Thinking with Data: the Context

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Thinking with Data A Cross-Contextual Approach
to Data Literacy
www.rcet.org/twd/index.html
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TWD Modules Materials

• Four 2-week, integrated replacement modules
• For implementation in 7th grade social studies,
  mathematics, science, and English Language arts
  classes
• Designed to develop students deep understanding
  of data literacy across the curriculum.
• The modules will address issues of data
  representation, common measure, and proportional
  reasoning using real data in discipline-specific
  problem-solving contexts
• Grounded in a preparation for future learning
  (PFL) pedagogical approach
• An overall data literacy assessment, and local
  assessments

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Why Data Literacy?
We use data every dayto choose medications or
health practices, to decide on a place to live,
or to make judgments about education policy and
practice. The newspapers and TV news are full of
data about nutrition, side effects of popular
drugs, and polls for current elections. Surely
there is valuable information here, but how do
you judge the reliability of what you read, see,
or hear? This is no trivial skilland we are not
preparing students to make these critical and
subtle distinctions. -- Andee Rubin
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Data Literacy Standards
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Preparation for Future LearningTWD Across the
Middle School Curriculum
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The Context World Water Issues
"The Earth, with its diverse and abundant life
forms, including over six billion humans, is
facing a serious water crisis. All the signs
suggest that it is getting worse and will
continue to do so, unless corrective action is
taken. The crisis is one of governance,
essentially caused by the ways in which humans
have mismanaged water. --World Water
Development Report (United Nations, 2000)
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Social Studies Fair Allocation of Water
in the Tigris/Euphrates River Basin

• Cradle of civilization
• Water shared by critically important to 3
  countries not enough water to meet needs
• Ongoing modern conflict around differing notions
  of water rights sovereignty over resources
  vs. historical rights

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Social Studies Considering Differing Position
Statements

• Turkeys position
• Turkey is basing its claims on the sovereignty
  principle. It is saying that the rivers are
  transboundary, meaning that it has control over
  the rivers while they are in Turkey, just like
  other natural resources such as oil or coal.
• Suleyman Demirel (President of Turkey) at the
  1992 dedication of the Ataturk Dam Neither
  Syria nor Iraq can lay claim to Turkeys rivers
  any more than Ankara could claim their oil The
  water resources are Turkeys, the oil resources
  are theirs. We dont say we share their oil
  resources, and they cant say they share our
  water resources.

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Social Studies Considering Differing Position
Statements

• Syrias position
• Syria argues they've always used the water from
  the Euphrates and their right to use it should be
  no different today or in the future. They say it
  is an international river, and Turkey should not
  be able to decide on its own how much water from
  the Euphrates flows into Syria and Iraq. This is
  called the historical principle.
• Syria wants to share the water in the Tigris and
  Euphrates through a mathematical formula with
  each State shall declaring its demands on the
  rivers separately.

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Social Studies Considering Differing Position
Statements

• Iraqs position
• Iraq also argues the historical principle, that
  they have been using the water from the Tigris
  and Euphrates for thousands of years, that they
  are international rivers, and Turkey should not
  be able to decide on its own how much water from
  the Tigris and Euphrates it will let flow into
  Syria and Iraq.
• Iraq wants to share the water using a different
  mathematical formula. Each country will notify a
  three-country committee of its water demand for
  each project that is completed, under
  construction, or planned. The committee will then
  calculate the demands for water and decide. In
  addition, Iraq wants Turkey to release more water
  in the Euphrates river, to be more equitable and
  fair.

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SS UN Convention on the Law of the
Non-Navigational Uses of International
Watercourses

• GENERAL PRINCIPLES (Article 5)
• Watercourse States shall in their respective
  territories utilize an international watercourse
  in an equitable and reasonable manner. In
  particular, an international watercourse shall be
  used and developed by watercourse States with a
  view to attaining optimal and sustainable
  utilization thereof and benefits therefrom,
  taking into account the interests of the
  watercourse States concerned, consistent with
  adequate protection of the watercourse.
• 2. Watercourse States shall participate in the
  use, development and protection of an
  international watercourse in an equitable and
  reasonable manner. Such participation includes
  both the right to utilize the watercourse and the
  duty to cooperate in the protection and
  development thereof, as provided in the present
  Convention.

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Social Studies Module Overview
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Mathematics Common Measure, Proportional
Reasoning Mathematical Arguments
Who has more?
A
B
C
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Mathematics Common Measure, Proportional
Reasoning Mathematical Arguments
Do states that are more rural grow the most corn?
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Mathematics Module Overview
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Science The Water CycleImplications
Unintended Consequences
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Science The Water CycleImplications
Unintended Consequences
To dam or not to dam?
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Science The Water CycleImplications
Unintended Consequences
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Science Module Overview
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English Language Arts Persuasive Argument
data
data
data
data
Argument
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English Language Arts Overview
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Timeline
initial materials development initial assessment
development
refinement of materials pilot testing in ATT
classroom
further refinement of TWD materials
data analysis final revisions dissemination
1/07
9/07
6/07
1/08
6/08
9/08
1/09
6/09
9/09
Advisory Board input teacher training input
creation of TPD materials Advisory Board input
field testing in 2 Ohio middle schools