Draw Conclusions & Make Inferences from Data August 3, 2017 9:30am 12:30pm Kristin Hunter-Thomson ACLIPSE
Welcome & Logistics How do we use data as evidence? What can I say and not say from my data? How can my students draw conclusions better? Applying it to an existing lesson plan 2
Novices Experts with Data Experts Notice features and meaningful patterns, often not noticed by novices. Novices Often focus on surface attributes. Knowledge organized around big ideas that guide thinking. Problems approached with focus on concepts and rationale for why they apply. Flexibly & selectively retrieve important and relevant aspects of their knowledge. Don t chunk information. Knowledge is memorized in lists of facts & laws, and so problem solving requires searching for correct formulas, equations, and rules to plug & manipulate. They are less likely to know the conditions under which specific knowledge is applied. 3 Slide developed by Catherine Halverson (UC-Berkeley)
Data Literacy = The ability for students and all of us to collect, interpret, analyze, and share data for other people to use and understand. 4
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As you work note what skills you are using in order to answer the questions think about what you paid attention to reflect on how you arrived at your answers think about what you could and could NOT answer.
Activity Debrief Were you able to answer the questions on Handout A? What about the questions on Handout B? Where did you find the information you needed? What skills did you use to answer the questions? What skills or information would you need to be able to answer your unanswered questions?
Activity Implications What aspects of this activity did you find surprising? What implications could this activity have on how you teach with data to their middle school students?
Developing CER Capability *Visuals = any visual form of looking at data a table, graph, figure, chart, image, map, etc.
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How do we use data as evidence? Exploring different ways to use data as evidence for our claims 17
Scientific Evidence Evidence is a clue that helps answer a question or explain something. Evidence can come from our own investigations. other people s investigations. Evidence includes reasoning about WHY or HOW the data help to answer the question or explain something. Scientific explanations are based on evidence.
What s wrong with this explanation?
Explanation #5: On the world map, Alaska is near the North Pole, which means days are long in summer and short in winter. There would be a bigger difference between summer and winter temperatures because temperature is dependent on the number of hours of sunlight received in an area. The graph shows a huge difference from winter to summer at the first location. This means that the area is receiving very different amounts of sunlight at different parts of the year and must be very far from the equator. Therefore, I think Location 1 is Alaska.
Good scientific explanations include Evidence to support the explanation. Evidence based on carefully collected data and information, not just one casual observation. Evidence that is from a reliable source.
Location A 30 25 20 Mystery Locations 15 10 5 0-5 -10-15 -20-25 1/1 2/1 3/1 4/1 5/1 6/1 7/1 8/1 9/1 10/1 11/1 12/1 Location B 30 25 20 15 10 5 0-5 -10-15 -20-25 1/1 2/1 3/1 4/1 5/1 6/1 7/1 8/1 9/1 10/1 11/1 12/1 Location C Map showing the three mystery locations represented by the air temperature data in the graphs at the top of the page. 30 25 20 15 10 5 0-5 -10-15 -20-25 1/1 2/1 3/1 4/1 5/1 6/1 7/1 8/1 9/1 10/1 11/1 12/1
Three corners Which data set represents Jacques Cousteau NERR (NJ)?
Discussion People in each corner will share their evidence and how that evidence supports the claim (reasoning). If nobody chose one of the corners, share evidence that made you think that location was not JCNERR. Use reasoning to try to convince others to change their mind and move to a different corner.
Jacques Cousteau NERR Location / Data set A Evidence for Evidence against B C
Why record evidence for and against? It is just as important to understand why the claim supported by less evidence is a less likely conclusion, as it is to understand why the claim supported by stronger evidence is a more likely conclusion It supports understanding of how science works
What can I say and not say from my data? Exploring set the scope of your conclusions and inferences 31
Discussing the 3 graphs 1. What scales were used to examine the phenomena? 2. Why is a sense of scale important to look at this phenomenon? 3. What is the pattern between atmospheric CO 2 concentration and time: in #1? in #2? in #3? 4. Why is it important in science, especially climate science, to understand and clearly communicate the temporal scale of the data? 5. Why is it important for teachers to help students understand the importance of scale when interpreting data?
How can my students draw conclusions better? Exploring what it takes to make conclusions that connect 38
Student Case Studies 1. Does the data presented support the conclusions being made? If not, what problem(s) exist? 2. What conclusions could/should be made from this data to answer the question and/or what additional data would you need to draw this conclusion? 39
Question: What impact does weight have on maximum oxygen consumption during exercise? Data: Maximum oxygen consumption Weight (lbs) Conclusion: A person s weight, which is related to the amount that a person exercises, does not impact maximum oxygen consumption. Therefore, exercising does not influence a person s maximum oxygen consumption.
How can you support your students to avoid making similar mistakes? 41
Claim, evidence, reasoning Discuss your claim, evidence and reasoning with a partner using If, then, because Be ready to share your explanation with the whole group. Example: If most of the mass of a plant comes from CO 2 in the air, then sugar molecules which make up the mass of the plant structures would be made from C and O from CO 2 molecules, because according to the equation for photosynthesis, only CO 2 and H 2 O plus sunlight are needed to make sugar molecules. Evidence to support this claim came from reading multiple scientific investigations.
Novices Experts with Data What aspects did you find surprising? What implications could this have on how you teach with data to your students?
Apply to your lesson Take your lesson plan and adapt it to incorporate what we have explored 47
Kristin Hunter-Thomson hunterthomson@marine.rutgers.edu 848-932-3281 Lunch J 48