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Companion Document to the ACRL Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education: Instruction for Educators

Scholarship as Conversation

In a world where access to a broad array of diverse voices is increasingly available, it's imperative that students learn how to engage critically and constructively with scholarly conversations. Teacher education students apply this skill in their own work as learners, while also preparing themselves to lead robust conversations with students, parents, and the community throughout their career. With guidance from education librarians and program faculty, they develop an understanding of content knowledge that is not fixed, but contextually informed and contingent on changing circumstances. In designing model curriculum and in conducting research, they exhibit the characteristics of an expert who knows how to both listen to the scholarly conversation and contribute to it.

In an Education Context
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Teacher Preparation and Education

As they prepare for service as educators, teacher education students:

  • demonstrate their ability to trace the history of a given scholarly conversation using citations;
  • summarize changes in educational scholarly perspectives over time on a particular topic;
  • cite the works of scholars in education using appropriate disciplinary conventions; and
  • participate in the scholarly conversation by adding their own teacher perspectives and sharing their works with others.
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Teacher Professional Practice

In their professional practice, educators:

  • approach scholarly conversations as dynamic, active, ongoing, and participatory--for themselves and for their students;
  • seek out scholarly conversations to advance their content and pedagogical knowledge;
  • demonstrate their recognition that a query may not have a single uncontested answer and that a given scholarly work may not represent the only or even the majority perspective on the issue;
  • inform themselves about new ideas and understandings in teaching and education through their reading, their use of digital tools (e.g., journal and search alerts), and their participation in learning networks;
  • use their newfound knowledge in order to improve their own professional teaching practice; 
  • work collaboratively to contribute to the knowledge and skill of others, including generating meaningful research on educational issues and policies; and
  • employ a variety of communication strategies to build local and global learning communities that engage learners, families, and colleagues.
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Teacher Pedagogy Practice

In their instructional practice, educators:

  • provide opportunities for students to interact with and evaluate information representing diverse perspectives;
  • invite students to respond to diverse perspectives by constructing their own arguments while crediting the authors and creators of the works to which they are responding;
  • encourage students to develop their own voice and to share their own knowledge, creative works, and inquiry findings with others; and
  • facilitate opportunities for students to engage in conversation and collaboration with diverse perspectives, teaching them to use a variety of communication tools and resources safely, legally, and ethically.
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Additional Key Knowledge Practices and Dispositions
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Social Justice

There are many ways for teachers to incorporate social justice ideals into their classrooms, including:

  • empowering students to share their cultural knowledge and experience and participate in scholarly and community conversations; and
  • identifying and removing barriers that students may face in making their voices heard, and participating in a scholarly conversation.

Incorporating these ideals means that teachers understand:

  • who contributes to scholarship and in what formats, recognizing that scholars throughout time have not necessarily recognized all perspectives in their contributions to scholarly conversations; and
  • that established power and authority structures privilege certain modes and formats of discourse. 
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Digital/Media Literacy

As teachers develop their digital and media literacy skills, they:

  • recognize the many emerging online locations where scholarly and practitioner conversations occur;
  • understand and teach their students that their work builds upon others and must give others credit when due, even with the ease of obtaining information and media from the web; and
  • guide their students to recognize the responsibility they take on when entering into online conversations, including exhibiting empathetic behavior and respecting intellectual rights and property.
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Metacognition/Reflection

As teachers assess their information literacy processes, they:

  • understand that context influences perspectives and knowledge in the scholarly conversation. They are able to reflect on their own contexts and experiences to determine how the ideas they encounter in the scholarly conversation may or may not apply to their own practice;
  • consider that scholarly conversations are ongoing and that their role in the conversation is part of a continuum. They keep an open mind about the value of a piece of scholarship until the larger context is understood and facilitate this disposition in their students; and
  • reflect on the barriers to their participation and their students' participation within the scholarly conversations that are specific to their own contexts and identities. 
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Example Learning Objectives and Activities

Example Objective 1: Teacher education students will describe how citations show which scholarly works are in conversation with each other.

About the Objective: The InTASC standards emphasize that "content knowledge is not a fixed body of facts, but is complex, culturally situated, and ever evolving."  Similarly, the ACRL Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education emphasizes the way that research is a "discursive practice." One way that scholars indicate that they are in conversation with other scholars is through citations; in fact, the Framework states that "providing attribution to relevant previous research is...an obligation of participation in the conversation." This objective gives teacher education students the opportunity to trace citations in order to see how scholarly works speak to one another and to emphasize the importance of attribution. 

Related InTASC and ISTE Standards: InTASC 4o

Suggested Activity:

  • Step 1: Show teacher education students an article via Google Scholar (or a library database that contains citation features) and write the title on the board. Then:
    • Point out the "Cited by" feature. Write two of those "cited" titles down with arrows pointing to the 1st article.
    • Open the original article (or view the "Citations" feature, if applicable) to find two references. Write those two titles down with arrows pointing from the original article.
  • Step 2: Ask teacher education students to locate an article on their research topic in Google Scholar and repeat the steps (finding two articles that cite the original article and two articles that the original article cites). 

Assessment:

Have teacher education students reflect on what they've learned by asking the following questions:

  • What is the difference between "cited by" and "citations"? When conducting research, why might both be helpful?
  • Why is it important to provide citations? How do citations demonstrate the ways in which works are in conversation with one another over time?

Example Objective 2: Teacher education students will describe how scholars in a topic are in conversation with one another and the benefits of gathering multiple perspectives and remaining up to date with the latest research. 

About the Objective: The Framework states that experts "understand that a given issue may be characterized by several competing perspectives as part of an ongoing conversation," and are "inclined to seek out many perspectives." This mirrors the InTASC standards, which state that teachers must realize that knowledge is "not a fixed body of facts but is complex, culturally situated, and ever evolving" and must "appreciate multiple perspectives" and "keep abreast of new ideas and understandings in the field." Teachers must ensure their teaching of content remains up to date, as well as that their pedagogy reflects the latest development in the learning sciences. This objective gives teacher education students the opportunity to identify how scholars on a topic are in conversation with one another, and then reflect on how this is relevant to their teaching.

Related InTASC and ISTE Standards: InTASC 4o, 4p; ISTE 2.1.b, 2.1.c, 2.3.b

Suggested Activity:

  • Step 1: Provide teacher education students with several authoritative resources (blogs, websites, social media, popular, and/or scholarly) that provide different perspectives on the same topic. 
  • Step 2: Ask teacher education students to describe the similarities and differences between perspectives on the topic:
    • What is the consensus on the topic? What is still up for debate?
    • Have perspectives on the topic changed over time, and if so, why?
    • Whose voices are not represented in the resources provided, and why might that be the case? How could you seek out those perspectives?
  • Step 3: Have students reflect on what they have learned about the scholarly conversation:
    • Why is it important for teachers to stay informed about new ideas and understandings in the field? How can you develop a learning network? 
    • Why is it important for teachers to consider multiple perspectives?
    • How can teachers participate in the scholarly conversation themselves?
  • Extension: This activity can be extended by asking teacher education students to conduct a literature review on a topic of their choice and answer the same questions about the topic.

Assessment:

Have students reflect on what they have learned about the scholarly conversation by asking the following questions: 

  • Why is it important for teachers to stay informed about new ideas and understandings in the field? How can you develop a learning network?
  • Why is it important for teachers to consider multiple perspectives?
  • How can teachers participate in the scholarly conversation themselves?

Example Objective 3: Teacher education students will respond to the scholarly conversation with their own perspectives while providing citations to the scholars they are in conversation with.

About the Objective: The Framework states that learners "see themselves as contributers to scholarship rather than only consumers of it" and "contribute to scholarly conversation at an appropriate level." As they do so, they understand that "providing attribution to relevant previous research...enables the conversation to move forward and strengthens one's voice in the conversation."  Similarly, the InTASC standards state the need for teachers to "keep abreast of new ideas and understandings in the field" and take "responsibility for contributing to and advancing the profession," while the ISTE standards call for teachers to "stay current with research" and "actively [participate] in local and global learning networks." This objective asks students to engage with existing perspectives within the scholarly conversation and to contribute their own.

Related InTASC and ISTE Standards: InTASC 9f, 10f, 10h, 10s; ISTE 2.1.b, 2.1.c

Suggested Activity:

  • Step 1: Provide teacher education students with at least two articles that show different authoritative perspectives on a topic that the students can relate to from their existing knowledge or experience.  
  • Extension: This activity can be extended by having teacher education students participate in a discussion on social media with educators (such as #edchat on Twitter) and reflect on what they have learned by participating in the conversation.

Assessment:

Ask students to write a one to two paragraph reflection on the topic with their own perspective, ensuring that they cite the articles they refer to.  

Note: It may be helpful to introduce students to the templates from the book They Say, I Say: The Moves that Matter in Academic Writing, as these help students to see the different ways they may respond to the perspectives of others in their writing.

Graff, G., & Birkenstein, C. (2021). They say, I say: The moves that matter in academic writing. W. W. Norton.

The sites below can be searched for teaching activities related to Scholarship as Conversation:

Relevant InTASC Standards

Relevant ISTE Standards for Educators

From Interstate Teacher Assessment and Support Consortium (InTASC) Model Core Teaching Standards and Learning Progressions for Teachers 1.0:

4o. Content Knowledge--Critical Dispositions: The teacher realizes that content knowledge is not a fixed body of facts but is complex, culturally situated, and ever evolving. S/he keeps abreast of new ideas and understandings in the field.

4p. Content Knowledge--Critical Dispositions: The teacher appreciates multiple perspectives within the discipline and facilitates learners' critical analysis of these perspectives.

5d. Application of Content--Performances: The teacher engages learners in questioning and challenging assumptions and approaches in order to foster innovation and problem solving in local and global contexts.

9f. Professional Learning and Ethical Practice--Performances: The teacher advocates, models, and teaches safe, legal, and ethical use of information and technology including appropriate documentation of sources and respect for others in the use of social media.

10f. Leadership and Collaboration--Performances: The teacher engages in professional learning, contributes to the knowledge and skill of others, and works collaboratively to advance professional practice.

10g. Leadership and Collaboration--Performances: The teacher uses technological tools and a variety of communication strategies to build local and global learning communities that engage learners, families, and colleagues.

10h. Leadership and Collaboration--Performances: The teacher uses and generates meaningful research on education issues and policies.

10s. Leadership and Collaboration--Critical Dispositions: The teacher takes responsibility for contributing to and advancing the profession.

From International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) Standards for Educators:

2.1.b. Learner: Pursue professional interests by creating and actively participating in local and global learning networks.

2.1.c. Learner: Stay current with research that supports improved student learning outcomes, including findings from the learning sciences.

2.3.a. Citizen: Create experiences for learners to make positive, socially responsible contributions and exhibit empathetic behavior online that build relationships and community.

2.3.b. Citizen: Establish a learning culture that promotes curiosity and critical examination of online resources and fosters digital literacy and media fluency.

2.3.c. Citizen: Mentor students in safe, legal, and ethical practices with digital tools and the protection of intellectual rights and property.

 

Mapping the ACRL Framework to the AAC&U VALUE Rubric

Relevant Articles

For a curated annotated bibliography of recent scholarship that may be helpful to librarians, teacher education faculty, and teachers who are working with the concept of Scholarship as Conversation in the classroom, click here.