Data analysis has always been a way for me to reflect upon my teaching. Unit 8 is all about collecting and analyzing data. The following objectives have been set forth for this unit:
- Determine the correct type of data to collect as an educator
- Develop effective methods of collecting the data required
- Organize and configure information to accurately represent the results
- Determine what lessons are needed to help students keep their information secure
- Pick the right tool for the learning objective you are trying to reach
- Determine what process to use to discover various methods of data analysis
Measure Student Progress
Google tools can collect additional types of student data and not just the typical assignment grades. These additional types of student data include attendance, contact information, behavior reports, parent communication, and examples of student work. Gradebooks can be created using Google Sheets, classroom checks can be created in Google Forms, and grading presentations with rubrics can also be created in Google Forms. Google Sheets is flexible enough to import data from existing spreadsheets and I can tailor the sheets to meet my needs. Google Forms is also a quick and easy way to collect data about the student.
Three questions were posed and I had to identify at least one example of how I could apply the topic to my own lesson:
- How might you use Google Sheets or Forms for students to self report on their own progress?
I can have students measure their daily progress on a scale of 1-10. The form can ask them which topics they still need to review, and a bi-weekly form can ask them to discuss how they are doing after reviewing additional topics.
- How can you collect anonymous peer feedback on students’ projects?
During an AP Statistics project in which students had to present, students can give anonymous feedback about the problems that were chosen and whether they were helpful to the overall lesson.
- How could Google Sheets be used to make your record keeping more efficient?
Following the same Statistics project, I can use Sheets to keep track of who turned in the handouts, who emailed the presentations, and the final grades for each student.
Analyze Student Growth Data
Measuring student progress is only as good as the data collected and the appropriate analysis of that data. A variety of assessments can be used to examine student growth over time and can thus create an accurate evaluation of each student’s performance. Numerous tools are built into Google Sheets to allow teachers to organize, sort, and filter the data for an accurate reflection of student learning. Many formulas and functions are given that are beneficial to teachers on a daily practice. Many of the formulas and functions are similar to those in Excel, enabling a smooth transition.
Tell Your Student Growth Story
When all the data on student performance has been collected, the next step is to share and communicate this information with parents and other teachers. The easiest ways to visually represent the data is with graphs and charts. Being so interested in math and trends, one video stuck out to me the most about a teacher’s comment on graphs: “Looking for trends in student data is important to early intervention. I’ve added extra tabs to my Google Sheet that I use for my gradebook. These have bar charts of each student with a trend line. I’m hoping for a general upward trend, but sometimes that doesn’t happen. “
Data can be represented as a bar or a pie chart. A variety of bar charts are offered including a bar, column, and stacked bar. A stacked bar chart displays a large amount of information in a compact space. Pie charts provide a clear analysis of an entire class. Analysis of the numbers and charts will only take a teacher so far. It is the teacher's responsibility to speak with the class and ask them why they thought the wrong answers were correct and clarify any misconceptions. Here are some thought-provoking questions when trying to analyze data:- What are you trying to communicate?
- Which chart would be best to communicate that?
- Could you create more than one chart to communicate more information?
- After you’ve created your chart, what is the best way of sharing that with parents?
Summary
This unit was extremely applicable to the math content. Bar graphs and pie charts are a quick and easy way for me to check student progress and for me to see what my students are mastering and where remediation might be necessary. As long as I use the data for meaningful analysis, then the time spent creating the documents, sheets, and graphs is worth it.
No comments:
Post a Comment