We will unpack why and how to integrate data literacy skills into current instruction across grades 5-8 subject areas in strategic and consistent ways. The data literacy topics will focus on creating and making sense of data visualizations in age-appropriate ways. We will explore turnkey strategies to enhance students’ data skills within our existing curriculum. Through hands-on activities, reflection-based discussions, and planning time, we will expand the tools in our toolkits and build our confidence and enthusiasm for teaching data literacy, foundational to future data science learning.
I wear two "Data Literacy" hats, one, as a content and thinking partner with Dataspire Education & Evaluation LLCⓇ. The second hat is working as the Education Outreach Coordinator for the Northeast US Shelf LTER (NES-LTER) project for which I run a Data Jam. In these positions... Read More →
Dive into the engineering design process in this fun, hands-on activity about earthquakes! Identify building features that help withstand damage due to earthquakes and use them in your own model. This versatile learning experience can be quickly and easily implemented in lessons about geography, physics, engineering, economics, and more!
In this session, we will engage in a learner-centered approach to developing scientific principles through data. Participants will work together to build a model of a phenomenon that they observe through videos and experimental apparatus. We will conclude by looking at student data from their engagement in a similar activity. We will discuss how “pedagogical tools” can be used to facilitate knowledge construction in the classroom using science and engineering practices.
Data shapes modern life: from apps to news to decisions in health, business, and government, yet most students graduate without exposure to data science concepts. As Montana focuses on integrating data science skills into state standards, understanding what curriculum-agnostic data instruction looks like across all grade levels becomes essential. This session explores why data science is critical for all K-12 students, not just future data scientists, and demonstrates how it increases student engagement by connecting to real-world problems students care about. You'll see how data literacy develops from elementary through high school, discover what age-appropriate instruction looks like across grades and subjects, and explore ready-to-use activities that bring these concepts to life. Whether you teach math, science, social studies, or other subjects, you'll leave with grade-appropriate entry points and practical strategies for infusing data literacy into your classroom, preparing students to thrive as informed, critical thinkers in our data-driven world.
The College of Letters & Science at Montana State University is at the heart of innovation, discovery, and service. Imagine your students uncovering the biology of diseases, delving into the realm of astrophysics, digging up fossils as they explore geologic time, or advocating for ethics in science and technology. This session will highlight education and career opportunities in Science, Technology, and Mathematics through MSU's largest academic unit, the College of Letters & Science. Hear from a panel of experts, including College of Letters & Science academic department leaders and top faculty. Learn important information to help your students plan for their future.
We are going back to the Moon and onward to Mars. One of the first things to do is to set up a plant-growing station. This introduction will highlight successes and challenges with growing vegetables in the classroom. Students get to eat what they have grown and take home what they have learned (in a practical way).
