14: Using Data

As we read about data misuse in one of this week's readings (Distrust Your Data), I thought about the fact that I often ask my students to collect and use data without enough explanation about how to use it properly.

I do tell the students how to calculate what makes a survey scientific.  We talk about sample size and using a representative sample.  But we don't talk about writing questions for polls/surveys or interpreting the results.

If the students start with a fundamentally flawed question (as some of the referenced pieces in the Distrust Your Data article did), their answers won't tell us anything--they won't be answers at all.

I will be the first to admit that my yearbook's poll/survey questions are rarely probing or in-depth. This is my second year as adviser, and I am trying to establish relationships with my administrators. However, it's still important for students to understand several things:

• How data can be used to draw attention to trends and issues
• How to ask the right questions
• How to get the right answers
• How to present the answers in a way that makes sense

I think the article we read was entertaining as well as informative.  I could easily use it in the classroom to teach kids how to avoid some of the common pitfalls of using data.