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What is the Big6?
“Data collected from thousands of students showed that students who were taught informative nonfiction using the Big6 approach with a combination of analytical, creative, and practical activities, outperformed students who were taught two alternative approaches (see materials at: www.yale.edu/pace).” — Linda Jarvin, Ph.D., Associate Director, PACE Center, Yale University
Developed by educators Mike Eisenberg and Bob Berkowitz, the Big6 is the most widely-known and widely-used approach to teaching information and technology skills in the world. The Big6 is an information and technology literacy model and curriculum, implemented in thousands of schools - K through higher education. Some people call the Big6 an information problem-solving strategy because with the Big6, students are able to handle any problem, assignment, decision or task. Here are the six stages we call the BIG6. Two sub-stages are part of each main category in the Big6 model:
1. Task Definition
1.1 Define the information problem
1.2 Identify information needed
2. Information Seeking Strategies
2.1 Determine all possible sources
2.2 Select the best sources
3. Location and Access
3.1 Locate sources (intellectually and physically)
3.2 Find information within sources
4. Use of Information
4.1 Engage (e.g., read, hear, view, touch)
4.2 Extract relevant information
5. Synthesis
5.1 Organize from multiple sources
5.2 Present the information
6. Evaluation
6.1 Judge the product (effectiveness)
6.2 Judge the process (efficiency)
People go through these Big6 stages—consciously or not—when they seek or apply information to solve a problem or make a decision. It’s not necessary to complete these stages in a linear order, and a given stage doesn’t have to take a lot of time. We have found that almost all successful problem-solving situations address all stages.
(For more information about Big6 Skills, we highly recommend “Big6 in Elementary Schools” –and “Big6 in Secondary Schools” books by Eisenberg and Berkowitz.)
More on the Big6 by Mike Eisenberg:
PowerPoint Presentation:
Introducing Information Problem Solving: The Big6 by Mike Eisenberg (Power Point Presentation)
Big6 Workshops:
Invite a Big6 Trainer to present at your school, district, or region.
Big6 Summer Academy — Annual 2-day seminar for learning Big6 strategies and tactics in K-12 education situations.
Further Reading:
Technology as a Tool: Applications in a Big6 Context
How does Technology fit within the Big6 model? Use this table of information to understand the correlation between computer technologies and Big6 stages.
Big6 Skills in School, Life, and Work Contexts
Information literacy is an essential life skill. This table shows how the Big6 fits in each situation.
Big6 for Kids Website
We have developed a special set of Big6 pages for students in grades K-2, 3-6, and 7-12.
New Case Study: The Big Six Information Skills As a Metacognitive Scaffold
Read School Library Media Research (v6, 2003) on the effectiveness of Big6 Skills for middle school students.
Acing the Exam By Rick Margolis, Cover Story. School Library Journal.
“How can librarians boost students’ test scores? Bob Berkowitz shares a strategy for success.”
Research Foundations of The Big6 Skills
by: Carrie Lowe
The Big6 is based on a rich foundation of research into how humans find and process information (information literacy), and this research basis has led to the development of similar and complementary approaches that create a more complete picture of ways people solve information problems.
Ferdi Serim writes about the implications of the digital age on education and points to new assessment instruments that will test skills associated with information and communication technology. Serim notes that technology skills are only the initial step in proficiency and that improving thinking skills is essential.
