Project Work as a Vehicle for Information Literacy Education in a Circuit of South African Primary Schools.

Type Working Paper
Title Project Work as a Vehicle for Information Literacy Education in a Circuit of South African Primary Schools.
Author(s)
Publication (Day/Month/Year) 2000
URL http://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED450767.pdf
Abstract
This paper reports on a two-month study of the information literacy of 26 grade seven teachers within a circuit of 17 primary schools in Cape Town (South Africa), comprising three historically advantaged schools situated in a historically white suburb and 14 disadvantaged schools in adjacent historically black townships. The focus of the study is project work, which an earlier ethnographic field study confirmed to be a useful window through which to view teachers' information literacy. Preliminary analysis of the data shows that most of the teachers, even in the relatively well-endowed schools of the circuit, use very few resources. Very few plug into the library and other information networks of the city. It is suggested that some of the projects are projects in name only, because teachers filter new concepts and methodologies through their own conceptions of what good teaching and learning are. Moreover, it seems that an understanding of the philosophy of project work is as important as the availability of a wide range of learning materials. One of the lessons for information literacy education is the realization that some of the more exciting work uncovered in the study exploited resources within the surrounding community, however impoverished that might be. The paper concludes with some suggestions for teacher development programs. (Contains 17 references.) (MES)

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