Exploring the Data Cycle

By E. Keith Harrison and Monica Lang

September 2024

Why Data?

Data is everywhere. We can't pick up our phone, turn on the T.V., or open our laptop without being bombarded by a constant stream of data. Being able to examine data, identify biases, and question the interpretation of data are all crucial skills students need to be safe and function within society. However, students do not come pre-equipped with these skills. Teachers need to provide rich learning experiences for students to learn these practical skills within context. By connecting the mathematics standards to real-world relevance using contextual situations, teachers can increase engagement while also helping students to understand the power of questioning data.

The History

Some who started teaching prior to 2016 might recall that analyzing and interpreting data was part of the standards for Algebra 1 starting in 2009. These standards were removed in the 2016 update, but have now returned with even more depth of knowledge required. Students are now being asked to formulate statistical questions and collect or acquire data in addition to analyzing and interpreting it.

Data Cycle Around the District

Teachers around the division have been facilitating fun activities to help introduce students to the data cycle. At Tallwood High School, Algebra 1 and Geometry students added their data to a string graph created by the math coach. Prior to creating the graph, classes discussed the purpose of the graph, types of data that can be collected, and how non-traditional graphs are the most commonly used outside of math and science classes. Students were then asked to share information such as their favorite classes, colors, season of the year, and future aspirations to create the string graph. Classes discussed what statistical questions could be created from the graph and how the graph might be useful. As one student pointed out, the graph represented their interests. When students were asked how the Student Activities Coordinator might be able to use these results, every class was able to make several suggestions.

At Princess Anne High School, the Algebra 1 classes were in full swing applying Building Thinking Classroom (BTC) structures as they learned about bivariate versus univariate data and how to construct good statistical questions.

In Algebra 2, the teachers modified their typical regression lesson using data sets in contextual situations. As a BTC activity, students had meaningful data to analyze and collaborated on how to create a scatterplot on their Wipeboards. Students then used this work to help create statistical questions that could be answered by referencing their previous efforts. Students then learned to create regression models and explored statistical values on Desmos to check for goodness of fit.

Closing Thoughts

The data cycle is new for many of the secondary mathematics courses. This topic builds on some familiar statistics topics but builds in relevance and depth. If you need help, please check the curricular resources available on the Sine Wave, reach out to a math coach (if you have one in your building), or to one of the DTAL Secondary Mathematics team, Dena McElligott, Tina Mazzacane, and the new Instructional Specialist, Shaylee Ryan. No one should feel alone or in a silo as they work to implement these new standards!

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