The Big6™ - Introduction

Did you know that the reason a traditional college degree program (BA) is four years long, is because it was believed (long ago) that one could learn all there was to know in four years? Not anymore. It is now important to understand the process of conducting research.

Our library uses the Big 6©, Information Problem Solving Model. The model has six strands: Task Definition; Information Seeking Strategies; Location and Access; Use of Information; Synthesis; and Evaluation. It is useful, not just for research projects, but can also help with homework assignments.

Task Definition. Many students have trouble at the beginning of a project because they do not know what is expected of them in completing their assignment. They have not defined the task, nor identified the requirements of the project. Teachers nowadays seem to be much better in providing students rubrics that specify how their project will be graded. Regardless of whether the teacher has provided this or not, defining the task is generally the first step in any research problem. If not done at the outset, it must be completed sometime in the process to ensure that the end product meets the requirements of the assignment.

Information Seeking Strategies. The student should consider the entire range of resources that could possibly be useful in this tackling their problem. While this generally is done towards the beginning of the process, inquisitive students may frequently revisit it throughout the project. This Information Seeking Strategies list is intended to help the student consider the many possible resources that might be useful to him or her. Not all the resources considered may be useful to the student. Now the student must evaluate and prioritize which resources will best meet his or her information needs.

Location and Access. Now is the time to actually retrieve the books and magazines, find the information on the Internet, conduct personal interviews. etc.

Use of Information. Once you gotten your hands on the resources, now is the time to actually do some learning. The student should read print materials, listen to people they are interviewing, and view non-print media. It is crucial that the student keep bibliographic information on each source used and this should be done before they actually start to read, listen, or view their materials. This is because it is imperative that they cite in their bibliography all the materials they used in their project. Students need time reflect on the materials they are using. To often, a class is given a lot of time to find resources, and very little time to actually read the materials. This can lead to verbatim transcribing of text, i.e. copying instead of taking notes.

Synthesis. Now the student should be ready to consider the information gathered from their many varied sources and make their own product. How this information is presented can vary greatly, however the final product should be the students own work, not a regurgitation of information from other sources. For a few ideas on presentation ideas, you can look at this checklist.

Evaluation. Students should evaluate their work on two criteria, effectiveness and efficiency.

Effectiveness means how well did the student do in presenting their product. Did they do what they set out to do at the beginning of the project? How effective was it.

Efficiency means how well did you organize and use your time. The enclosed evaluation checklist is intended to allow the evaluator to see how well the student followed the The Big 6©, Information Problem Solving Model. Teachers will want to evaluate the students work based on their own rubric. Here is another checklist

written by John Lees, based on Eisenberg/Berkowitz Information Problem Solving, 1990.

 

Last updated: Dec 7, 2007