Cool Investigations USING a School Project Dave Ferris Noblesville (IN) High School

Plan for today: 1.Overview of Census at School 2.Nuts and bolts 3.Student Project Idea 4.Q & A

Google docs: links in Rebecca’s

Favorite quotes: “Data are a snapshot of some real situation and have a story to tell. Our objective is to uncover that story.” “Statistics is the art of distilling meaning from data.”

A Purdue University study combed over more than 23,000 Indiana police crash reports from 2007 & Researchers found that Indiana drivers have greater risk of serious injury and death for men 45 and older driving on snow and ice, women driving on rain-slick highways, and younger men driving on dry roads. Older men driving driving pickup trucks were 81% more likely to be injured on snow and icy surfaces than men in the same age group driving other vehicles. Just heard recently:

From GAISE: From GAISE: (Guidelines for Assessment and Instruction in Statistics Education) “ Every high- school graduate should be able to use sound statistical reasoning…” 1.Formulate Questions 2.Collect Data 3.Analyze Data 4.Interpret results

Overview of CAS: Hosted by ASA (American Statistical Association)Hosted by ASA (American Statistical Association) Data from 40-question survey, grades 4-12Data from 40-question survey, grades 4-12 Can collect own students’ data and analyzeCan collect own students’ data and analyze Can collect samples of entire US databaseCan collect samples of entire US database.csv files to Excel to Fathom, etc..csv files to Excel to Fathom, etc. International CAS: CAS: (not the same survey questions as US) (not the same survey questions as US)

The Process: Teacher must register and set up classes.Teacher must register and set up classes. Each class is assigned an ID #, but YOU choose the password. Each class is assigned an ID #, but YOU choose the password. Students complete a fun, 40-question online surveyStudents complete a fun, 40-question online survey HINT: have students measure themselves prior to logging on HINT: have students measure themselves prior to logging on Analyze YOUR classes’ results, OR…Analyze YOUR classes’ results, OR… Compare your class with samples from the U.S.Compare your class with samples from the U.S.

Suggestion: Make a ½ sheet of all the measurements that students will need to know/measure ahead of time, and have them complete before going to the computer.

CAS Project: (Beta Version) First day in lab: students “messed around” with CAS data, Fathom and Word. This allowed them to see the types of things they could do. Students wrote 2-3 questions that could be explored using CAS data and Fathom. I had to approve at least one question. Second day in the lab: students collected data, statistics and graphs using CAS web site, Fathom and Word. Students wrote a report consisting of: question, relevant statistics and graph(s), and a conclusion that was justified from the data. Rubric: question, data, visual display, conclusion, follow-up Q’s

Cool Questions: Do males have better reaction times than females? Do high school students have better reaction times than elementary students? Are male students taller than female students at every grade level? How many text messages do teenagers send each day? Would students rather be rich or famous? Does this differ by age group? (elementary vs. high school) Which states have the highest participation rates in this survey? Are all states represented?

MORE Cool Questions: Is gender related to choice of super power? Is the number of text messages sent daily related to the number of hours of sleep on a school night? Is the number of hours spent studying related to the number of hours of sleep on a school night? Is favorite sport related to state of residence? What type of sample would be best? Is “Favorite Music” related to “Favorite Charity” among high school students? Who gets the most sleep on a school night, males or females?

EVEN MORE Cool Questions: Which gender has the most variable foot sizes? Is there an association between internet use and hours of sleep? Is there an association between time spent with family and time spent doing homework? Is there an association between height and reaction time? If so, what could be a confounding variable? How many more hours do girls spend texting than boys? Does the state affect the students’ favorite type of music? What proportion of students are left-handed?

You can select: Sample size State(s) Grade level Gender Year collected

Things students discover: Fathom is cool… Data is messy and will need to be “cleaned.” Scope of inference is limited. Technology has limitations (graphs, etc.) (I hope) Getting accurate data is critical.

Things I learned: Students used too many graphs. Several were not helpful… Students used imprecise/wrong terminology Students were too eager to delete outliers Students concluded a difference even if the difference may not have been significant.

US Census at School – Resources

Cool Investigations USING a School Project Dave Ferris Noblesville (IN) High School