Hazel Edmunds emailed me recently about an article which she says is based on the book Teaching Defiance: Stories and strategies for activist educators.Newman, M. (2007) “Adult education and the home front.”Adults Learning, 18 (7), (probably pages 8-11, I found this info on another site; the publisher – see URL below – doesn’t give page numbers!).Hazel continued “one part of Newman’s article struck me as very apt for the information literacy scene. I quote: ‘The skills I suggest we examine and practise are:- ‘how to critically appraise the statements of others;- ‘how to think clearly for ourselves;- ‘how to think inventively;- ‘how to participate actively in the affairs of our state; and- ‘how to participate wisely.’Whenever we come across an apparently authoritative statement we can encourage people to tease out ‘truth’ from ‘ideology’. I realise that both these concepts are contested but we can ask such questions as:- ‘Has the speaker (or writer) included all relevant information?- ‘Has the speaker included inconvenient ads well as convenient arguments? Or- ‘Is the speaker pushing a party line?’”Newman then goes on to talk about legitimacy, authority, sincerity and openness.”Thanks to Hazel for this. The contents page for that issue of Adult learning is at http://www.niace.org.uk/Publications/Periodicals/AdultsLearning/BackIss/Mar07Cont.htmThere is a review of Newman’s book in College and research libraries, herePhoto by Sheila Webber: There are memorial trees for students on the Sheffield Campus. This is a young memorial tree for Louise Andrews, a student of French and German, which has a foxglove growing beside the little tree. (Source: Information Literacy Weblog)

More: continued here