The Big6:a new trick to teaching guided inquiry and problem solving

Stacie Alexander & Bert Becker

Forget the old saying! You CAN teach your students a new trick!

What is The Big 6?

Most widely used approach to teaching information and technology skills in the world

Appropriate for K-12, higher education, adult training programs, and anyone else who does problem-solving

“applicable to every age group and level of development from pre-K to senior citizen” (Eisenberg, 2003, p. 13)

Integrates information search and use skills with technology tools

A Guided Inquiry Model

A six step process model of how people of all ages solve an information problem

A process that encourages students to work smarter and develop the skills and understandings they need to find, process, and use information effectively

Task Definition

Informatio

n Seeki

ng Strategies

Location & Access

Use of Information

Synthesis

Evaluation

The 6 Steps of the Big6

Why use The Big6?

21st-century learners must be able to problem solve, be computer literate, and know how to use technology for a purpose.

The Big6 combines all of these skills in a 6 step process that students can apply to any situation, in the classroom or outside the classroom.

The Big6 is a process that encourages students to work smarter, not just faster.

The Big6 teaches students how to research with a purpose.

Big6 Planning Team Members

Administrators

Teachers

Library Media

Specialist

Instructional Support

Staff

What are your responsibilities in the Big6 Implementation?

Administrators Teachers LMS Instructional

Support Staff

• Plan lessons and units using the Big6

• Introduce students to Big6 process

• Meet with LMS and support staff to collaborate and evaluate throughout the implementation process

• Collaborate with teachers to plan lessons and units using the Big6

• Provide instruction to students on using the Big6 process in the library

• Meet with teachers and support staff to collaborate and evaluate the implementation process

• Arrange for Professional Development session on using Big6

• Provide follow up sessions for teachers, LMS, and support staff to meet

• Collaborate with teachers and LMS as needed to support Big6 implementation

• Meet with teachers and LMS as needed to evaluate the Big6 implementation process

Implementation Action Plan

o Understand the Big6 process

o Plan units using the Big6

o Collaborate with LMS on the units

o Start using Big6 terminology in the classroom

o Students visit the library for further instruction on the Big6 and research

o Teachers and LMS evaluate the Big6 process and continue to collaborate throughout the year

Understand Plan

Do Evaluate

Winter Break

End of school year

Beginning of school year

Timeline of Implementation

1. Professional Development Session2. Planning of units3. Teachers collaborate with LMS to improve units & plan library

visits4. Teachers start using Big6 terminology in the classroom5. Students start working on Big6 planned units & visit the library

for further instruction from the LMS6. Teachers & LMS guide students through first unit and the Big6

process7. Teachers & LMS reflect and evaluate the Big6 process and

student success with process8. Students continue using the Big6 throughout the year9. Teachers & LMS meet to collaborate on units and plan library

visits throughout the rest of the school year10.Teachers & LMS collaborate to make improvements for next

year

1-3 75-

684 9 10

What are the learning outcomes for 9th-12th grade students using the Big6?

Guided Inquiry “espouses investigation, exploration, search, quest, research, pursuit, and study”. It “does not stand alone, it engages, interests and challenges students to connect their world with the curriculum” (Kuhlthau, Maniotes, & Caspari, 2007, p. 2).

Students will :

be able to apply the Big6 skills to any problem-solving situation to help solve a problem, make a decision, or complete a task.

be able to research a topic in an effective manner.

be able to apply the Big6 process to everyday situations, in and out of the classroom.

have a basic set of essential life skills to use whenever they need to solve a problem.

Big6 in the classroom

Big6 Research Project Common Core Standards

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.9-10.7Conduct short as well as more sustained research projects to answer a question (including a self-generated question) or solve a problem; narrow or broaden the inquiry when appropriate; synthesize multiple sources on the subject, demonstrating understanding of the subject under investigation.

21st-Century Learner Standards

Standard 1: Inquire, think critically, and gain knowledge

Standard 2: Draw conclusions, make informed decisions, apply knowledge to new situations, and create new knowledge

Standard 3: Share knowledge and participate ethically and productively as members of our democratic society

Standard 4: Pursue personal and aesthetic growth

Big6 in the classroom (cont.)

Civil War: A Study in ChangeCommon Core Standards

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.9-10.1Initiate and participate effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grades 9-10 topics, texts, and issues, building on others' ideas and expressing their own clearly and persuasively.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.9-10.1Write arguments to support claims in an analysis of substantive topics or texts, using valid reasoning and relevant and sufficient evidence.

21st- Century Learner Standards

Standard 1: Inquire, think critically, and gain knowledge

Standard 2: Draw conclusions, make informed decisions, apply knowledge to new situations, and create new knowledge

Standard 3: Share knowledge and participate ethically and productively as members of our democratic society

Standard 4: Pursue personal and aesthetic growth

Pathfinder for the Big6

Print Resources

Eisenberg, M. & Berkowitz, R. E. (2000). Teaching information

and technology skills: The Big6 in secondary schools.

Worthington, OH: Linworth Pub.

Eisenberg & Berkowitz book, available from the WKU Education Center

(ZA3075 .E425 2000), is a guide for using the Big6 process with

secondary students.

Kuhlthau, C., Maniotes, L., and Caspari, A (2007). Guided

inquiry: Learning in the 21st century. Westport, CT: Libraries

Unlimited.

This book, available in the WKU Education Center (LB1060 .K84 2007),

provides an introduction to guided inquiry and why it is essential for

21st-century learners.

Electronic Database Resources

Eisenberg, M. B. (2003). Technology for a purpose: Technology

for information problem-solving with the Big6.

TechTrends: Linking Research & Practice to Improve Learning,

47(1), 13-17.

Eisenberg, a creator of The Big6, explains how the model helps students

with learning technology skills and encourages collaboration.

Eisenberg, M., Murray, J., & Bartow, C. (2014). Big6 by the

month: A common sense approach to effective use of common

standards for information literacy learning. Library

Media Connection, 32(6), 38-41.

This article connects the Common Core Standards, 21st-Century Learner

Standards, ISTE Standards, and Big6 Skills and provides an explanation of

how the Big6 and Common Core can work together to benefit students.

Pathfinder for the Big6 (cont.)

Search Engines

Lincoln Tech. (2011, January 25). Big 6 research [video]. Retrieved from

http://youtu.be/JVEiNZuYgjQ

Lincoln Tech has created a short comic-type video detailing a typical student

interaction related to research. It highlights why students need to learn information

literacy skills. Students often just want to use a computer to use it, but the Big6

can help provide guidance to the research process.

Online resources to support Big6 information skills. (2009, June).

Retrieved from

http://nb.wsd.wednet.edu/big6/big6_resources.htm#resoures

This website contains resources for each step of the Big6 process including

planning charts, brainstorming activities, note-taking methods, and many others.

The resources are helpful for all grade levels.

Information Inquiry Web Sites

What is the Big6. (2014). Retrieved from

http://big6.com/pages/about.php

This site provides an in-depth explanation of the Big6 model, sample

lessons using the Big6 model, and many professional resources related

to the Big6.

Project information literacy. (2014, October 10). Retrieved from

http://projectinfolit.org/

The Project Information Literacy webpage describes what PIL is and what

it is seeking to do. The site provides research on information literacy in

the early adult years (start of college) and provides a series called

“Smart Talks” where leaders in the field of information literacy share

information. This site is helpful for high school teachers to understand

how important teaching information literacy really is to the success of

students beyond high school.

What will the new trick, The Big6, do for you?

Encourage Collaboration

Teach students a process that they can use now and forever

Present a straight forward approach to information problem solving

Connect computer skills with information & technology skills

Require students to self-assess before submitting work

Provide a way for students to break assignments down into manageable parts and thus build confidence