Thriving in an Age of Information – information literacy skills for young people
If we printed all the information created by humanity in a single day it wouldn’t fit on a shelf that reached from the earth to the sun. The ways we read and share the contents of this stellar shelf is affecting individuals, families and communities in increasingly obvious and dramatic ways.
This workshop blends the traditional skills of the archivist with the latest research on digital information literacy. It supports young people in becoming discerning and critical consumers of information by:
Reflecting on how our emotions affect our reasoning
Learning how to use “lateral reading” to evaluate a source
Practising different forms of fact-checking including tracing origins of statements and measuring them against reliable sources
Building foundational visual skills to better understand the relationship between image and reality
Computer at Northampton Polytechnic, 1958
Information literacy is a core skill applicable to and improving attainment in all subjects. Practically speaking we suggest that art and design, citizenship, English and history are natural homes for this workshop in the secondary education system.
Our resources and delivery are adaptable and can fit into your schools’ timetable and scheme of work. We can deliver standalone sessions or work across multiple lessons.
All workshops are offered free of charge and must be booked in advance.
Where possible certain sessions can be delivered as outreach on site at your school. If you are interested in an outreach session, please indicate this on your booking form
Pneumatic Tube office at the General Post Office, 1874
Curriculum Connections:
Key Stages 3 and 4
To analyse and evaluate their own work, and that of others, in order to strengthen the visual impact or applications of their work
About the history of art, craft, design and architecture, including periods, styles and major movements from ancient times up to the present day
KS3
The operation of Parliament, including voting and elections, and the role of political parties
KS4
Parliamentary democracy and the key elements of the constitution of the United Kingdom, including the power of government, the role of citizens and Parliament in holding those in power to account, and the different roles of the executive, legislature and judiciary and a free press
KS3
Develop an appreciation and love of reading, and read increasingly challenging material independently
Learning new vocabulary, relating it explicitly to known vocabulary and understanding it with the help of context and dictionaries
Making inferences and referring to evidence in the text
Knowing the purpose, audience for and context of the writing and drawing on this knowledge to support comprehension
KS4
Reading in different ways for different purposes, summarising and synthesising ideas and information, and evaluating their usefulness for particular purposes
Drawing on knowledge of the purpose, audience for and context of the writing, including its social, historical and cultural context and the literary tradition to which it belongs, to inform evaluation
Distinguishing between statements that are supported by evidence and those that are not, and identifying bias and misuse of evidence
Make an informed personal response, recognising that other responses to a text are possible and evaluating these
KS3
Understand the methods of historical enquiry, including how evidence is used rigorously to make historical claims, and discern how and why contrasting arguments and interpretations of the past have been constructed
KS4
Engage in historical enquiry to develop as independent learners and as critical and reflective thinkers
Develop the ability to ask relevant questions about the past, to investigate issues critically and to make valid historical claims by using a range of sources in their historical context
Book a sessionReflections in a mural at the Bemerton Estate, 1971
