information and communication technologies to create, evaluate, and share information.

Kenneth R. Koedinger is a professor of human–computer interaction and psychology at Carnegie Mellon University. He is the founding and current director of the Pittsburgh Science of Learning Center. He is widely known for his role in the development of the Cognitive Tutor software. He is also widely published in cognitive psychology, intelligent tutoring systems, and educational data mining, and his research group has repeatedly won "Best Paper" awards at scientific conferences in those areas, such as the EDM2008 Best Paper, ITS2006 Best Paper, ITS2004 Best Paper, and ITS2000 Best Paper.

Patricia A. Alexander is an educational psychologist who has conducted notable research on the role of individual difference, strategic processing, and interest in students' learning. She is currently a university distinguished professor, Jean Mullan Professor of Literacy, and Distinguished Scholar/Teacher in the Department of Human Development and Quantitative Methodology in the College of Education at the University of Maryland and a visiting professor at the University of Auckland, New Zealand.

Scientific literacy or science literacy encompasses written, numerical, and digital literacy as they pertain to understanding science, its methodology, observations, and theories. Scientific literacy is chiefly concerned with an understanding of the scientific method, units and methods of measurement, empiricism and understanding of statistics in particular correlations and qualitative versus quantitative observations and aggregate statistics, as well as a basic understanding of core scientific fields, such as physics, chemistry, biology, ecology, geology and computation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Transliteracy</span> Ability to use diverse techniques to collaborate across different social groups

Transliteracy is "a fluidity of movement across a range of technologies, media and contexts". It is an ability to use diverse techniques to collaborate across different social groups.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Information and media literacy</span> Overview of information and media literacy

Information and media literacy (IML) enables people to show and make informed judgments as users of information and media, as well as to become skillful creators and producers of information and media messages. IML is a combination of information literacy and media literacy. The transformative nature of IML includes creative works and creating new knowledge; to publish and collaborate responsibly requires ethical, cultural and social understanding.

Multiliteracy is an approach to literacy theory and pedagogy coined in the mid-1990s by the New London Group. The approach is characterized by two key aspects of literacy - linguistic diversity and multimodal forms of linguistic expressions and representation. It was coined in response to two major changes in the globalized environment. One such change was the growing linguistic and cultural diversity due to increased transnational migration. The second major change was the proliferation of new mediums of communication due to advancement in communication technologies e.g the internet, multimedia, and digital media. As a scholarly approach, multiliteracy focuses on the new "literacy" that is developing in response to the changes in the way people communicate globally due to technological shifts and the interplay between different cultures and languages.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">21st century skills</span> Skills identified as being required for success in the 21st century

21st century skills comprise skills, abilities, and learning dispositions that have been identified as being required for success in 21st century society and workplaces by educators, business leaders, academics, and governmental agencies. This is part of a growing international movement focusing on the skills required for students to master in preparation for success in a rapidly changing, digital society. Many of these skills are also associated with deeper learning, which is based on mastering skills such as analytic reasoning, complex problem solving, and teamwork. These skills differ from traditional academic skills in that they are not primarily content knowledge-based.

References

  1. 1 2 Mackey, Thomas P.; Jacobson, Trudi E. (2011-01-01). "Reframing Information Literacy as a Metaliteracy". College & Research Libraries. 72 (1): 62–78. doi: 10.5860/crl-76r1 . ISSN   2150-6701. S2CID   15813065.
  2. 1 2 Mackey, Thomas P. (2014). Metaliteracy : reinventing information literacy to empower learners. Trudi E. Jacobson, Sheila A. Webber. Chicago. ISBN   978-1-55570-989-1. OCLC   871819662.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  3. 1 2 Metaliteracy in practice. Trudi E. Jacobson, Thomas P. Mackey. Chicago. 2016. ISBN   978-0-8389-1387-1. OCLC   1015215606.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) CS1 maint: others (link)
  4. 1 2 Green, Harriett E., "Fostering Assessment Strategies for Digital Pedagogy through Faculty–Librarian Collaborations", Laying the Foundation, Purdue University Press, pp. 179–204, doi:10.2307/j.ctt163t7kq.13 , retrieved 2022-01-03
  5. ↑ "Seven Pillars of Information Literacy SCONUL". www.sconul.ac.uk. Retrieved 2022-01-03.
  6. ↑ Witek, Donna; Grettano, Teresa (2014-06-03). "Teaching metaliteracy: a new paradigm in action". Reference Services Review. 42 (2): 188–208. doi:10.1108/RSR-07-2013-0035. ISSN   0090-7324.
  7. ↑ Ungerer, Leona M. (2016-09-26). "Digital Curation as a Core Competency in Current Learning and Literacy: A Higher Education Perspective". The International Review of Research in Open and Distributed Learning. 17 (5). doi: 10.19173/irrodl.v17i5.2566 . ISSN   1492-3831.
  8. ↑ DMUELLER (2015-02-09). "Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education". Association of College & Research Libraries (ACRL). Retrieved 2022-01-03.
  9. ↑ Jacobson, T., Mackey, T., & O'Brien, K. (2019). Developing metaliterate citizens: designing and delivering enhanced global learning opportunities. In Learning Information Literacy across the Globe. Frankfurt am Main, May 10th 2019 (pp. 74-89).
  10. ↑ Jacobson, T., Mackey, T., O’Brien, K., Forte, M., & O’Keeffe, E. (2018). 2018 metaliteracy goals and learning objectives. Metaliteracy. https://metaliteracy.org/learning-objectives/2018-metaliteracy-goals-and-learning-objectives/
  11. ↑ Jacobson, Trudi (21 April 2022). "Metaliteracy Goals and Learning Objectives Now Available in All Eleven Official Languages of South Africa!" . Retrieved 25 April 2022.
  12. ↑ Schuster, Kristen; Stewart, Kristine (2019-09-24). "Integrating metaliteracy into knowledge organization curriculum: Designing inclusive curriculum for international classrooms". Pedagogy.
  13. ↑ Old Dominion University; Hostetler, Kirsten; Luo, Tian; Old Dominion University; Stefaniak, Jill E.; University of Georgia (2018-12-01). "Aligning Information Literacy Assessment with Metacognitive Strategies". Journal of University Teaching and Learning Practice. 15 (5): 5–16. doi: 10.53761/1.15.5.2 . S2CID   85509774.
  14. ↑ Kim, Kyung-Sun; Sin, Sei-Ching Joanna; Yoo-Lee, Eun Young (2014-07-01). "Undergraduates' Use of Social Media as Information Sources". College & Research Libraries. 75 (4): 442–457. doi: 10.5860/crl.75.4.442 . ISSN   2150-6701.
  15. ↑ Griesbaum, J., Dreisiebner, S., Mackey, T. P., Jacobson, T. E., Thadathil, T., Bhattacharya, S., & Adilović, E. (2023). Teaching Internationally, Learning Collaboratively: Intercultural Perspectives on Information Literacy and Metaliteracy (IPILM). Communications in Information Literacy, 17 (1), 260–278. https://doi.org/10.15760/comminfolit.2023.17.1.4
  16. ↑ Ma, Jieming; Li, Chili; Liang, Hai-Ning (2019-04-28). "Enhancing Students' Blended Learning Experience through Embedding Metaliteracy". Education Research International. 2019: 1–8. doi: 10.1155/2019/6791058 . ISSN   2090-4002.
  17. ↑ Sühl-Strohmenger, Wilfried (2017-04-07). "Threshold-Konzepte, das ANCIL-Curriculum und die Metaliteracy – Überlegungen zu Konsequenzen für die Förderung von Informationskompetenz in deutschen Hochschulen". O-bib. Das Offene Bibliotheksjournal / Herausgeber VDB (in German). 4 (1): 10–25. doi:10.5282/o-bib/2017H1S10-25. ISSN   2363-9814.
  18. ↑ Rašidović, Beba E. (2019-12-18). "Kurikulum za predmet Informacijska pismenost". Bosniaca: 39–47. doi: 10.37083/bosn.2019.24.39 . ISSN   2303-8888. S2CID   214300064.
  19. ↑ Delello, Julie A.; McWhorter, Rochell R. (January 2017). "Reducing the Digital Divide: Connecting Older Adults to iPad Technology". Journal of Applied Gerontology. 36 (1): 3–28. doi:10.1177/0733464815589985. ISSN   0733-4648. PMID   26084479. S2CID   8367860.
  20. ↑ Mackey, Thomas P.; Jacobson, Trudi (6 December 2016). "How can we learn to reject fake news in the digital world?". The Conversation. Retrieved 2022-01-03.
  21. ↑ Jones-Jang, S. Mo; Mortensen, Tara; Liu, Jingjing (February 2021). "Does Media Literacy Help Identification of Fake News? Information Literacy Helps, but Other Literacies Don't". American Behavioral Scientist. 65 (2): 371–388. doi:10.1177/0002764219869406. ISSN   0002-7642. S2CID   203102540.
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