Teaching Information Literacy Skills Using Big6
Process Model Integrates Curriculum to Develop Critical Thinking
Jun 8, 2009
Big6 is a trademarked process model that teaches students of all ages how to use critical thinking skills in evaluating tasks, research, and information, as well as communicating the results. These are all important aspects of developing information literacy. Big6 develops these skills in a natural, logical way.
Teaching With Big6
The Big6 is a system developed by two educators, Michael B. Eisenberg and Robert E. Berkowitz. It is used to teach information and technology skills to students in elementary school through colleges and universities of higher education. This model’s effectiveness comes from its simplicity. It uses six steps that are integrated into the existing curriculum and applied to student work and projects.
Why is Big6 Important?
Today’s world suffers from information overload. With so much information available, it is important for people to know how to find and sift through the data, cull out the most reliable and useful points, decide how to use it, and communicate it well to an audience. These skills are critical to becoming informed and proactive citizens.
The Six Steps of Big6
- Task Definitions. This is where the person identifies the problem or task and questions that may need to be answered.
- Information Seeking Strategies. At this step, the students identify reliable sources of information.
- Location and Access. Students find and access the information identified in step 2.
- Use of Information. Students decide which information applies to the problem and is most useful.
- Synthesis. In step 5, the information is organized and presented.
- Evaluation. Step 6 is a critical analysis of how effective the product is. Did the student accomplish the task and answer the problem identified in step 1?
Each of these steps has sub-steps that help develop analytical thinking necessary to accomplish the task. Each step develops a critical skill for information literacy.
For much younger students, the Big6 is crystallized into a Super3 format. The Super3 contains the same elements, but in simpler language that children up to age 8 can understand. The three steps are:
- Plan (corresponds with Big6 steps 1 and 2.)
- Do (corresponds with steps 3, 4, and 5.)
- Review (corresponds with step 6.)
A PowerPoint slideshow explaining the premise behind the Big6 model and how to use it in education can be seen here. More information is available from the Big6 website and the Big6 for Kids website.
For more general information see What is Information Literacy?The Big6 is copyright (1987) Michael B. Eisenberg and Robert E. Berkowitz..
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