Demystifying Teaching with Data
By Kristin Hunter-Thomson
It can be hard to get started teaching with data in our science, math, and social studies classrooms. Sometimes our own thinking can get in our way when we are trying to integrate more data into our curriculum and units.
Let’s explore some ways to adjust our thinking of how to approach teaching with data across a range of different categories…
1. Characteristics of the data/dataset
INSTEAD LET’S THINK…
1.1 We can answer different questions of large and small datasets, and the skills used to make sense of large data are not directly the same to what we use with small datasets.
1.2 We can answer different questions of professionally-collected and learner-generated datasets, and the skills used to make sense of learner-generated data are not directly the same to what we use with professionally-collected datasets.
1.3 Looking at naturally messy/noisy/variable data is important for helping students confront their misconceptions about what leads to variation in data.
SOMETIMES WE THINK…
1.1 Because my students struggle to interpret patterns when there are many data points, then I should only use small datasets.
1.2 Because my students struggle to interpret patterns when there are many data points, then I should only use data my students have collected.
1.3 Because my students struggle to interpret patterns when there is variation in the data, then I should only used cleaned up data that clearly shows a pattern.
2. Graphing
INSTEAD LET’S THINK…
2.1 Deciding what graph to use allows students to think about what question they are actually asking of the data and how best to answer the question from a graph.
2.2 In order to learn what kind of graph to use they need to try and fail and making their own graphs and not being able to interpret the data from the graph. Also, they need to be taught why certain graphs are used in certain situations (this is not something we pick up on the fly).
SOMETIMES WE THINK…
2.1 Because my students struggle to make a graph, then I should tell them what graph to make.
2.2 Because my students struggle to know what graph to make, then I should only have them use pre-made graphs and then they will see the pattern in what kinds of graphs we are looking at and know what graph to make.
3. Preparation to work with data
INSTEAD LET’S THINK…
3.1 When students follow step-by-step instructions, they are only executing a task and are not learning why they are doing that task, therefore they do not learn how to work with the data in ways to apply to other situations by following step-by-step instructions.
3.2 When students answer look-up or calculating questions from data, they are only executing a task and are not learning why they are doing that task, therefore they do not learn how to find the pattern in ways to apply to other situations by following step-by-step instructions.
3.3 Students learn more from having the time and autonomy to figure things out on their own and talking about it in their own words (rather than adding the barriers of discipline-specific language).
3.4 Labeling axes does not directly lead novices to looking at the axes to interpret the data for meaning in a broader context, but rather asks them to execute a task.
3.5 Including units does not directly lead novices to looking at the axes to interpret the data for meaning in a broader context, but rather asks them to execute a task.
SOMETIMES WE THINK…
3.1 Because my students struggle to work with data, then I need make really specific instructions of what I am asking them to do to walk through the steps to teach them how to work with data.
3.2 Because my students struggle to see a pattern in the data, then I need to ask them specific executional questions to direct their attention to specific parts of the data/graph (e.g., doing a calculation, asking for max/min) so that they learn what to look for as they find the pattern.
3.3 Because my students struggle to work with and make meaning from data, then I need to explain all of the vocabulary and steps before they start working with the data.
3.4 Because my students struggle to talk about the pattern in the data based on the variables, then I need to repeatedly stress the need to label the axes so they will learn to look for the axes.
3.5 Because my students struggle to talk about the pattern in the data based on the variables, then I need to repeatedly stress the need to include units on the axes so they will learn to look for the axes.
