Challenges to Cross-Disciplinary Curricula: Data Literacy and Divergent

Disciplinary Perspectives

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Thinking with Data (TWD) Primary Goal

Develop middle school students’ deep understanding of data literacy across the curriculum.

“We use data every day—to 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 skill—and we are not preparing students to make these critical and subtle distinctions.”

-- Andee Rubin

TWD and Data Literacy

• Context:• Water situation in the Tigris/Euphrates & 8 US watersheds• U.N. convention states that international water courses

should be used in “an equitable and reasonable manner”

• Anchor in fairness• Of comparisons, e.g. water distribution• Of measures, e.g. per capita distribution• Of arguments, e.g. accurate, relevant, complete

• Core domain content (using real-world data)• SS: water sharing among Turkey, Syria & Iraq• Math: proportional reasoning• Science: impact of technology on water availability and

quality• ELA: persuasive arguments

• Grounded in a preparation for future learning (PFL) pedagogical approach

TWD Modules & Materials

• Four 2-week, integrated replacement modules

• For implementation in 7th grade social studies, mathematics, science, and English Language arts classes

• Modules were implemented sequentially, with no other requirements for coordination

• The modules address issues of data representation, proportional reasoning, and argumentation using real data in discipline-specific problem-solving contexts

• Assessments included:•An overall data literacy assessment (TWD and comparison)•Math and Science assessments (TWD only)•ELA final projects (TWD only)

Argumentation

• in social studies, all argumentation is context dependant

• in mathematics, argumentation is proof of absolute truth

• in science, argumentation is a search for the most parsimonious explanation

• in ELA, argumentation is more about form than content, uncovering a horizon of possibilities

Social Studies: Argumentation is Contextual

Turkey’s 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 Turkey’s rivers any more than Ankara could claim their oil … The water resources are Turkey’s, the oil resources are theirs. We don’t say we share their oil resources, and they can’t say they share our water resources.”

Syria’s 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.

Social Studies: Argumentation is Contextual

Iraq’s 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.”

Social Studies: Argumentation is Contextual

Mathematics: Argumentation is search for absolute

“truth”

A

C

B

Which is least salty?

Science: Argumentation is Support for

Explanations

To dam or not to dam?

Science/ELA: Web Research Using News Accounts

English Language Arts: Argumentation is Formal in Nature

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Argument

What did students learn?

• TWD students had very significant gains (ES = 1.24) on a data literacy assessment when compared with other 7th graders in their schools (between subjects)

• TWD students had significant gains in core math and science content assessments (within subjects)

• Students culminating ELA projects demonstrated high performance with regard to written, oral & visual communication of data-driven arguments (within subjects)

“This is really the best set of essays I’ve ever gotten and this is probably one of the lowest groups of students I’ve ever had” – ELA teacher

“When you first started, you didn’t really understand it. But after switching social studies, math, science, language arts -- you do things different ways. Every

class has some different way to understand.” -- 7th grade student

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kswan4@kent.edu

philip.vahey@sri.com

mvanthoo@kent.edu