By Mary Ellis
Abstract:
Project Work (PW) is a Singapore Ministry of Education initiative introduced after the launch of “Thinking Schools. Learning Nation” in 1997. Consisting of four components: Knowledge application, communication, collaboration and independent learning, students work in groups to research a topic for a written report and oral presentation. Information /research literacy skills are an important component for successful completion of their research project. This article describes the collaboration between National Institute of Education (NIE) English Language and Literature (ELL) staff and teachers at a Singapore secondary school with the purpose of improving the information/ research literacy skills of teachers (who would then teach these skills to their students) for the delivery of PW. Through a series of discussions and online communication, the teachers decided to implement a module developed by ELL staff. Using the source evaluation checklist Currency, Relevance, Authority, Accuracy and Purpose (Blakeslee, 2004) the module was created using the online bulletin board platform Padlet. It was implemented in the July 2018 semester and ELL staff were invited to observe the classes where it was taught and provide feedback to the teachers. This collaboration with the goal of improving information/research literacy skills could serve as a model for other schools.