Data Uncertainty Within Digital Wildfire Learning (Poster 15)

• In Event: Saturday Poster Sessions 7:45 am
  In Poster Session: Contemporary Approaches to Science Education

Abstract

Supporting learners to understand Earth’s changing climate has contributed to a growing interest in geoscience education, including how to engage science learners in working with historical climate data through the use of data as representations. While data representations do not always lead directly to explanations, they can produce a cascading opportunity for critical thinking associated with uncertainty in science. In this study, we examine the interactions and discourse of 7th grade students and their teacher engaging with wildfire data representations. Findings indicate that learning with data representations requires practices of negotiating amid uncertainty between data and knowledge of scientific phenomena. In this study, students grappled with the uncertainty in identifying a consistent trend when data points fluctuate over time.

Authors

• Brandin Conrath, Virginia Commonwealth University

• Amy Voss Farris, Pennsylvania State University

• Scott McDonald, Pennsylvania State University