Critical thinking and cognitive transfer: Implications for the development of online information literacy tutorials

Jones, Erik

IL

Reece, G. J. (2005). Critical thinking and cognitive transfer: Implications for the development of online information literacy tutorials. Science Direct, 20(4), pp. 482-493. doi:10.1016/j.resstr.2006.12.018

Summary

Specifically focusing on how critical thinking skills and abilities will allow people to better process and use the information that they are given during class instruction or from an information provider, the core focus of this article describes how critical thinking skills can be used to better process and understand information. Knowing how to verify and authenticate information, how to vet sources of information, how to provide information are all necessary critical thinking abilities that information provides like librarians need to take into account before providing information to patrons. The same is true from the perspective of the patron or learner, knowing how to verify the information given to them will help prevent faulty or unreliable information from spreading.

Evaluation

As information literacy is the goal many librarians strive for when assisting patrons, it is essential that patrons have the critical literacy skills necessary to comprehend and make use of the information being provided to them. What point is there to giving information to someone who neither understand it or makes use of it? I enjoyed reading this article as critical literacy skills (critical thinking skills) are something I feel people should pay more attention to and invest more time in using throughout their daily lives. It would make things so much easier to accomplish and deal with for everyone.