Big6 by the Month: A Common Sense Approach to Effective Use of Common Standards for Information Literacy Learning
Article
COMMON STANDARDS, COMMON THREADS, EXTRAORDINARY OPPORTUNITIES
The education landscape is littered with acronyms, buzzwords, fads, trends, invective, platitudes, and promises. Critical thinking, problem-solving, 21st century skills, standards, and inquiry learning are just some of the more pervasive recent terms.
A quick Google search produces millions of results related to these terms. And while there are some valuable and useful resources for teachers who want to improve their instructional toolkits with best practices in these areas, it’s hard to know where to begin or what to include. Too often, educators do not have what they need to effectively develop these skills in students: a clearly defined and implemented curriculum and instructional approach that incorporates critical thinking across all content areas.
With the creation and widespread adoption of the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) for English Language Arts/Literacy and Mathematics, renewed attention is being paid by classroom teachers, teacher-librarians, technology teachers, and school leaders to the common thread that connects the sets of standards: critical thinking.
With this in mind, our Big6 by the Month team has developed a unified approach with practical ideas and resources to help make information problem-solving instruction defined, predictable, measured, and reported. For example, the “defined” section of the Big6 by the Month program has illustrated the correlation of individual state standards, the Common Core State Standards, and information and communication technology standards, with the Big6 process.
FIG. I. BIG6 SKILLS ALIGNED WITH COMMON CORE AND ICT* LITERACY STANDARDS
Standards describe what students should know and be able to do. The Big6 Skills is an information problem-solving process that can help students achieve educational standards by giving them strategies to accomplish the “able to do” part of the definition of standards.
| Big6 Skill | College and Career Readiness Anchor Standards for Writing | Standards for Mathematical Practice | Standards for the 21st-Century Learner (AASL, 2007) | NETS-S (ISTE, 2007) |
| 1. Task Definition | 7. Conduct short as well as more sustained research projects based on focused questions, demonstrating understanding of the subject under investigation. | 1. Make sense of problems and persevere in solving them:…plan a solution pathway 4. Model with mathematics: …apply mathematics to solve problems arising in everyday life. | 1.1.3 Develop and refine a range of questions to frame the search for new understanding. 1.2.1 Display initiative and engagement by posing questions and investigating the answers beyond the collection of superficial facts. | 3a. Plan strategies to guide inquiry. 4a. Identify and define authentic problems and significant questions for investigation. 4b. Plan and manage activities to develop a solution or complete a project. |
| 2. Information Seeking Strategies | 8. Gather relevant information from multiple print and digital sources, assess the credibility and accuracy of each source, …. | 1. Make sense of problems and persevere in solving them:…use concrete objects or pictures to help conceptualize and solve a problem. 3. Construct viable arguments and critique the reasoning of others: … distinguish correct logic or reasoning from that which is flawed | 1.1.4 Find, evaluate, and select appropriate sources to answer questions. 1.1.5 Evaluate information found in selected sources on the basis of accuracy, validity, appropriateness for needs, importance, and social and cultural context. | 3c. Evaluate and select information sources and digital tools based on the appropriateness to specific tasks. |
| 3. Location & Access | 8. Gather relevant information from multiple print and digital sources,… 2. Write informative/ explanatory texts through the effective selection of content. | 5. Use appropriate tools strategically: …identify relevant external resources. | 1.1.8 Demonstrate mastery of technology tools for accessing information and pursuing inquiry. 1.3.2 Seek divergent perspectives during information gathering and assessment. | 3b. Locate, organize, analyze, evaluate, synthesize, and ethically use information from a variety of sources and media. |
| 4. Use of Information | 2. Write informative/ explanatory texts through the effective selection, organization, and analysis of content. 8. Gather relevant information from multiple print and digital sources …and integrate the information while avoiding plagiarism. | 2. Reason abstractly and quantitatively:…create a coherent representation of the problem at hand 5. Use appropriate tools strategically: …make sound decisions about when tools might be helpful …use technological tools. | 1.1.7 Make sense of information gathered from diverse sources by identifying misconceptions, main and supporting ideas, conflicting information, and point of view or bias. 2.1.1 Apply critical-thinking skills (analysis, synthesis, evaluation, organization) to information and knowledge. 1.3.3 Follow ethical and legal guidelines in gathering and using information. | 4c. Collect and analyze data to identify solutions and/or make informed decisions. 5a. Advocate and practice safe, legal, and responsible use of information and technology. |
| 5. Synthesis | 1. Write arguments to support claims in an analysis of substantive topics or texts, using valid reasoning and relevant and sufficient evidence. 2. Write informative/ explanatory texts to examine and convey complex ideas and information clearly and accurately through the effective selection, organization, and analysis of content. 4. Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience. 9. Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research. | 1. Make sense of problems and persevere in solving them: …explain correspondences between equations, verbal descriptions, tables, and graphs. 3. Construct viable arguments:…justify conclusions. 6. Attend to precision: …communicate precisely to others. | 2.1.4 Use technology and other information tools to analyze and organize information. 3.1.4 Use technology and other information tools to organize and display knowledge and understanding in ways that others can view, use, and assess. | 2a. Interact, collaborate, and publish with peers, experts, or others, employing a variety of digital environments and media. 2b. Communicate information and ideas effectively to multiple audiences, using a variety of media and formats. |
| 6. Evaluation | 5. Develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach. 10. Write routinely over extended time frames (time for research, reflection, and revision) and shorter time frames (a single sitting or a day or two) for a range of tasks, purposes, and audiences. | 1. Make sense of problems and persevere in solving them: …monitor and evaluate progress. 8. Look for and express regularity in repeated reasoning: …continually evaluate the reasonableness of their immediate results. | 3.4.1 Assess the processes by which learning was achieved in order to revise strategies and learn more effectively in the future. 3.4.2 Assess the quality and effectiveness of the learning product. | 1a. Apply existing knowledge to generate new ideas, products, or processes. 5b. Exhibit a positive attitude toward using technology that supports collaboration, learning, and productivity. |
| The Big6(TM) is copyright (1987) Michael B. Eisenberg and Robert E. Berkowitz. For more information, visit www.Big6.com. Compiled by Janet Murray from "Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts & Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science, and Technical Subjects." 2010. http://corestandards.org/assets/CCSSI_ ELA%20Standards.pdf. "Common Core State Standards for Mathematics." http://corestandards.org/assets/CCSSI_ Math%20Standards.pdf. "AASL Standards for the 21st-Century Learner. American Association of School Librarians, 2007. www.ala.org/aasl/standards. National Educational Technology Standards for Students, Second Edition, ISTE (International Society for Technology in Education), 2007. www.iste. org. See also "Big6 Skills Aligned with Common Core Standards," http://janetsinfo.com/Big6_CCSSIStds.htm, and "Big6 Skills Aligned with ICT Literacy Standards," http://janetsinfo.com/Big6_ICTLitStds.htm. | ||||
The Next Generation Science Standards (2013), Curriculum Standards for Social Studies (2010), and the College, Career, and Civic Life (C3) Framework for Social Studies State Standards (2013) are additional pieces woven together with critical thinking as the connecting thread.
| Next Generation Science Standards (2013) | Curriculum Standards for Social Studies (2010) | College, Career, and Civic Life (C3) Framework for Social Studies State Standards |
| Implementing the NGSS will better prepare high school graduates for the rigors of college and careers. In turn, employers will be able to hire workers with strong science-based skills — not only in specific content areas, but also with skills such as critical thinking and inquiry-based problem-solving. (Achieve) | The aim of social studies is the promotion of civic competence …requires that citizens have the ability to use their knowledge about their community, nation, and world; to apply inquiry processes; and to employ skills of data collection and analysis, collaboration, decisionmaking, and problem-solving. (National Council for the Social Studies) | Its objectives are to: a) enhance the rigor of the social studies disciplines; b) build critical thinking, problem-solving, and participatory skills to become engaged citizens; and c) align academic programs to the Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts and Literacy in History/Social Studies. (National Council for Social Studies) |
In 2014 we can look forward to another set of national common standards to consider. The National Coalition for Core Arts Standards (NCCAS) will be releasing “a final public review of the draft PreK-12 arts standards in dance, media arts, music, theatre, and visual arts.” According to the NCCAS website:
The new, voluntary grade by grade web-based standards are intended to affirm the place of arts education in a balanced core curriculum, support the 21st-century needs of students and teachers, and help ensure that all students are college and career ready. The arts standards emphasize “big ideas,” philosophical foundations, enduring understandings/essential questions, and anchor/performance standards, all of which are intended to guide the curriculum development and instructional practices that leads to arts literacy for all students. (National Art Education Association)
The developers of these standards make explicit connections to the Common Core State Standards and, like all of the other standards, make reference to 21st century skills without providing clear guidance for teachers as to what that set of skills might look like in the context of the five disciplines contained in the arts standards.
All of the content-specific standards (CCSS, NGSS, C3, Arts, etc.) make explicit reference to critical thinking and problem-solving. However, none of these standards clearly define both what these skills look like through the grade levels or how to assess the specific set of skills that make up the information problem-solving process. The various standards do not provide a common vocabulary that cuts across the rich content they define. For students to truly understand the problemsolving process and how it can be applied to any academic challenge, they need to have the vocabulary and understanding of the process. For teachers to be prepared to provide effective instruction, they need a clear pattern to follow. Through the Defined, Predictable, Measured, and Reported components of the Big6 by the Month program, we help to make sense of the complex relationship of standards, instruction, content, and assessment. Instruction and assessment become more focused through the lens of Big6 critical thinking skills that are thoughtfully developed as students advance through K-12 curricula.
Here is the extraordinary opportunity for teacher-librarians to lead the critical thinking effort! The Big6 by the Month approach provides a clear and systematic approach to follow. And, while it does provide direction, it isn’t prescriptive or “one size fits all.” The Big6 by the Month approach must be adjusted to fit to existing school curricula and calendars, resources available, individual classroom needs, and, ultimately, to students’ learning. Classroom teachers and teacher-librarians will be challenged to use their best professional judgment and skill to create engaging and challenging opportunities for students to practice critical thinking and problem-solving—a real antidote to the programmed and lock-step approaches that the No Child Left Behind Act has encouraged.
None of the standards we’ve highlighted are laundry lists to be checked off or covered. Rather, by using the Big6 by the Month approach, teacher-librarians can ensure that all students have access to the best critical thinking curriculum and instruction possible.
LEARN MORE ABOUT THE BIG6 BY THE MONTH PROGRAM
The goal of the Big6 by the Month team is to fulfill the promise of a comprehensive information literacy program. We define this with the following four elements:
- A comprehensive program should reach all students in the school.
- A comprehensive program should be predictable in terms of what students are expected to learn and how they are to learn it.
- A comprehensive program should be measurable in terms of setting accountable goals for the program and assessing performance by the students.
- A comprehensive program should report the results—to the students, their teachers, parents and guardians, and the overall school and district. (Eisenberg and Murray)
Big6 by the Month: Comprehensive Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Literacy for All Students, our new e-book, compiles three years of live webinar presentations and resources. It is available at
WHAT CAN YOU DO NOW?
- Commit to Big6 by the Month; start planning for next year.
- Communicate and explain Big6 by the Month to your administrators and teachers.
- Identify state and national standards.
- Identify grade level objectives.
- Register for webinars or access recorded ones.
- Review the web-based materials linked to the Big6 by the Month site.
- Review this year’s discussions; contribute your great ideas. (Eisenberg and Murray)
THE BIG6 BY THE MONTH TEAM
Additional Resources
MLA Citation
Eisenberg, Michael B., and Janet Murray. "Big6 by the Month: A Common Sense Approach to Effective Use of Common Standards for Information Literacy Learning." Library Media Connection, 32, no. 6, May 2014. School Library Connection, schoollibraryconnection.com/Content/Article/1949157.
https://schoollibraryconnection.com/Content/Article/1949157?topicCenterId=2247902
Entry ID: 1949157