DIGS Data Sets and Inquiry in Geoscience Education Dan Zalles: SRI International Edys Quellmalz: WestEd Janice Gobert: Concord Consortium Amy Pallant: Concord Consortium This research is supported by the National Science Foundation through contract GEO

Goals Study the impacts on student learning of Web-based supplementary curriculum units and performance assessments that engage secondary-level students in inquiry projects addressing important geoscience problems. Study the impacts on student learning of Web-based supplementary curriculum units and performance assessments that engage secondary-level students in inquiry projects addressing important geoscience problems. Develop design principles and models of the units and performance assessments that can be used to guide development for other geoscience standards and topics. Develop design principles and models of the units and performance assessments that can be used to guide development for other geoscience standards and topics.

Standards Geoscience concepts and inquiry National Science Education Standards National Science Education Standards AAAS Benchmarks for Science Literacy AAAS Benchmarks for Science Literacy “Scientific explanations must meet certain criteria. First and foremost, they must be consistent with experimental and observational evidence about nature, and must make accurate predictions, when appropriate, about systems being studied.” Nature of Science -- NSES

DIGS Module Design

Development Challenges Appropriate number of data sets and visualizations for short time frame Accurate representation of the science and the scientific uncertainty Appropriate amount of technology use Appropriate scaffolding for synthesizing observations across dissimilar data sets and operating technology tools Promoting critical thinking about theory and evidence Designing inquiry opportunities beyond data analysis.

Technical Quality Process Advisors’ review of initial specification shells identifying the alignment of tasks and questions with standards Feasibility testing Teacher and Student Think-alouds Pilot testing – Round 1 Advisors’ review of student materials Pilot testing – Round 2 Scoring and item analysis

On Shaky Ground: Understanding Earthquake Activity Along Plate Boundaries

The Curriculum 5 days—4 Days of Curriculum + 1 Day Assessment 5 days—4 Days of Curriculum + 1 Day Assessment Inquiry Tasks Hypothesizing, Observing Data, Collecting Data, Analyzing Data and Drawing Conclusions, Applying Understanding, Communicating results, Revisiting hypotheses Hypothesizing, Observing Data, Collecting Data, Analyzing Data and Drawing Conclusions, Applying Understanding, Communicating results, Revisiting hypotheses Central Task Comparing Patterns Along Divergent, Convergent and Transform Boundaries. Comparing Patterns Along Divergent, Convergent and Transform Boundaries.

Overview of Unit: Compare earthquake depth, magnitude, frequency, and location along the different plate types (convergent, divergent, transform) of plate boundaries Compare earthquake depth, magnitude, frequency, and location along the different plate types (convergent, divergent, transform) of plate boundaries Inquire with earthquake data sets Inquire with earthquake data sets Develop visualizations of plate boundaries Develop visualizations of plate boundaries relate interactions of the plates to the emergent pattern of earthquakes relate interactions of the plates to the emergent pattern of earthquakes

Tools and Data Visualizations Seismic Eruption Software

Tools and Data Visualizations Students explain the relationship between the pattern of the earthquakes and movement of the plate along each type of boundary.

Tools and Data Visualizations “The data represents two weeks of data along two different types of plate boundaries, examine the data: Can you determine what type of plate boundary the data in each table represents? Use the data and give three different forms of evidence.”

Assessment Overview Compare earthquake depth, magnitude, frequency, and location along the different types of convergent plate boundaries Compare earthquake depth, magnitude, frequency, and location along the different types of convergent plate boundaries Interpret data and representations Interpret data and representations Relate interactions of the plate to emergent pattern. Relate interactions of the plate to emergent pattern. Near transfer Near transfer

Student Example from Assessment: Students draw the location of the earthquakes along each boundary type.

Student Example from Assessment: “At a continental-continental boundary, there are many earthquakes, although these earthquakes are smaller than other convergent boundaries, the earthquakes occur farther from the boundary. The earthquakes here are also very shallow.”

Testing: Four students involved in think aloud task, feasibility tests collected one on one. Four students involved in think aloud task, feasibility tests collected one on one. Changes: scaffolding Seismic Eruption tool Changes: scaffolding Seismic Eruption tool First pilot tested in two 9 th grade classes in a public high school in suburb of Boston, Massachusetts. First pilot tested in two 9 th grade classes in a public high school in suburb of Boston, Massachusetts. Changes: new context, scaffolding inquiry Changes: new context, scaffolding inquiry A second round of pilot testing was conducted in 15 classes of 8 th grade students in a district near Boston. A second round of pilot testing was conducted in 15 classes of 8 th grade students in a district near Boston.

Challenges: Incorporating the appropriate amount of scaffolding for running the seismic eruption simulations Incorporating the appropriate amount of scaffolding for running the seismic eruption simulations Designing multiple inquiry opportunities beyond data analysis Designing multiple inquiry opportunities beyond data analysis

The Heat is On: Understanding Local Climate Change

The Curriculum 7 days—5 Days of Curriculum Day Assessment 7 days—5 Days of Curriculum Day Assessment Inquiry Tasks Representing, reducing, and observing data to detect trends, synthesizing differently structured data sets, drawing conclusions, communicating conclusions and supporting evidence, identifying uncertainty, posing alternative explanations, planning evaluative research Representing, reducing, and observing data to detect trends, synthesizing differently structured data sets, drawing conclusions, communicating conclusions and supporting evidence, identifying uncertainty, posing alternative explanations, planning evaluative research

Driving questions: The people in ___ think it’s getting warmer there. Is it? Is it? Why? Why? What can they do about it? What can they do about it? How can they tell if the changes they make are effective? How can they tell if the changes they make are effective? How certain are you of all of this? How certain are you of all of this?

Tools and Data Visualizations Year-by-year monthly minimum and maximum temperatures MeanJanFebMarAprilMayJuneJulyAugSeptOctNovDec Source: Global Historical Climate Network

Tools and Data Visualizations Excel Excel

Spatial distributions 30-year mean temp.changes Anthropogenic carbon emissions New Scientist. Vol. 191., Number 2571, September 30, 2006 World Watcher data set from Climatology Interdisciplinary Data Collection. Displayed in My World ™ software.

Assessment Overview Applying similar analyses to a new city (Chicago) with similarities and differences to the city studied in the unit (different growth, different climate)

Student work The average minimum temperature in Phoenix in 1948 was 10.4 degrees Celsius  The average minimum temperature in 2003 was 13.6 degrees Celsius The average minimum temperature in Phoenix in 1948 was 10.4 degrees Celsius  The average minimum temperature in 2003 was 13.6 degrees Celsius - The minimum temperature increased around 3.2 degrees Celsius ( a very large amount) At no points on the graph was the temperature greater in 1948, at only one point it was same At no points on the graph was the temperature greater in 1948, at only one point it was same

Student work What we know from the data: We know that carbon emissions and green house gas emissions contribute to global warming. We also know that Phoenix, as the sixth largest city in the US, is a major emitter of these gases. Last, the average minimum temperature has been increasing gradually. The arid climate of Phoenix isn’t going to produce a significant rise in maximum temperature, so the minimum is actually more telling of a temperature increase.

Student work What we don’t know from the data: Though we are aware of the heat island effect, we cannot determine from the data how much of the warming in Phoenix is due to the city and it’s increase in size. Though we are aware of the heat island effect, we cannot determine from the data how much of the warming in Phoenix is due to the city and it’s increase in size. Though carbon is the most significant of the greenhouse gases, there are others that are not taken into account by the data.Though carbon is the most significant of the greenhouse gases, there are others that are not taken into account by the data.

Testing Feasibility testing with 3 individual students Feasibility testing with 3 individual students and1 pair of students and1 pair of students Round 1: th and 12 th grade students in a Round 1: th and 12 th grade students in a California public high school California public high school Observation of and interviews with 4 pilot Observation of and interviews with 4 pilot students students Changes: less text, clearer directions Changes: less text, clearer directions Round 2: 4 more 11 th and 12 th grade classes in Round 2: 4 more 11 th and 12 th grade classes in a different California public high school (May, a different California public high school (May, 2007) 2007)

Student challenges Differentiating between the concepts of carbon emission and carbon accumulation Differentiating between the concepts of carbon emission and carbon accumulation Understanding how daily minimum and maximum monthly temperature readings carry different significances for understanding local climate trends Understanding how daily minimum and maximum monthly temperature readings carry different significances for understanding local climate trends Arguing conclusions based on scientific evidence Arguing conclusions based on scientific evidence Recognizing the importance of collecting counterfactual data when evaluating outcomes of interventions. Recognizing the importance of collecting counterfactual data when evaluating outcomes of interventions.

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