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Additional material to help with recording results from enquires.
{{OER4S
|title=Collecting and interpreting information: Part two
|session=5.4
}}


if you are planning for you students to collect some experimental data you might like to watch the following sequence of videos that show a South African teacher preparing her students to draw a graph of some data.
{{OER4SchoolsWSInfo
|intention={{ OER4SchoolsWSInfo/intention intro}}
* making predictions during enquiries
* dealing with unexpected outcomes
* similarities between the scientific method and enquiry based learning
* collecting accurate and reliable data
* preparing for an enquiry-based learning session through a series of lessons and a ‘project day’ or ‘field trip’ for maths or science classes


video 1 - making sure everyone understands the table
|success criteria={{ OER4SchoolsWSInfo/criteria intro}}
* watch a video sequence as a stimulus for discussion on encouraging students to make predictions during enquiries
* watch a video sequence of students recording data and discuss the level of guidance provided by the teacher
* do an activity to correctly organise the steps in the scientific method


Pindi Graphs 3.4.mp4
 
|ict={{ OER4SchoolsWSInfo/ICT intro}}
* GeoGebra, perimeter and area.
Also, as in the previous session, you will continue to apply the ICT skills you have learnt so far for EBL, and to think about how they help you implement EBL in the classroom.
 
|resources=Resources needed for this session:
* Computer/laptop/netbook and the Internet.
}}
 
= {{name for review of follow up}} =
 
{{review of follow up}}
 
=More on making predictions=
 
Recall from the previous session that:
 
*  a ''hypothesis'' is an explanation of why something is happening (or will happen) and so is a good starting point for investigation/argument/further observations/tests
*  a ''prediction'' is a statement of what you think will happen before it does so 
 
and that it is possible to make a prediction based on a hypothesis or without a hypothesis.
 
We know that encouraging students to make predictions about the outcomes of their enquiries allows them to exercise higher order thinking skills as they must think about the many possibilities that might occur/exist. 
 
{{activity|wcd| on making predictions.|15 }}
 
* What other positive consequences could there be of students predicting the outcomes of their enquires?
* What are the potential drawbacks of encouraging students to make predictions?
 
Here are some video clips of students working on making predictions for the outcome of an enquiry that they will soon do.  Watch a few of them now (begin watching the first one from 1:34) and the rest in your own time after the session. Notice how motivated the students are and how they support and encourage each other. Think about the following questions and discuss them as a group if you have time:
 
* What do you think the teachers role is during this stage of the enquiry process? 
* How could you ensure that all students are actively involved in making predictions? 
* What strategies could you have in place to make sure that any misconceptions uncovered at this stage would be picked up and dealt with?
 
{{: Video/Aggie_Fitness_A06.m4v }}
{{: Video/Aggie_Fitness_A07.m4v }}
{{: Video/Aggie_Fitness_A08.m4v }}
{{: Video/Aggie_Fitness_A09.m4v }}
 
=The scientific method =
 
{{activity|stgw| on collecting and interpreting data.|10 }}  Having collected your data in the previous session you should now be ready to analyse or find solutions to respond to appropriately during the enquiry.
 
Students often enjoy collecting data but are more reluctant when it comes to analysing it;  they are not always sure where to begin.
 
Where should you begin and how will you proceed with this section of the enquiry?   
 
[[image: scientificMethod.png|400px]]
 
The following are the steps in the scientific method as usually followed in many scientific investigations and enquiries.  '''They are not in the right order'''. Working in small groups, arrange the steps in the right order by putting the numbers 1-8 next to them.
 
* Data is analysed.
* ''The investigation is done (using whatever equipment/materials you have chosen) and data is collected.''
* ''A hypothesis is formed - this is usually a best guess based on what’s already known.''
* Results are communicated.
* A question or a problem is posed.
* Conclusions are reached.
* ''Research is done to find out what is already known about the topic.''
* ''A very detailed step-by-step experimental procedure is designed to test the hypothesis – this is the scientific enquiry or  investigation and must take into account all variables affecting the experiment.''
 
{{ednote|text=
 
Here are the steps (in order) in the scientific method as usually followed in many scientific investigations and enquiries:
* A question or a problem is posed.
* ''Research is done to find out what is already known about the topic.''
* ''A hypothesis is formed - this is usually a best guess based on what’s already known.''
* ''A very detailed step-by-step experimental procedure is designed to test the hypothesis – this is the scientific enquiry or  investigation and must take into account all variables affecting the experiment.''
* ''The investigation is done (using whatever equipment/materials you have chose to use) and data is collected.''
* Data is analysed.
* Conclusions are reached.
* Results are communicated.
 
}}
 
You should observe that the steps are very similar to the EBL steps. The steps in italics should be a particularly helpful reminder to what enquiry activities you have carried out, in the context of a scientific investigation method.
 
{{Related resources|text=
 
This interactive audio visual resource from '''iSchool''' will help you present the scientific method to your students in an interesting and fun way.  It takes the students through an experiment on water vapour, highlighting the steps in the scientific method.  You may wish to design an enquiry based learning task around measuring evaporation - you might be surprised at some of the suggestions your students come up with on how to do it; maybe one of them will come up with the idea of using a plastic bag like in the video. 
 
Click on the link to go straight to the video:  http://ischool.zm/marketinglessons/Grade%206/1061006/index.html
 
[[Image: water_vapour.png|200px]]
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
}}
 
=Data handling - drawing graphs=
 
{{activity|wcd| on data handling videos.|15 }} The following sequence of videos shows a South African teacher preparing her students to draw a graph of some data and offers some insight into what can go wrong when students are working independently on data handling.
 
 
{{: Video/Pindi_Graphs3-10.mp4 }}
 
 
The teacher reminds the students of work they had done on this enquiry in a previous lesson.  She has planned for them to do quite a lot of graph drawing as part of this enquiry on exponentials.


*  Why does the teacher remind the students of what they had done previously?
*  Why does the teacher remind the students of what they had done previously?
*  What are the benefits to the students of the teacher drawing the table on the chalk board?
*  What are the benefits to the students of the teacher drawing the table on the chalk board?
*  Do you think it was a good idea to leave the table blank?  Why?
*  Do you think it was a good idea to leave the table blank? Why?
 
 
{{: Video/Pindi_Graphs3-12.mp4 }}
 
 
One of the things that teachers worry about when doing enquiry based activities in the classroom is the unpredictable nature of the work that students may produce. Watch the following video and discuss the ways that you might react when a student produces an interesting but unexpected graph.
 
 
{{: Video/Pindi_Graphs3-8a.mp4 }}
 
 
{{ednote|text=
Try to encourage participants to use the opportunity as a learning one for the whole class. This student has inadvertently discovered the beauty of a log graph, and that is to be celebrated! This is one of the benefits of EBL, there is plenty of room for creativity!
}}
 
 
{{activity|stgw| on recording meaningful results.|10}} Students will often need a lot of guidance if they are to record meaningful results. Have a look at the following student worksheet and discuss in your groups the level of guidance that a student may require when completing such a sheet.
 
Consider the following:
 
* How might the worksheet be improved?
* Is there any other information that you think should be on the sheet that currently is not?
* What background work would you aim to cover before expecting students to be able to complete the worksheet?
 
If you have time, draw up a new improved worksheet in your group and share it with members of other groups. 
 
[[image:pulseworksheet.png|500px]]
 
{{ednote|text=
Students were measuring their pulse before and after exercise. They recorded it after 15 seconds and multiplied this by four to give the number of beats per minute. It is clear from the worksheet that this particular student needs help with how to work out the average pulse rate. The information on how to do this could have been added to the worksheet. Similarly there is no formula on the sheet for working out the BMI. Encourage participants to think about these things when they are recording and analysing their data for the enquiry activities (A-E) and when they are presenting their findings.
 
}}
 
{{activity|stgw| on analysing data.|15}}
 
Before you carry on to analyse the data that you collected during the last session, discuss these questions with the other members of your group:
# What is your ‘best guess’ at this point in time? Why?
# How do you know that you can ‘trust’ the data that has been collected? Why?
# What is the best way to make sense of the data so that you are able to find some solutions to the enquiry?
# Thinking back to the videos in the previous session of the students measuring their height, how might inaccurate results affect their BMI calculation/hypothesis/conclusion?
 
Make a start on analysing your data in this session. Between this session and the next, continue to analyse your data and be ready to present your findings to your colleagues during the next session You should arrange a time to get together with the other members of your group or alternatively divide up the tasks relating to the analysis and presentation between you now. You will also have a short time to finalise your presentation at the beginning of the next session.
 
{{background|text=
 
Is your data reliable?
 
The analysis of the data involves responding to the questions above. These questions help you evaluate your guesses, and assess whether the data collected is '''valid '''(i.e. whether it can actually answer the enquiry questions) or '''reliable '''(i.e. whether the data comes from a rigorous and trustworthy method of data collection cf. the discrepancies in measuring height highlighted in the videos). If you do not think the data fulfils the qualities of validity and reliability, then you should immediately highlight the problem and try to find out why this could have happened. It may be that you need to rethink or repeat the data collection process. If you are satisfied with the data collected, you can then go ahead to make sense of the data so that you are able to present a solution, or different solutions, to the rest of the participants next week.
 
Remember, to '''ensure that the data collected is reliable'''. It may be necessary to repeat the experiment a number of times. Averages can then be calculated if further processing is needed - for example in the paper airplane enquiry. To ensure that the data is valid, make sure to consider all the possible variables and which ones to control.
}}
 
= ICT practice: Making use of ICT in enquiry-based learning =
{{:OER4Schools/ICT/include}}
 
= {{Name for connecting with overarching goals}} =
 
{{Activity for connecting with overarching goals}}
 
 
 
= Follow-up activities = 
{{activity|Agreeing follow up activities|5}}
 
{{ednote|text=
The next session is the final session of the unit and as such it will be slightly longer than usual to allow for all participants to present some enquiry findings to the rest of the group. They will be presenting material on the enquiry activities (A-E) that they have been working on over the past few sessions as well as on the extended project/field trip.
}}


The teacher reminds the students of work they had done on this enquiry in a previous lesson. She has planned for the students to do quite a lot of graph drawing as part of this enquiry on exponentials.
'''Part A''' Tidy up and make sense of the data for the group enquiry activities you have worked on in this session. Decide on what would be the best way to present your ideas (e.g. charts, OpenOffice presentation) and be ready to present them at the next session.  


'''Part B''' Carry out Stage 1 of your ‘project day’ or ‘field trip’. You could do this across a couple of lessons (or the longer sessions which we have arranged for in the timetable), or by setting half a day aside for this.


{{setting of follow up}}


{{activity summary}}


Add some videos of Pindi describing in detail how to draw up and fill in results table.  Include a student completed worksheet (measuring pulse rate) for critique.
{{OER4S_NextSession}}
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