About Datasets for Teachers

Datasets for Teachers is a free, self-paced course for educators that consists of five modules. Through these modules, educators will learn to incorporate datasets from authentic Montana research projects into their own classroom.

The Datasets for Teachers course is sponsored by Montana NSF EPSCoR and was originally taught by Montana Partnership with Regions for Excellence in STEM (MPRES) educators Chris Pavlovich and Bill Stockton through the Montana Office of Public Instruction's (OPI)  Teacher Learning Hub. 

Getting Started

Datasets for Techers takes educators through research-based approaches to complete an applicable product, a unit or lesson, for their classroom. Each topic is composed of a building background knowledge portion and an inquiry portion. These steps are designed to mimic best practices in the classroom of inquiry and explicit instruction. By progressing through the modules below, educators will deepen their understanding of Montana research and better refine their end product. Simply click each module title below to access content. 

Welcome! This is a job-embedded, self-paced course that will lead you through the process of building a data lesson/unit for your classroom. Follow the steps below to familiarize yourself with this base of this research and begin your inquiry into local datasets.

1. Explore Understanding by Design to understand the process of designing a lesson from the desired outcome, or goal.

2. Watch Building Goal-Based Units According to Research to hear an explanation of course concepts and research-based approaches. This presentation is the basis of the course. (Presentation by Bill Stockton, 2022 Montana Teacher of the Year, and Chris Pavlovich, 2022 Presidential Innovation Award for Environmental Educators)

3. Explore Asking Questions according to NGSS to focus on student performance verbs on this Science and Engineering practice in your grade level. In the next step, you will practice asking questions as a student of data. Utilize this tool to think about how you want your students to approach this practice.

4. Inquire! Explore each dataset located on the Datasets page. Write at least two observations and one question for each dataset. This step is important. Through careful observation and questioning, you are participating in science and engineering practices as a student of data. In addition, you are building familiarity with the datasets as a teacher.

5. Reflect! When reflecting, you are encouraged to put your thoughts into words by either writing/typing them out or verbalizing them. This ensures you get as much out of the process as possible.

  • Explain three (3) possible classroom connections to local datasets.
  • Choose two (2) local datasets you want to explore more deeply. Why? Why are others not as compelling?
  • Brainstorm at least one (1) strategy or prompt that will help students ask questions about data at your grade level.

In this module, you will dive into the NGSS science and engineering practice of Analyzing and Interpreting Data; this is followed by an exploration of how place-based data sets can be utilized by students. This topic is designed to frame a picture of what data analysis for students at your grade level could look like according to NGSS. 

1. Explore Analyzing and Interpreting Data Practice to focus on student performance verbs on this Science and Engineering practice in your grade level. Identify verbs within the skill to connect this practice to your student's developmental level. List out key verbs for your grade level. Look to other grade levels for scaffolding opportunities.

2. Explore NGSS for your grade level.

3. Explore the full datasets.

4. Connect one grade level standard or a bundle of grade level standards to your chosen dataset. This is the basis of your lesson/unit.

5. Reflect! When reflecting, you are encouraged to put your thoughts into words by either writing/typing them out or verbalizing them. This ensures you get as much out of the process as possible.

  • Explain the connection from your chosen NGSS to your chosen local dataset in at least three (3) sentences.
  • Ask two (2) questions about student engagement and/or lesson structure.
  • Brainstorm at least one (1) strategy or prompt that will help students analyze and interpret data at your grade level.

In this module, you will get to the meat of your unit/lesson by developing an essential question. The essential question will engage students in the goal of the unit and incorporate a Next Generation Science Standard and crosscutting concept. 

1. Download the Planning Template  and then add it to your own Google Drive. (To add it to your own Google Drive, be sure you are signed in to Google, click share, and send it to your account.) This document will be your lesson/unit template. Remember, this document and its research-based format is discussed in the Module 1 presentation.

2. Find the Evidence Statement that corresponds to your chosen standard. What will you be able to observe in students who have mastered this standard? This is the basis for your unit/lesson goal.

3. An essential question communicates the essence of your lesson/unit. Review the links below to build background knowledge in this concept:

4. Develop an essential question to launch your unit/lesson. Incorporate a crosscutting concept in your essential question. Insert your essential question into your Google Doc. 

5. Reflect! When reflecting, you are encouraged to put your thoughts into words by either writing/typing them out or verbalizing them. This ensures you get as much out of the process as possible.

  • Explain why you chose your essential question in at least three (3) sentences.
  • List three (2) possible skills your students will need to be able to do to answer your essential question.
  • Ask one (1) question about a roadblock you foresee in implementing or planning your unit/lesson.

Throughout this module, you will dive deeper into unit/lesson structure and function according to research. Based on best practices, this module is designed to help you develop a more detailed picture of what a unit/lesson could look like. 

1. Build your background knowledge about structuring project-based units by exploring the three articles linked below. Please choose one of them with the idea of walking away from it with 3 takeaways. You can utilize text structure or close read to reach your goal.  Read the article(s) that are most useful to you!

2. Apply your understanding of research-based, place-based, project-based units. Review an example unit here.

3. Explore teacher-created lessons from this course:

4. Reflect! When reflecting, you are encouraged to put your thoughts into words by either writing/typing them out or verbalizing them. This ensures you get as much out of the process as possible.

  • Review three (3) takeaways from the research resources.
  • List two (2) qualities from teacher examples you want to replicate. Why are they exemplary?
  • Think of one (1) refinement you would make to the Human Impact Unit in Step #2. Why?

During this topic, you will build your unit/lesson according to research. For each step, enter the lesson/unit section into your template.

1. Start with the landing, the product produced by students. Think:

  • Does the landing directly connect to the essential question?
  • Does the landing include student performance verbs from the NGSS evidence statement?
  • How will I assess the final product?

2. Identify milestones (smaller pieces needed to reach the unit goal). Think:

  • Does this milestone help students reach the goal?
  • Does this milestone include student performance verbs?
  • Does this milestone produce a smaller part of the unit goal for feedback/reflection of process

3. Enter explicit instruction for each milestone. Think:

  • What background knowledge will students need?
  • Should I deliver this background knowledge or engage them another way?
  • What skills do students need explicit instruction for this milestone?
  • What explicit instruction do students need for understanding pacing of this milestone?

4. Vary feedback structures/reflections for each milestone. Think:

  • Does this feedback loop help students refine their product?
  • How can I structure this feedback loop for efficiency in time?
  • How can I structure this feedback loop to maximize product refinement?
  • Will I assess process refinement?
  • Will I assess peer feedback?

Examples:

  • Peer review
  • Small group discussions about processes and product
  • Class discussions about processes and product
  • Teacher/student conference
  • Formal rubric assessments
  • Podcast-style reflections
  • Notebook reflections
  • 3, 2,1 exit tickets

5. End with the unit launch. Think:

  • How can I engage students in the unit through the essential question?
  • How can I engage students in the dataset?
  • How can I emphasize that this dataset is place-based?

Congratulations! You have landed! 

 

After you have completed this course, please share your feedback and we will send you a free STEM kit for your class! If you'd like your survey responses to be anonymous, please email [email protected] to let us know you have completed it; otherwise, you can include your name, email and shipping address on the survey. Thank you!

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