Teaching Data Literacy

Welcome back readers! I hope you all enjoyed my last blog about YA literature in the classroom, and I can’t wait to talk with you all this week about something called data literacy. For anyone who is unfamiliar with this subject, data literacy is the ability to accurately interpret data and apply it appropriately. This skill is essential not just for professionals in the workplace, but for everyone- including our students.

Before doing some reading of my own this week on what data literacy is, I had just assumed it only applied to statisticians and scientists. However, I was surprised to find out that I use data literacy everyday in tasks as small as reading the weather forecast. And this is even more relevant now given our current situation so that we can all interpret the data on this pandemic without spreading misinformation. So with this being said, if this is a skill that is so ingrained in our daily lives (sometimes without us even knowing it), then how can we help hone this skill in our students?

The simplest solution I can think of is to expose them to charts, graphs, and data in our classrooms so that they can practice interpreting it. If we show our students the proper way to interpret data, then later on in life they will understand how to accurately read a chart or statistic when they come across one.

In the social studies classroom for example, we can incorporate data by using information from censuses, election results, immigration records, and more. Not only does this provide extra context to historical events, but it bring the investigation process to life when students get a chance to investigate on their own.

Another activity to do in any subject is incorporating current events. Showing students graphs, charts, or statistics from events happening in the present demonstrates the real-world value of data literacy. Further, this helps them be well informed about the world around them, so that they are not susceptible to false information.

Overall, data literacy is a necessary skill in this technological era, so to do our part we should incorporate practice into our lessons.

Until next time, readers! Stay safe and healthy!