data in the hs classroom: when, why, and how?

Data in the HS Classroom: When, Why, and How?

Lynette F. Hoelter, Ph.D.Dir. Instructional Resources,

ICPSR, UM

August 18, 2012American Sociological Assoc.

Annual Meeting

Just the Facts, Ma’am!

• What is data?• Why would I want to use data in the

classroom?• When should I use data?• How can I use data?

– This isn’t math class! – I don’t “do” data… – My students don’t “do” data…

• Where can I find data?

What do we mean by “data”?• Definitions differ by context. For example:

– Citing someone else’s written work to support your point

– Analysis of newspaper articles, blogs, Twitter feeds, commercials, etc. looking for themes

– The result of an in-depth interview or observation– Information from medical tests, experiments, and

other scientific exercises

• For this presentation, “data” refers to summary information presented numerically in graphs, charts, or tables and the underlying survey results.

Why Use Data? • Course content becomes applicable to

students’ lives• Active learning makes content more

memorable• Students learn how social scientists

work (not just common sense)• Quantitative literacy skills are

strengthened in a non-threatening context

• Skills learned & used within a context– Reading and interpreting tables or

graphs and to calculating percentages and the like

– Working within a scientific model (variables, hypotheses, etc.)

– Understanding and critically evaluating numbers presented in everyday lives

– Evaluating arguments based on data– Knowing what kinds of data might be

useful in answering particular questions

Quantitative Literacy??

Importance of QL

• Availability of information requires ability to make sense of information coming from multiple sources

• Use of evidence is critical in making decisions and evaluating arguments

• Employers value these skills

When to Include Data

• ALL the time!!!!! (Or at least whenever you feel like it…Seriously!)

How to Use Data (Especially for those who don’t “do” data)

• Start class with a data-based news article• Have students interpret charts/graphs from popular

media and critique news articles • Require empirical evidence to support claims in

essays• Question banks and exercises allow students to work

with surveys and the resulting data• Have students collect data – even in-class polls• Engage students by having them find maps, graphs,

or other data that provide examples of course content

Where to Find Data/Exercises

• Data archives– Public opinion– Topic specific– General

• News blogs • Specific Websites (gov’t

organizations, collections of resources)

Public Opinion Data• Roper Center for Public Opinion

Research http://www.ropercenter.uconn.edu

• Gallup: http://www.gallup.com• NORC reports & data:

www.norc.org/Research/DataFindings• Pew Social & Demographic Trends:

http://www.pewsocialtrends.org/

Topic-specific Archives… (but not too specific)• Association of Religion Data Archives(www.thearda.com) (Pet survey http://www.thearda.com/crc/quiz/quiz12.asp)

• Sociometrics (family, AIDS, maternal drug abuse, etc.)

News Blogs & Quick Facts

• TeachingWithData.org – Data in the News

• U.S. Census Newsroom, Census Data page

• Other government sources; organizations – beware of credibility

• Data360• USA Today Snapshots

Use of terms “Soda,” “Pop,” and “Coke” from The Invisible Borders that Define American Culture, Data360

Collections of Resources

• TeachingWithData.org• Social Science Data Analysis Network• ICPSR’s Online Learning Center• Social Explorer

Data Can Be FUN!

Questions? Comments? Suggestions?

Lynette Hoelter: lhoelter@umich.edu

These slides are also on Slideshare.net – search for ICPSR as a “user” (logo)