Variability-Methods
Students consider how the methods employed may produce variations within the data given the context of the investigation.
Teacher Reflection Prompts
- What do I know about how the data is collected?
- What are some of my ideas as to how the logistics of the data collection may produce variations (ie. how the questions is worded, when/where the data collection took place)?
- How might I structure an activity where students begin exploring how the question or data collection plan can bring about differences in data?
Student Prompts
- How might the way the questions are being asked affect how certain people answered?
- What might have happened during the data collection process that made some points more different than others?
- How did the timing or location of when data collection is done affect the resulting data?
- How might adjustments to the questions or data collection plan affect subsequent results?
Variability-Technology
Students consider how the technology employed may produce variations in the data given the context of the investigation.
Teacher Reflection Prompts
- What do I know about how the tools operate?
- What are my predictions for why the tools used may produce certain variations?
- What activity should I create so that students can begin exploring how the tools may contribute to variations?
- How do I structure an activity where students explore the effects of applying different tools on the same problem?
- How do I structure an activity where students can decide on what tool is appropriate after considering the context of the problem?
Student Prompts
- How might the technology used affect the types of data that is being collected?
- How would using a different tool produce a different spread?
- How might using a combination of tools produce a different spread?
- Was the tool calibrated appropriately? If not, what adjustments need to be made?
- Based on the variability observed, how might the tool be appropriate/inappropriate depending on the context of the situation?
Variability-Communications
Considering the context of the investigation, students communicate and evaluate variability AND the claims and data stories resulting from variability.
Teacher Reflection Prompts
- How do I scaffold an activity for students to identify variability?
- How do I structure an activity where students explore how their interpretations of the claims can be affected based on their analysis of variability in data?
- How do I scaffold an activity where students explain the variability they observe in the data?
Student Prompts
- Did the data generators/analysts address variabilities in their analysis, claim, and/or data story?
- How might addressing vs not addressing variability affect your interpretation of the claims/ data story?
- To what degree do you believe in the data story given an absence or presence of mentioning variability?
- How might you choose to frame the variability depending on the context of the problem?
Variability-Ethics
Students consider the ethical concerns associated with variability given the context of the investigation.
Teacher Reflection Prompts
- How do I handle issues of ethics that come up in a sensitive, caring, and empathetic manner?
- How do I engage students in an discussion of how variability may reflect ethical issues?
- How do I structure an activity where students can reimagine a more ethical investigation based on the issues of ethics reflected by the variability?
Student Prompts
- How does variability highlight how the question being asked or the results being shown may pose some issues in terms of social justice or morals?
- Given the ethical issues raised by the variability, how might the investigative steps or the data be adjusted so that it is fair and just?