Janet R. Murray\'s Achieving Educational

¶ … Janet R. Murray's Achieving Educational Standards Using the Big Six

There are quite a multitude of teaching methods and styles currently described and advocated for in various pieces of academic literature, with many educational theories appearing to be in direct opposition to each other, with others forming a more inclusive framework that permits the incorporation of a variety of specific styles and practices. Many research articles have been written regarding the merits and drawbacks of these various styles, and many volumes exist with the purpose of teaching specific methods of education to educators and administrators, some with greater degrees of success than others.

One of the most direct teaching and learning methods currently developed is known as the "Big Six." The title of this method refers to the six large-scale steps in the teaching/learning process, and though these steps are defined with subtle differences from scholar to scholar, they are essentially defining the task, choosing a strategy for obtaining information, locating and accessing information sources, extracting the information form sources, synthesizing the various pieces of information obtained, and evaluating the results of this synthesis and the overall learning process. These six steps do not represent any larger educational framework, but rather are meant to provide a direct and practical way in which to facilitate more effective education and learning, and as such these steps can be incorporated into many different classrooms, different overarching theories, and different general practices.

In Achieving Educational Standards Using the Big 6, Janet R. Murray bends the teaching tool and learning method towards the specific purpose of achieving explicit educational standards as laid out in various pieces of legislation, directives, and so forth. This book provides an excellent overview both of the standards themselves and of the Big Six teaching method, and of course how this method can be applied to the defined standards. By providing such a direct roadmap, Murray shows both the direct, practical usefulness of this method and the malleability and adaptability of the techniques and simple practices of these six steps. The organization of the book seems somewhat haphazard, and is perhaps not as direct or as fluid as would be desired in what essentially serves as a manual for educators and administrators alike, but the information presented is quite clear and comprehensive.

Chapter One

Murray devotes the first chapter of her text towards a description and definition of the various standards to which she applies the Big Six teaching method in the rest of the book. In her description of the different educational and learning standards typically applied as measures of performance throughout the nation, including the current (as per the time of publication) national content standards and the implications of the No Child Left Behind Act, Murray also includes an overview of the development of these standards. This helps to place these standards in a context, which enables them to be seen more as practical and concrete benchmarks rather than the semi-abstract goals they often appear to be.

In addition to using this introductory chapter to outline the current state of expectations and standards regarding education in this country, Murray wastes no time in showing the direct practical applicability of the Big Six system. The last section in this chapter includes specific sample lessons plans utilizing the Big Six steps in achieving the knowledge necessary for specific items on standardized tests, demonstrating how the method can be used for almost any educational purpose however general or specific. At the same time, the discussion of the standards and the presentation of sample lessons makes the Big Six system appear almost formulaic in its application, and though the ease of use and indeed the very formulaic nature of the method is a large part of its success, one questions whether more open-ended lesson plans could be as easily derived from the method.

Chapter Two

The second chapter of Achieving Educational Standards Using the Big 6 follows much the same pattern as the first, describing and defining the educational standards that exist regarding information and communication technology after first discussing this relatively new area of knowledge and theory. Murray is both succinct and comprehensive in her description of how specific information and communication technology literacy standards developed, and in discussing their importance for today's learners. This chapter provides a clear overview of the importance of this growing area of educational focus and the impact it has on education and continuing opportunities for students and populations overall.

The last section of this chapter is, again, devoted to an application of the Big Six method to the issues outlined in current information and communication technology literacy standards. Murray is less direct in her approach here, presenting a discussion of the method's merits in achieving the identified educational standards rather than providing specific sample less on plans geared towards specific pieces of typically tested knowledge. This yields a somewhat less-clear picture of the Big Six method's direct practical applicability in the area of information and communication technology learning when compared to other standards, though it is still quite apparent that these methods are quite practical, and that they developed largely in tandem with the information and communication technology educational perspective. More depth regarding the interrelationship between the Big Six and this area of knowledge would definitely be a useful addition to the text, however.

Chapter Three

The first two chapters of this text are largely introductory, describing in detail the goals of the book and the development and rationale behind those goals. Chapter Three is more directly a part of the heart of the book's material, and begins the direct and explicit discussion of the Big Six skills and the methods for instilling these skills in students. Again, Murray's discussion of development is just as important as her elucidation of concrete facts and concept descriptions; the methods she describes for teaching the Big Six skills themselves is immensely useful and provides a clearer understanding of future applications.

Murray also uses this chapter as a means of making more concrete and comprehensive the practice of using the Big Six skills to teach towards and achieve educational standards. The comprehensiveness of this discussion, of course, limits the availability of a true specificity of information, although this strikes a nice overall balance with the information contained in the first two chapters of the text. The general discussion here provides an avenue for educators and administrators to develop lesson plans in keeping with general principles, coupled with a strong understanding of the mechanisms of the Big Six teaching and learning method and the necessary goals set by national education standards. One thing that is missing, however, is empirical evidence that the proposals made by Murray in terms of reaching educational standards through the use of the Big Six method -- such evidence, and perhaps descriptions of real-world applications of the techniques, would be a great boon to the text.

Chapter Four

The fourth and final chapter of Achieving Educational Standards Using the Big 6 delves into more detail regarding certain of the six steps, and the ways in which they are to be understood and utilized by educators. This includes direct statements regarding the nature of certain steps, and methods for utilizing these steps in the education process. Murray also strays away from the Big Six and returns attention to the standards themselves, for a moment, and presents a lucid though somewhat limited and subjective analysis of the benefits of designing and defining lessons specifically in terms of national standards.