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.The Big Six Skills

	1. Task Definition
	2. Information Seeking Strategies
	3. Location & Access
	4. Use of Information
	5. Synthesis
	6. Evaluation
	"Big 6" Start Calvin Smith Home

Parents as BIG 6 Coaches

One way that parents can use "The Big Six" is as a homework coach.  The student becomes the "thinker and doer."  As children work through each of the Big Six steps they need to think about what they need to do, and then they need to find appropriate ways to do it.     Together they use "The Big Six" to work through the process of doing assignments.  Let the child be as independent as possible, but, as a coach help them think their way past a rough spot.  As you discuss the assignment, help them realize that they are ultimately responsible for the assignment.  
 

Step1	Task Definition: Parents can help by first asking their children to explain what their assignment is in their own words.
Step 2	Information Seeking Strategies: Then parents can help by talking about possible sources of information.  Brainstorm together different places that the information can be found.
Step 3	Location and Access: Parents can then be helpful and supportive as the student finds the resources that they have identified. Location and access may have to be repeated if students don't find everything they need the first time.
Step 4	Use of Information: Help students decide if the source is relevant; will it help them fill the assignment they have?
Step 5	Synthesis:  Have the student give a summary of what they have read in their own words.  Does this meet the requirements of the assignment that were talked about in step one.
Step 6	Evaluation: Discuss whether the final product answers the original question.  Is this what the teacher wanted?  Could the problem have been solved more effeciently?

The big six do not necessarily need to be accomplished in a linear fashion.  While all the steps need to be accomplished at some point, students may jump around or go back to previous steps, and that is perfectly all right.

Parents need to be partners in their children's education.  With the Big Six approach, parents can effectively guide their children through assignments, and at the same time teach them to be independent learners and users of information. 

    (Taken from an article in Eric Digest, "Helping with Homeowrk: A Parent's Guide to Information Problem-Solving, written by Robert E. Berkowitz, November 1996. )

What is "The Big Six"?

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