NZAMT+12

NZAMT Dunedin 2011 Pip Arnold Key note presentation: this will be uploaded after presentation in Auckland on 3 September.

Pip Arnold Workshops Using CensusAtSchool data in teaching and learning activities. In this workshop we will explore the five C@S databases and howthey can be used for teaching and learning. In particular we will look at the range of variables, the survey questions, using the random sampler, cleaning and using the data, and making data cards. This hands-on workshop will be in a computer lab. Come prepared to create your own activities for use with your students.

Posing investigative questions. In this workshop we will explore in more depth the material that Pip is working with in her PhD research. This will include activities already trialled with students and proposed activities for trialling this year. Posing investigative questions are fundamental to good statistical investigations. This workshop will be hands-on in Pip’s usual fashion.

CENSUSATSCHOOL WORKSHOP
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 * Timing || Activity || Resource ||
 * 10-15 mins || Using the CensusAtSchool databases

Familiarise with the different aspects of this page. Explore the data viewer [], the table maker, the random sampler and the databases. ||  ||
 * 10-15 mins || Selecting random samples from databases.

Start with 2009 random sampler: [] From here can select 2003, 2005 or 2007 depending on what variables you want to use. For example the number of skips in 30 secs (Yr5-8 oly) is only available in the 2003 survey. Years in New Zealand is only available in the 2005 survey.

Activity 1: Simple sample selection. Select a sample of 255 students (make sample size 255), mixed gender (select mixed), all regions, all levels, all questions. Click on get sample data/tikina. Select excel as the format, then save as "2009all". Open the excel spreadsheet and have a look at how it is set up.

Activity 2: Specific year level selection, with questions about you. Select a sample of 255 students (make sample size 255), mixed gender (select mixed), all regions, Year 10 (select year 10), questions about you (select questions about you). Click on get sample data/tikina. Select excel as the format, then save as "2009year10aboutyou". Open the excel spreadsheet and have a look at how this one is different to the previous one.

Activity 3: Specific region selection, with questions about school, single gender. Select a sample of 255 students, pick a single gender (male or female), select your region, all levels, questions about school (select questions about school). Save this one as "2009//regiongender//aboutschool". Update region and gender to match your selection. ||  ||
 * 30-40 mins || Making data cards from CensusAtSchool data.

Activity 1: Simple data cards - five variables Open the excel spreadsheet below. Refer to handout (making datacards) which is the same as the first worksheet in the excel spreadsheet. [|simplefive-sixvariabledatacards.xls] Open your 2009all excel spreadsheet and copy and move the worksheet to this simplefive-sixvariabledatacards workbook. Follow the instructions (making datacards handout) to make a set of data cards with gender, year level, height, armspan and popliteal length. Think about the order of the variables so that the responses are clear on the data cards. The order of the columns is important as that specifies where the values go on the data cards. Don't ask why they are in a bizarre order!

Make a second set of data cards with gender, travel mode, travel time, bag weight, bag carry. Make a third set of data cards using variables of your own choice.

Activity 2: 13 variable data cards [|KarekareCollegedatacards.xls] This excel spreadsheet is set up to make data cards with 12 variables, the 13th can be by using colour (I use gender to differentiate). The workbook currently has five worksheets. The first one is the original data, this can be made up of a number of samples selected using the random sampler. You may choose to have a separate worksheet for boys and for girls. The girls1, girls2, boys1 are the data cards ready to use. The cards1 is the data ordered before cutting and pasting (by transposing) into the data cards sheets.

If you do the same as I have then the first column (A) is gender. Columns B, E, H and K are all category data (words), the remaining columns are all numeric data (numbers). Generally the variables along each row (there are four in the data cards) link after a fashion. The rows on the data cards are: Row 1 - column B, C, D; Row 2 - column E, F, G; Row 3 - column H, I, J; Row 4 - column K, L, M.

Each worksheet can hold up to 240 datacards. I would recommend using girls1 and boys1, discard girls2 as it is not 240. Make copies of these worksheets to generate more data cards if you need.

Your challenge: create a set of datacards for a small secondary school. Maximum school roll is 480, with this being split equally between boys and girls. Hint: download random samples of about 100, mixed gender for each of the five secondary school levels. this will give you 500 students maximum to work with. You will probably clean a few out.

You might like to use the same variables as I have or choose your own. || Making datacards handout ||
 * POSING QUESTIONS WORKSHOP **

strips of coloured paper || Take the summary questions that you posed and the questions in the envelope and sort the questions into groups. own decision about what groups to sort them into discussion about the groups that they made, notes on student decisions NOTE:this activity is about the data in hand, not a sample from a population || [|posedInvQs.doc] || Link to C@S activity ||
 * Timing || Activity || Resource ||
 * 5-10 mins || Posing investigative questionsUsing the year 10 data cards get participants in pairs to pose three summary and three comparison questions onto strips of paper(different colours) about the data cards they have. || [|year10posing.pdf]
 * 10 mins || sorting questions – summary question focus
 * 10 mins || Picking up features of what made good questions and whatnot so good questions.trying to establish the different criteria of a good question || [|Lesson 2.doc]
 * 10-15 mins || Sorting questions - comparison question focusestablishing the different populations that are described in questions ||  ||
 * 10-15 mins || 10-15 mins || Question category Categorising the student posed questions ||  ||