Teacher Education and Information Literacy: Introducing the Instruction for Educators Companion Document

Abstract

The ACRL Education and Behavioral Sciences Section (EBSS) Instruction for Educators Committee (IFE Committee) is charged “to make distinctive contributions as education library specialists to the field of bibliographic instruction.” Beginning in fall 2020, members of the IFE Committee worked to create an ACRL Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education (Framework) companion document for the field of teacher education. The Companion Document to the ACRL Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education: Instruction for Educators (Companion Document), approved by the ACRL Board of Directors in June 2023, is designed to provide support for teacher preparation programs to develop educator research skills and pedagogical praxis in the realm of information literacy. The EBSS IFE Committee examined key literature and professional standards and created a draft document within ACRL’s LibGuides, which was revised after receiving many rounds of feedback from librarians and educators in the field. This article shares the process involved in creating the Companion Document, a theoretical overview within a disciplinary context, practical ways to teach the content, and an exploration of next steps for the implementation of the Companion Document.