Constructing Data, Modeling Worlds:
Collaborative Investigation of Statistical Reasoning (CDMW)

Collaborating Institutions: Learning Sciences Institute, Vanderbilt University; Berkeley Evaluation & Research (BEAR) Center, UC Berkeley; Statistics Education Research Group (SERG), University of Massachusetts-Amherst

Funded by: National Science Foundation

Vanderbilt University Participants: Rich Lehrer (co-PI), Leona Schauble (co-PI), Min-joung Kim, Wenyan Zhou, Charles Munter, Marta Kobiela and Paul Weinberg

BEAR Participants: Mark Wilson (co-PI), Tzur Karelitz (BEAR co-Director), Kavita Seeratan (BEAR co-Director), Kristen Burmester, Mary Full, Bob Schwartz and Jooyong Park

University of Massachusetts-Amherst Participant: Cliff Konold

The Constructing Data, Modeling Worlds (CDMW) project is a multi-year interdisciplinary research collaboration that aims to investigate the development of students’ skills and knowledge related to data modeling and statistical reasoning in elementary and middle schools. Data modeling is the recruitment of statistical reasoning for the purpose of investigating questions about the world. The project involves the development of a hands-on curriculum and an embedded assessment system, used concurrently to increase the diagnostic and instructional capacity in an area vital to education in both mathematics and science.

The BEAR Center collaborates with Vanderbilt University researchers to develop construct maps that tap 7 strands of data modeling: (a) Theory of Measurement, (b) Modeling Measurement, (c) Data Display, (d) Meta Representational Competence, (e) Conceptions of Statistics, (f) Informal Inference, and (g) Chance. Under the guidance of these progress variables and the instructional material, the team works to develop an embedded formative and summative assessment system. The constructs and assessment system were revised in light of new evidence from piloting exercises, specifically teacher’s experience with the curriculum and students’ response to assessments.

One particularly innovative aspect of the project involves the depth and breadth of the collaboration among investigators. All team members participate in multiple aspects of the investigation. This allows us to coordinate interdisciplinary perspectives through discussions about constructs, assessments, lessons plans and student responses. Classroom teachers also take vital part in this collaboration as research and development efforts take place in middle schools in Nashville, TN and Phoenix, AZ.

Website: http://www.vanderbilt.edu/lsi/cdmw.html

Publications:

• Burmester, K., Zehng, X., Karelitz, T.M., & Wilson, M.R. (2006) Measuring Statistical Reasoning: Development of an Assessment System for Data Modeling. AERA 2006, American Education Research Association Annual Meeting in San Francisco, CA.
• Karelitz, T.M., Zehng, X., Burmester, K., & Wilson, M.R. (2005). Constructing Data, Modeling Worlds: Collaborative Investigation of Statistical Reasoning- Assessment System. NCTM 2005, National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, research presession, Anaheim, CA.