The

Big6Research Model

What Is ItWhy Use It

How to Implement It

Kat Gullahorn &

Deanne May

Fall 2010LS 5443.22Dr. Judy Moreillon

What is the Big6?

The Big6 is an inquiry-based research model developed by Mike Eisenberg and Bob Berkowitz. Deriving its name from

the six research steps that make up the model, the Big6 guides users through the following processes:

Step 1 – Task DefinitionStep 2 – Information Seeking StrategiesStep 3 – Location and AccessStep 4 – Use of InformationStep 5 – SynthesisStep 6 – Evaluation

(Jansen, “The Big6 Goes Primary”)

What is the Big6?Step 1 – Task Definition

During this step, students:

Define the information problemand

Identify information needed

(Jansen, “The Big6 Goes Primary”)(Eisenberg, “The Big6”)

Students Ask: What do we need to do?

What is the Big6?Step 2 – Information Seeking Strategies

During this step, students:

Determine all possible sourcesand

Select the best sources

(Jansen, “The Big6 Goes Primary”)(Eisenberg, “The Big6”)

Students Ask: What can we use to find what we need?

What is the Big6?Step 3 – Location and Access

During this step, students:

Locate sourcesand

Find information within sources

(Jansen, “The Big6 Goes Primary”)(Eisenberg, “The Big6”)

Students Ask: Where can we find what we need?

What is the Big6?

Step 4 – Use of Information

During this step, students:

Engage (read, hear, view, touch) informationand

Extract relevant information

(Jansen, “The Big6 Goes Primary”)(Eisenberg, “The Big6”)

Students Ask: What information can we use?

What is the Big6?Step 5 – Synthesis

During this step, students:

Organize from multiple sourcesand

Present the information

(Jansen, “The Big6 Goes Primary”)(Eisenberg, “The Big6”)

Students Ask: How can we show what we learned?

What is the Big6?Step 6 – Evaluation

During this step, students:

Judge the productand

Judge the process

(Jansen, “The Big6 Goes Primary”)(Eisenberg, “The Big6”)

Students Ask: How will we know if we did well?

2009lamsy

What is the Big6?

What is the Big6?Why Use the Big6?

The Big6 is able to be used at virtually any grade and ability level.

Advantages

• Students are able to work through steps at their own pace allowing differentiation based on interest, reading level, and learning style (Jansen, “Differentiating Instruction” 32). Multiple literacies and content can be integrated in a logical manner using the Big6 approach (Needham, 42).

tWhat is the Big6?Why Use the Big6?

The Big6 also produces a framework for teaching and learning that is closely correlated to the American Association of School Librarians’ Standards for the 21st-Century Learner (2009).

Advantages

• It does this by providing teachers and school librarians a concrete process in which to embed instruction of each of the individual skills identified in the standards and for learners it enables connections between problem solving and individual skills leading to mastery (Needham, 42).

The bottom line is to raise the next generation of thinkers to be independent learners capable of turning curiosity into knowledge. Of course there are many ways to meet this challenge, and the Big6 model is proven effective means to that end. Incorporating these six steps into the teaching curriculum at any level and in any subject genre will guarantee greater information literacy skills and deeper learning for your students.

Skills for Life

Why Use the Big6?

Erniec. 2008. Media Centered. Theory and practise of school librarianship. Web. http://erniec.edublogs.org/

What is the Big6?How to Implement the Big6Possible Projects

• Explore the value of fresh water and present conservation techniques and benefits.

• Build a water still and transform salt water into fresh water.

• Explore the long term effects of the Gulf oil spill on the coastal swamps and develop preservation ideas.

• Research the war on terror and discuss how it has affected the credibility of the United States in the eyes of the rest of the world.

The Big6 can be implemented across the curriculum. Collaborate with your school librarian or media specialist to discover more possibilities for inquiry-based learning.

Use the Big6 model to explore these possible projects with your students:

Kat Gullahorn &

Deanne May

A2.4 Persuasive PresentationFall 2010

LS 5443.22Dr. Judy Moreillon

TWU SLIS

Works Cited

Eisenberg, Mike. The Big6: Information & Technology Skills for Student Achievement. 2007. Web. 10 Oct. 2010.

Eisenberg, Michael and Robert E. Berkowitz. 1987. The "Big6™“. Big6.com oct 18 2010.

Erniec. 2008. Innovation Media Centered. Theory and practise of school librarianship. Web. Jpeg http://erniec.edublogs.org/

Jansen, Barbara A. “Differentiating Instruction in the Primary Grades with the Big6.” Library Media Connection 27.4 (2009): 32 – 33. Web. 8 Oct. 2010.

Jansen, Barbara A. The Big6 Goes Primary: Teaching Information and Communications Technology Skills in Grades K – 3. Santa Barbara, CA: Linworth Publishing, Inc., 2009. Print.

2009lamsy April 04, 2009. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o9B1qr7_gWE&feature=player_embedded. Oct 18 2010

Needham, J. "Meeting the New AASL Standards for the 21st-Century Learner via Big6 Problem Solving." Library Media Connection 28.6 (2010): 42 – 43. Web. 8 Oct. 2010.