Liz Schultheis amp Alexa Warwick Michigan State University BEACON Center for the Study of Evolution in Action Increase your broader impacts while improving science education Melissa Kjelvik ID: 596323
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Melissa Kjelvik, Liz Schultheis, & Alexa WarwickMichigan State UniversityBEACON Center for the Study of Evolution in Action
Increase your broader impacts while improving science education Slide2
Melissa KjelvikCo-founder of DNs and postdoc. Biologist studying animal behavior.Liz SchultheisCo-founder of DNs and postdoc. Biologist studying invasive plants.
Who we are
_
Alexa Warwick
Science education postdoc.
Biologist studying evolutionary
biology.Slide3
Participant Introductions
Name Year
in the graduate program
Research area (brief)
Career goal
Why you came to the workshopSlide4
Workshop Goals
Help you get started creating a Data Nugget based on your own research
Increase your outreach/broader impacts
Bring your research into K-16 classrooms
Improve communication of your research
Help expand our program to include research from other disciplines
We want to provide resources for teachers that reach outside of ecology, connect to other fieldsSlide5
Workshop Outline
IntroductionsLunch and jargon activityIntroduction to Data NuggetsCreating your own Data NuggetSlide6
Activity 1: Jargon kills!_ Slide7
Hattaway Communications, Cutting Through the JargonSlide8
Hattaway Communications, Cutting Through the JargonSlide9
Sit with a partner, exchange writing, and identify jargonShare with your partner – identify one sentence that needs improvement and work together to rewrite itShare your insights with the group – was there any part that was hard or easy?
Jargon kills!
Tips for effective communication
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Hattaway Communications, Jargon Kills! TipsheetSlide10
What are Data Nuggets?_ Slide11
Teachers concerned about performing inquiry in the classroomStudents need practice working with messy dataAs early career scientists we had lots of messy data that students could use!
How Data Nuggets got their start
_ Slide12
Free activities that bring real data into the classroom, along with all its messiness and complexityBased on authentic cutting edge researchGuide students through the entire process of science, including data analysis & interpretationTake 30-60 minutes and follow familiar template
http://datanuggets.orgSlide13
Increase quantitative literacyIntroduce students to the process of science Show scientists are approachableEngage students with the researcher themselves, discussing more than just research findingsBuild interest in scienceCurrent research may engage students more than classic textbook examplesCould increase students’ desire to pursue a career in science
Data Nugget goals
_ Slide14Slide15Slide16
Anatomy of a Data Nugget_ Slide17
Research background_ Question and Hypothesis
Background informationSlide18Slide19Slide20
These correspond with Flesch-Kincaid readability statistics and science content standards Content levels_ Slide21
Data and data visualization_ Slide22
Each activity is provided in each level (A-C)As a Data Nugget author you only create the teacher version and we create these student versions Graphing levels
_ Slide23
Interpret the data: Make a claim that answers each of the scientific questions. What evidence was used to write your claim? Reference specific parts of the tables or graphs. Explain your reasoning and how the data supports your claim. Connect your reasoning back to what you learned about the habitat preferences of each bird species and how habitats change through forest succession. Did the data support Sarah’s hypothesis? Use evidence to explain why or why not. If you feel the data were inconclusive, explain why.
Constructing explanations_ Slide24
Scientist next steps_ Slide25
Extra information for teachers_ Slide26
Making your own Data Nugget_ Slide27
Improve your communication skillsUncover the core message of your workImportant to be able to explain your research to a variety of audiences Why make a Data Nugget?_ Slide28Slide29
Improve your communication skillsUncover the core message of your workImportant to be able to explain your research to a variety of audiencesUse them in your undergraduate teaching and/or public outreachIncrease your broader impactsNeeded for NSF grant fundingShare your research findings broadly
Why make a Data Nugget?_ Slide30
20,411 unique users to the website in the past yearEach Data Nugget gets its own page on our websiteWe can provide you with Google Analytics information for your future grant proposals
Broader Impacts_ Slide31
How to make a Data Nugget_
Take a 10 minute break!Slide32
Activity 2: The Story_ Slide33
“Science consists of millions of stories of cause and effect.” – E.O. WilsonSlide34
Why stories?_
Stories are sticky – facts presented as stories (emotion) are much easier to rememberMetaphors and analogies draw the student in and help tie the story to previous knowledge and experienceSlide35
What makes a story stick?_ Positive content that brings out emotionStories that are surprising, interesting, and practically usefulFacts that stir up emotions are quickly stored
Jonah Berger, Katherine L. Milkman (
2012
) What Makes Online Content Viral? Journal of Marketing Research: April 2012, Vol. 49, No. 2, pp. 192-205.Slide36
What makes a story stick?_
Lessons to take away:Relevant to a student’s experienceIdentify one big theme from your researchConnect to the story of the researcher
Jonah Berger, Katherine L. Milkman (
2012
) What Makes Online Content Viral? Journal of Marketing Research: April 2012, Vol. 49, No. 2, pp. 192-205.Slide37
Identify your story_ Work with a partner or someone from your labIdentify the one message that you would want someone to take away from your researchSlide38
Identify your story and data_ What data is relevant to your message? What variables are important?How would you represent your data to communicate your message?In 1-2 sentences, write down your story and prepare to share out with larger group Slide39
A summary of your story (1-2 sentences)Mock up a small data tableTable can have unnecessary variables or data if you wish!Mock up a graph or visualization of the data that best illustrates your story.Email Liz at eschultheis@gmail.com
Send us the following information:
_ Slide40
Activity 3: Writing the background_ Slide41
Review stem cell Data Nugget_
What makes the background research easy to read?How did the researcher make his research appropriate for a K-12 audience?Slide42
Review stem cell Data Nugget_
Accessible writing:Includes a hook, catchy beginningShort, simple sentencesRelatable, real-life connections
Engaging story
Minimal use of jargon or complicated words Slide43
What was the hook?_
Hattaway Communications, Jargon Kills! TipsheetSlide44
Hattaway Communications, Cutting Through the JargonSlide45
Write simply & remove jargon_
Remember: jargon distracts the reader, and they are less likely to trust writing they have to work to understand.What are example sentences in the stem cell Data Nugget that have more or less jargon? What types of sentences are found before or after the introduction of terms?Can you find any instances of analogies or metaphors?Slide46
Write simply & remove jargon_
Flesch–Kincaid Score: represents readability of text in terms of U.S. grade levels. What factors make F-K scores higher?Long sentencesComplex sentence structuresLong or jargon words
Stringing long words togetherSlide47
Write simply & remove jargon_
Take a second to look at the F-K score on your original writing samples. You can check the F-K score as you write to monitor the level of your writing.Paste text into free online readability calculatorsMicrosoft Word will calculate for you, need to turn on this functionSlide48
Scientists are still overwhelmingly white and male (Pollack 2015).Ethnic minority students are more likely to see themselves as scientists if they are exposed to role models that they can identify with (Price 2010).Overcome scientist stereotypes.
Make scientists relatable!_ Slide49
Activity 3: Writing the background_ Begin writing your Data Nugget backgroundKeep in mind:Minimize jargon and write simply
Focus on the storyInclude a hookBe relatableSlide50
Activity 4: The Template_ Slide51
Filling out the template_
http://datanuggets.org/making-your-own-nugget/Finalize your Nugget by filling in all components of the template (text in red)You are making the teacher copy and we will make the student versions – feel free to include any additional information you think would be helpful and we can add this in as notes to the teacher!Email materials to Liz (eschultheis@gmail.com) or Melissa (kjelvikm@gmail.com
)Slide52
Evaluation Forms Anonymous feedback about the workshop overallNon-anonymous feedback about your progress:
Fill out the half-page formEmail us a photo of your Data Nugget so farEmail us a photo of your jargon activitySlide53
Thank you!_ Slide54
EXTRA SLIDESSlide55
Quantitative literacy: way of viewing the world through “mathematical eyes” and approaching every day problems with confidence and logical reasoning (Piatek-Jimenez et al. 2012, Vacher 2014) Critical need in STEM educationStudents are graduating unable to apply quantitative knowledge to situations (Wilkins 2010)Students with poor quantitative literacy more likely to drop out of school, experience unemployment, earn less (McMillan & Marks 2003, Marks et al. 2005, Rumberger & Lamb 2003)
Quantitative literacy_ Slide56
Research background:Become curiousAsk questionsDevelop hypothesisInterpret the data:Build knowledgeSatisfy curiosity
Interpret the data: Collect data to answer questionGraph and interpret data
Support or refute hypothesis
Your next step as a scientist
:
Discuss with colleagues
Come up with further questions
Your next step as a scientist
:
Become curious
Ask questions
Develop hypothesisSlide57
Jonah Berger, Katherine L. Milkman (2012) What Makes Online Content Viral? Journal of Marketing Research: April 2012, Vol. 49, No. 2, pp. 192-205.Slide58
What makes a good scientific question?_
Make it broadCan not be answered with a yes or noAre testable – it can be answered by direct observation or experimentationCan be answered with a hypothesis statementInteresting!Slide59
What makes a good hypothesis?_ How would you define a hypothesis?How textbooks define hypothesis: A proposed explanation for an observation. Wilbraham A.C. et al. (Pearson Prentice Hall 2008) Chemistry: the Molecular Nature of Matter and Change
A reasonable explanation for observations - one that can be tested with additional experiments.Serway and Faughn (Holt, Reinhalt, and Winston 2009)A tentative answer to a well-framed question - an explanation on trial. Campbell and Reece (2008) Biology, 8th Ed.: Slide60
Give us an idea of why a particular phenomenon occurs (explanatory power).Testable because they generate expectations about what we should observe in different situations. What makes a good hypothesis?
_ Which is best?Table salt will dissolve in water more quickly than rock salt.The surface area of a dissolvable substance determines the rate that it dissolves.Salt with more surface area will dissolve more quickly in water than salt with less surface area.Slide61
Critique & improve the following hypotheses:If the farmer burns the prairie, then the next year will produce taller plants in his field then the previous year.H: Prairie fires replenish soil nutrients.If marsh grass receives nitrogen fertilizer, then it will grow to be bigger than plants that do not receive fertilizer.H: Marsh grass growth is limited by available nitrogen.
What makes a good hypothesis?_ Slide62
“If _____, then _____” statements are a common way that hypotheses are taught incorrectly in classrooms.These are just simply a method followed by a prediction and gives no statement on what mechanism is being tested.Be sure to state your hypothesis clearly and not as a predictionPhrasing as a prediction shifts students’ mindsets away from investigating cause and toward simply confirming an observation.
What makes a good hypothesis?_