Information literacy training for teachers in a developing South African context: suggestions for a multi-disciplinary planning approach

Abstract

Information literacy and skills in Internet searching are important for teachers. There exists a large body of literature on information literacy in schools and universities and there are many guidelines and standards on information literacy. Little has, however, been published on information literacy training for teachers per se. Even less has been written on information literacy training for townships and rural communities in developing contexts where teachers may face special challenges. This article will argue that information literacy training for teachers in such communities can benefit from tailored planning influenced by Information Communication Technology (ICT) for Development (ICT4D) literature and taking into account factors such as relationship-building with a committed community; adaptation of the definition and standards for information literacy; and selecting appropriate methods and theories to support ongoing research. These suggestions came out of an United Nations Economic, Social and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) funded initiative by the Departments of Informatics and Information Science (University of Pretoria) to train teachers in information literacy in a township area close to Pretoria, South Africa.