Speaker
Description
As education shifts toward preparing learners for the complexities of a rapidly changing world, 21st-century skills, such as the 4Cs, Digital Literacy, and Career and Life Skills, have become central to curriculum design across disciplines. Within this evolving landscape, Information Literacy (IL) - the ability to locate, evaluate, and apply information effectively - is increasingly seen as one of the key foundations for independent learning and academic success. In English language education, IL offers promising applications for supporting learners in managing cognitively demanding tasks such as academic writing. This study investigates the potential impact of integrating IL into IELTS-style process essay instruction for B1-B2 learners, focusing on common difficulties such as sequencing information, using lexical precision, improving writing confidence, and sustaining effective independent writing habits. A four-session classroom intervention was conducted: the first two sessions followed standard instruction, while the final two incorporated the six stages of the Big6 IL skills model - Task Definition, Information Seeking Strategies, Location and Access, Use of Information, Synthesis, and Evaluation. Students practiced these stages through scaffolded class tasks and applied them to take-home writing assignments. To evaluate instructional impact, homework samples from before and after IL integration will be assessed using analytic rubrics to track changes in writing performance, while open-ended reflections will be analyzed to examine shifts in confidence and perceptions of independent learning in writing. The study anticipates that building IL skills will enhance students’ capacity for learner autonomy and contribute to long-term academic improvement in Writing. A replicable framework and adaptable classroom materials will also be shared.
Keywords: Academic Writing, Big6 Information Literacy Skills Model, Information Literacy Skills, Learner Autonomy, Process Essay
Biography
Phung Tue Man is an English language instructor and curriculum specialist with experience across secondary, university, and adult education. She has designed and taught IELTS, TOEIC, and general English courses for diverse learners, with a strong interest in how learning takes root: beyond formulas, beyond memorization.
With over five years of teaching in language centers and private schools, she has worked with learners across age groups and proficiency levels, from teenagers preparing for academic exams to adults seeking personal and professional growth. Regardless of context, her classrooms are designed to spark better questions, foster intellectual risk-taking, and nurture growth that extends beyond the textbook.
In her curriculum work, Tue Man approaches design as both a discipline and a creative process. She builds learning pathways that are clear, flexible, and cognitively rich. Each course is intentionally structured to build momentum, balance challenge with support, and make space for thoughtful reflection. Her materials are grounded in classroom realities and refined through cycles of reflection and testing. For her, a strong curriculum is not merely a sequence of lessons. It is a living framework that adapts to real learners and encourages curiosity. It meets learners where they are and carries them somewhere transformative.
To her, the best lesson does not only end with understanding. It lingers. It shifts something. It ignites.
