Using Mindfulness Practices to Teach Information Literacy Through a Social Justice Lens
Type of Presentation
Individual paper/presentation (20 minute presentation)
Target Audience
Higher Education
Location
PARB 128
Proposal
In this session, I will discuss how I designed a credit-bearing information literacy course centered around social justice issues. During the course students are asked to critically examine the influence of structural oppression on information production and access. The combination of social justice topics integrated into the information literacy lessons provides some common context for students as they apply the skills taught in the course. I realized that students were often racing through the course from one assignment to the next just trying to get to finals. This presentation will explore how mindful practices can be deployed in the classroom to help students slow down and forge a deeper connection to the topics being discussed throughout the course and improve knowledge retention.
Short Description
In this session learn how mindfulness techniques used in information literacy instruction encourages students to critically engage with course content and their classmates. Teaching information literacy through the prism of social justice adds an additional layer of complexity to the curriculum. Students were not taking the time to develop a deeper understanding of the course materials beyond what is required to complete the assignments. Through mindful practices students are encouraged to slow down and gain a deeper understanding.
Session Goals
- Introduce participants to mindfulness exercises that can be used in a classroom setting.
- Explain how mindfulness techniques improve student learning outcomes.
Keywords
Mindfulness, information literacy, Instruction, critical thinking, teaching librarian
Publication Type and Release Option
Presentation (Open Access)
Recommended Citation
Ivory, CJ, "Using Mindfulness Practices to Teach Information Literacy Through a Social Justice Lens" (2020). Georgia International Conference on Information Literacy. 25.
https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/gaintlit/2020/2020/25
Using Mindfulness Practices to Teach Information Literacy Through a Social Justice Lens
PARB 128
In this session, I will discuss how I designed a credit-bearing information literacy course centered around social justice issues. During the course students are asked to critically examine the influence of structural oppression on information production and access. The combination of social justice topics integrated into the information literacy lessons provides some common context for students as they apply the skills taught in the course. I realized that students were often racing through the course from one assignment to the next just trying to get to finals. This presentation will explore how mindful practices can be deployed in the classroom to help students slow down and forge a deeper connection to the topics being discussed throughout the course and improve knowledge retention.
