In this short paper from the DLTA project, presented at the conference of the International Society for the Learning Sciences, we describe insights about the potential for integrating the arts into data science education based on our first classroom implementation.
Matuk, C., DesPortes, K., Amato, A., Silander, M., Vacca, R., Vasudevan, V. & Woods, P.J. (2021). Challenges and opportunities in teaching and learning data literacy through art. In, Proceedings of the International Society for the Learning Sciences Conference, pp. 681-685. Online. [Academia.edu] [ResearchGate]
Abstract
Data literacy is challenging to achieve because schools tend to narrowly focus on statistical reasoning rather than on meaning- and inference-making. Without attention to the social contexts of data, learners can fail to develop a critical stance toward data, to understand the nature of data and how data are produced, the questions that it can answer, and the ways that data can be used to inform and misinform. We explore art as an accessible and personally relevant approach to developing middle school students’ data literacy. We designed and implemented a 2-week long arts-integrated unit in a grade 7 classroom. Interviews with two teachers and two students following the unit, and analysis of students’ artworks and pre/post survey responses, reveal opportunities and challenges at the intersection of data science and art. We discuss pedagogical considerations to inform other interdisciplinary approaches to data literacy.