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Using Real Data in the Math Classroom (middle/high)
Real-world data are a glimpse into a complex story that involves much more detail than the numbers would suggest. We want students to look “behind the scenes” by organizing, representing and analyzing these data.
Overview
Real-world data are a glimpse into a complex story that involves much more detail than the numbers would suggest. We want students to look "behind the scenes" by organizing, representing and analyzing these data. Technology is central to this task, both as a source of data and as a tool for data analysis. Technology tools and web-based materials provide important ways for math educators to meet key NCTM and ISTE standards that emphasize problem solving and making connections between mathematics, other disciplines and the real world. These standards include a significant emphasis on representing and analyzing data, including a focus on being able to evaluate the sources of data and the effectiveness of different representations that students will encounter both inside and out of school.
This course will explore a range of web-based resources and exemplary projects which utilize technology to support these goals. Participants will learn how to find sources of real data on the Web and explore how technology tools such as spreadsheets can help students analyze, visualize and make sense of these data. Participants will complete the course with a collection of resources and beginning project ideas that serve their curricular goals.
"Technology is essential in teaching and learning mathematics; it influences the mathematics that is taught and enhances students' learning." - NCTM Standards, 2000
"Books, newspapers, the World Wide Web, and other media are full of displays of data. .As students deal with larger or more complex data sets, they can reorder data and represent data in graphs quickly, using technology so that they can focus on analyzing the data and understanding what they mean." - NCTM Standards, 2000
Goals and Products
This course will enable participants to:
- Learn how NCTM Math and ISTE standards can be met with real world data, supported by appropriate technology
- Learn how to find mathematical data on the Web and download it into a spreadsheet
- Learn how to find and evaluate projects that include analysis of real data
- Learn to evaluate the appropriateness of varied data sets for specific pedagogical goals
- Learn about a variety of data analysis tools appropriate for classroom use
- Develop a personal collection of web-based resources for curricular use
- Develop preliminary plans for a technology-enhanced classroom activity that uses real data
Format and Requirements
This course is divided into six one-week sessions which each include readings, an activity and an online discussion among course participants. The time for completing each session is estimated to be two to four hours.
The outline for the course is as follows:
| Session 1 | What Can We Learn from Data? How Can Technology Support Telling the Story of Data? |
| Session 2 | Understanding Patterns and Making Predictions Using Spreadsheets and Real Data |
| Session 3 | Developing a Statistical Analysis Using Real Data and Spreadsheets |
| Session 4 | Sample Projects Where Technology Supports Telling the Story of Data |
| Session 5 | Exploring Sources of Real Data on the Web |
| Session 6 | Developing Preliminary Plans for a Technology-Enhanced Classroom Project That Uses Real Data |
In the first two sessions, participants will learn how technology can support the use of real world data in the math classroom to teach important mathematical content and will consider how technology can help students understand real-life data and make predictions. In Session 3, participants will learn about the challenges and opportunities of implementing technology-enhanced data analysis activities in the classroom. Sessions 4 and 5 participants will learn about classroom success stories where this kind of math project has been implemented and consider how technology-enhanced data analysis in the math classroom can help us meet ISTE technology standards. Finally, in Session 6, participants will make preliminary classroom plans for a technology-enhanced lesson that uses real data.
Prerequisites
This is an introductory course for teachers, technology specialists, curriculum specialists, professional development specialists, or other school personnel. Participants are expected to have regular access to computers and proficiency with e-mail and current web browsers.
Content and Technology Standards
This course, Using Real Data in the Math Classroom, will help participants meet the ISTE Educational Technology Standards and Performance Indicators for All Teachers, especially Standards II, III and IV.
