Re-Numerate restoring essential numerical skills and thinking via - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Re-Numerate restoring essential numerical skills and thinking via astronomy education Can it be done? Kate Brutlag Follette Dr. Don McCarthy Dr. Erin Dokter October 13, 2012

Innumeracy/Quantitative Illiteracy ² Motivation ² Study Basics ² Preliminary Results ² Implications and Future Plans Kate Follette University of Arizona NNN 2012 October 13, 2012

Voters, Consumers, Citizens NASA’s 2011 Budget: $18.724 billion US 2011 Budget: $3.630 trillion 39% 29% 13% 11% 8% Who ¡Wants ¡to ¡be ¡a ¡Billionaire? ¡ Where ¡is ¡one ¡billion ¡on ¡this ¡scale? ¡ 1 2 3 4 5 1 trillion E D C B A

“I have here in my hand a list of 205, a list of names that were made known to the Secretary of State as being members of the Communist party and who nevertheless are still working and shaping policy in the State e Department” c Joseph McCarthy February 9, 1950 ² Motivation n ² Study Basics e ² Preliminary Results i ² Implications c and Future s Plans o d u e s P Kate Follette University of Arizona NNN 2012 October 13, 2012

“I have always heard a lot about science and math being related, but I have never actually used them together. I have finished an entire year of algebra, but / there has never been any science in it. e The same holds true in my science class. c Frankly, I have never seen any connection n between the two of them.” e ² Motivation i ² Study Basics c ² Based on AIP survey: “introductory astronomy ² Preliminary S Results ? enrollments have remained in the 180,000-190,000 ² Implications y o and Future range since 2004” (Nicholson and Mulvey, 2010) m Plans r ² + community colleges, where “an estimated t n o 100,000 students take Astronomy 101 in I n departments not covered by the AIP y o survey” (Fraknoi 2001). h r t ² Bureau of Labor Statistics: 2.2 million people were W s A enrolled in college in the US in Fall, 2010. Kate Follette ² >10% of college students eventually pass through University of Arizona the door of an “Astronomy 101” course in college. NNN 2012 October 13, 2012

Can you do Division? Divide a loaf by a knife - what's the answer to that ? Through the Looking Glass Numerical Skills Part 1: Skill Set ² Percentages and Fractions ² Multiplication and Division ² Simple Unit Conversions ² Motivation ² Study Basics ² ² Preliminary Powers and Area Results ² Implications ² Estimation and Future Plans ² Error ² Graph Reading and Interpretation Kate Follette University of Arizona NNN 2012 October 13, 2012

You get a letter from your cable company saying that they will be raising your monthly rate by $5. Assuming that the rate does not change again, how much s additional money will you be paying to n the cable company over the course of the o next three years? i (a) $60 t ² Motivation s (b) $100 ² Study Basics e ² Preliminary (c) $130 Results u (d) $180 ² Implications Q and Future Plans e l p How confident are you in the answer you m just selected? (a) very confident a (b)Confident S (c) not very confident Kate Follette (d) I guessed University of Arizona NNN 2012 October 13, 2012

s n o You begin by measuring out the peanut i butter in a 2 cup glass measuring cup like t ² Motivation that shown above. You fill it to the ¾ cup s ² Study Basics e line. If you are to add the shortening to the ² Preliminary Results u same measuring cup on top of the peanut ² Implications Q butter, which line should you fill it to? and Future Plans (a) the 1 cup line e (b) the 1 ¼ cup line l (c) the 1 1/3 cup line p (d) none of the above m a S Kate Follette University of Arizona NNN 2012 October 13, 2012

Part 2: Attitude ² Motivation ² Study Basics ² Preliminary Results ² Implications and Future Plans Kate Follette University of Arizona NNN 2012 October 13, 2012

Confidence in Correct Answers 60% 50% y 40% 30% e 20% v 10% 0% r Very Confident Not Very Guessed u Confident Confident ² Motivation ² Study Basics S ² Preliminary Results y Confidence in Incorrect ² Implications Answers r and Future a Plans 60% 50% n 40% i 30% m 20% 10% i 0% l Very Confident Not Very Guessed e Confident Confident r P Kate Follette Actual Score ~10% lower University of than Predicted Score Arizona NNN 2012 October 13, 2012

1 1 0 2 ² Motivation ² , ² Study Basics 2 classes l ² Preliminary l Results a ² ² Implications 1 large (188 students) F and Future Plans ² 1 small (26 students) Kate Follette University of Arizona NNN 2012 October 13, 2012

a ² Completed both i r ² e 18+ years t ² Motivation i ² ² Study Basics r Spent ≥ 10min on both ² Preliminary C Results ² Implications and Future n Plans ² o Leaves ~55%: i s ² 102 in class 1 u l ² c 14 in class 2 n I Kate Follette University of Arizona NNN 2012 October 13, 2012

Normalized Gain Scores s t l u s Class 1 e ² Motivation R Class 2 ² Study Basics ² Preliminary Results y ² Implications r and Future Plans a n i m >-1 -0.9 -0.8 -0.7 -0.6 -0.5 -0.4 -0.3 -0.2 -0.1 0 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.6 0.7 0.8 0.9 >1 i l e r Class 1 : 64% pre, 64% post Kate Follette P Class 2: 68% pre, 73% post University of Arizona NNN 2012 October 13, 2012

Class 2 Pre 21% 21% interesting 4% useful 12% useless 42% boring Math is… hard Class 2 Post ² Motivation ² Study Basics 4% ² Preliminary 13% 29% Results 8% ² Implications and Future Plans 46% Class 1 Pre Class 1 Post 15% 17% 16% 23% 11% 11% Kate Follette 48% 56% 1% University of 2% Arizona NNN 2012 October 13, 2012

• 6 classes • 4 small (25-35) • 1 large (100) Spring, 2012 • 1 very large (800+) ² Motivation ² Study Basics • 1000+ students ² Preliminary Results • Large research university + ² Implications and Future community college Plans Kate Follette University of Arizona NNN 2012 October 13, 2012

s i s y l a ² n NSF TUES ² Motivation ² Study Basics A ² Preliminary ² Survey development Results ² Implications a and Future ² t Curriculum development Plans a D ² Instructor training : 1 p e Kate Follette t University of S Arizona NNN 2012 October 13, 2012

² Skills Survey n ² Area and Volume o ² Calculus (Integrals, Derivatives, Differential Eqns) i t ² Dimensional Analysis* and Unit Conversions a ² Elementary Algebra d ² Error, Precision, Accuracy i ² Estimation l a ² Exponents and Logarithms V ² Geometry and Trigonometry ² Motivation ² Study Basics ² Interpret Graphs (read, extrapolate, etc.) ² Preliminary s ² Linear and Exponential Growth Results l ² Implications l ² Measurement and Units and Future i k ² Percent and Percent Change Plans ² Plotting/Making Graphs S ² Probability, Odds, Risk : ² Proportionality/Scaling and Relative Size/Scale 2 ² Ratios, Fractions, Decimals p ² Scientific Notation e ² Significant Figures t ² Simple Operations (+/-/ × /÷) Kate Follette S ² Statistics (mean, median, mode, standard deviation) University of Arizona ² Systems of Equations NNN 2012 October 13, 2012

m u l u ² Motivation c ² Study Basics ² Preliminary i Results r ² Implications r and Future u Plans C : 3 p e t Kate Follette S University of Arizona NNN 2012 October 13, 2012

m u l u ² Motivation c ² Study Basics ² Preliminary i Results r ² Implications r and Future u Plans C : 3 p e t Kate Follette S University of Arizona NNN 2012 October 13, 2012

² Based on the following information, Example: “Empty or crowded?” which environment do you think is Think-Pair-Share question more crowded, the Solar System or the space between galaxies? ² How many Earths would fit between ² Motivation ² Study Basics the Sun and Earth? ² Preliminary ² The distance between the Sun and Earth Results ² Implications is 1.5 x 10 8 km. The diameter of the and Future Earth is 1.3 x 10 4 km. Plans ² How many galaxies would fit between the Milky Way and Andromeda? ² The distance between the Milky Way and Andromeda is about two million light-years. The diameter of the Milky Way is about 100,000 light-years. Kate Follette University of Arizona NNN 2012 October 13, 2012

² How many Suns would fit between the Sun and the Followup question and next nearest star? concept ² The light travel time across the Sun is ~4 seconds. ² The distance to alpha Centauri ² Motivation ² Study Basics is ~4 light-years. ² Preliminary Results ² Implications and Future ² The Milky Way and Plans Andromeda galaxies will collide in a few billion years. Do you expect their stars to collide? Kate Follette University of Arizona NNN 2012 October 13, 2012