Exploring, Analysing and Modelling Data

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Outdoor Mathematics

• Exploring, Analysing and Modelling Data

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INVESTIGATION - Introduction

• Teacher to help students plan and apply outdoor
  math investigations across multiple Learning
  Areas
• Specifically relate them to Standard 4 (end of
  Year 8) and Standard 5 (end of Year 10)
• Address Essential Learning's FUTURE, IDENTITY,
  INTERDEPENDENCE, THINKING, COMMUNICATION (F, I,
  In, T, C)
• Utilise Key Competencies (KC1-7)

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INVESTIGATION - Preparation

• Teacher Preparation
• Select suitable themes/subjects
• Consider appropriate focus questions
• Organise resources
• Finalise Lesson Plan!!!

• Examples
• Trees, cars, buildings, geometric shapes, people,
  structures etc
• What percentage of students use this corridor
  from 9 - 930am?
• Reserve computers, graphics calculators,
  apparatus etc

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INVESTIGATION Lesson Plan

• PART 1
• Aims - To select a topic and formulate associated
  questions that can be answered through the
  collection, analysis and modelling of data
• Method In pairs or small groups, students
  brainstorm ideas about the topic. Allow time to
  consider about 3 or 4 questions that are of
  interest or that might be of use in everyday
  life.

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• PART 2
• Aims To plan a procedure for the recording of
  appropriate data
• Method Ask students to consider how they will
  order their input eg. tables, tallies, graphics
  calculators, surveys, and design their method
  suitable to outdoor work.

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• PART 3
• Aims To record the data outside within a set
  time-frame and area
• Method Outline rules and expectations regarding
  behaviour, time-limits, group participation and
  boundaries before leaving the classroom. Outside,
  move between groups providing assistance,
  guidance and supervision.

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• PART 4
• Aims To plan methods for the display of data
• Method Return to classroom and discuss
  different graphing techniques and diagrammatic
  representation and how to choose the most
  appropriate method.

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• PART 5
• Aims To display the data
• Method In a computer lab or as homework, use a
  spreadsheet program to input and display data in
  at least 3 different forms. Further advanced
  students may use other graphics programs to
  represent more detailed associations.

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• PART 6
• Aims To analyse the data and answer the focus
  questions
• Method Discuss errors and inconsistencies and
  how they affect results and the limitations of
  data interpretation. Students answer their focus
  questions and any other important questions
  raised.

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• PART 7
• Aims To produce a short individual report on
  the investigation for the assessment of
  understanding and participation
• Method Give basic guidelines on what to include
  in the report including format, material
  presentation, possible oral component and due
  date.

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INVESTIGATION - Example

• PART 1
• Topic Vehicles in the car park
• Focus Questions How many vehicles in total?
  What makes and colours? How many parking
  spaces? What kind of number plates?
• PART 2
• Collection methods Use two tally counts for No.
  vehicles and No. parking spaces. Use tables to
  record makes, colours and number plate varieties.

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• PART 3
• All field data recorded, 100 successful, no
  problems!!!!!
• PART 4 5
• Displaying data Use bar/column graphs to
  compare vehicle numbers vs. parking spaces and
  pie charts to show quantities.

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Data Representation
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• PART 6
• Analysing data There were 62 vehicles in the
  car park at 1130am. There are 71 available
  spaces, so 87 of the car park was being used. Is
  this a max or min percentage? What are the
  possible variables (eg. vehicles moving during
  survey etc). The most common of the car makes
  were sedans (43), and the most popular colour
  was white. There were a total of seven
  personalised number plates and 11 of the
  vehicles were from interstate etc.
• Errors may have occurred in collecting and
  processing, including counting errors, whether
  students perceived colours the same as others in
  the group, recognising makes of vehicle, human
  vs. mechanical error and so on . . . . . .

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• PART 7
• The Report Can be presented on disk, paper or
  on-line, with a detailed analysis of graphs
  showing relationships between various components.
  Also includes original copy of data collection
  and a short discussion with the teacher
  explaining what they did and what their results
  showed.

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SACSA Standards

• 4.1 Poses questions, appropriately designs a
  survey, collects data classifies sequence,
  collapses, tabulates represents the data with
  without ICTs
• 4.2 Reads describes information in given
  tables, line bar graphs. Understands the
  limitations of data interpretations possible
  social consequences
• 4.3 Interprets data makes numerical statements
  about probability, uses data to validate theories
• 4.6 Represents analyses relationships amongst
  integers rational numbers

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Standards continued

• 5.1 Plans experiments surveys checks data for
  inconsistencies
• 5.2 Displays summaries data while interpreting
  critiquing collected published data, making
  comparisons, inferences predictions
• 5.3 Calculates probabilities in a variety of
  situations involving chance
• 5.6 Uses numbers, relationships among numbers
  number systems and represents discusses these
  understandings with others

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ANY QUESTIONS?