Thanks for your patience during our recent outage at scalar.usc.edu. While Scalar content is loading normally now, saving is still slow, and Scalar's 'additional metadata' features have been disabled, which may interfere with features like timelines and maps that depend on metadata. This also means that saving a page or media item will remove its additional metadata. If this occurs, you can use the 'All versions' link at the bottom of the page to restore the earlier version. We are continuing to troubleshoot, and will provide further updates as needed. Note that this only affects Scalar projects at scalar.usc.edu, and not those hosted elsewhere.
The Promise and Practice of Teaching Data Literacy in Social Studies: A Companion SiteMain MenuA Taxonomy of Data VisualizationsInformation can be visualized in multiple ways, from bar graphs to scatterplots, choropleth maps to distribution maps, timelines to time series. Designers can choose from an array of graphical elements such as points, lines, or icons used to represent data, and multiple aesthetic attributes such as color, shape, and size. Furthermore, designers can apply multiple combinations of titles, legends, and explanatory text to provide context for a data visualization. Given the almost dizzying array of data visualizations students may encounter in social studies, it is helpful to place them in categories related to the types of questions they will help us answer.Data Visualizations as Primary SourcesHumans have been creating different types of data visualizations for centuries. Explore this collection of timelines, maps, graphs and charts to see what they reveal about the historical time and place in which they were produced.How should students analyze data visualizations in social studies?The challenges that data visualizations present, coupled with their prevalence in social studies texts, standardized assessments, in online social studies resources, and as sources of information in society, suggest that teaching with and about data visualizations in social studies is essential. This module provides guidance for how teachers can support students' data literacy for social studies.How do I help students create and integrate data visualizations for social studies?This page highlights several tools that are useful for data-based projects in social studies. And accompanying each tool is a "minimal manual" that provides guidance for using the tool in social studies inquiry- and project-based learning.Project-Based Learning Activities for Data Literacy in Social StudiesLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, nec constituto comprehensam te. Sea no affert nemore comprehensam, eum te purto soleat accusata. Ea est magna malis. No atqui iudico est. In vel propriae suavitate. Est homero timeam cu, novum persecuti mea an.Index of Lesson PlansThis page contains a list of the minimal manuals and lessons found on this website. Minimal manuals are designed to be adapted to different grade levels and do not have a grade designation associated with them. Lesson plans are organized according to the school level for which they are designed. However, many of these lessons can be adapted for different grade levels.Tamara Shreiner72eaa2d1ba1352b75b8a8da73e879a4ceb510ae0
How do students learn with data visualizations?
12019-10-09T14:08:35-07:00Tamara Shreiner72eaa2d1ba1352b75b8a8da73e879a4ceb510ae03513339Reading data visualizations in print and online social studies texts can improve students' overall comprehension and quality of reasoning. And there is evidence to suggest that reading data visualizations helps students better understand historical and geographic context, multiple causation, and change over time — all important concepts for students to grasp in social studies subject areas. However, students may face significant challenges in trying to make sense of different kinds of data visualizations. This section provides insight into both benefits and challenges of reading timelines, maps, and graphs and charts.plain2020-11-09T09:38:53-08:00Tamara Shreiner72eaa2d1ba1352b75b8a8da73e879a4ceb510ae0In Module 2: Why teach data literacy in social studies?, you read that students can benefit from paying attention to data visualizations that accompany verbal text. In social studies textbooks alone, 90% of data visualizations provide students with extensional information not found in the main body of verbal text.[1] These data visualizations might extend the verbal text by providing geographic contextual information, illustrating changes or movement across space and time, or providing evidence for an argument or explanation. [2] As several scholars have argued, reading data visualizations and other visuals can improve overall comprehension and quality of reasoning, so failure to attend to these data visualizations may hamper students’ understanding of the information provided in the text.[3] Moreover, data visualizations might contain critical background knowledge that students can later use to understand references to people, places, events, or documents.
Unfortunately, research indicates that most students don't pay attention to data visualizations. For example, in a think aloud study that had elementary, middle, and high school students reasoning about a historical question with a history textbook, 74% of the students ignored the data visualization in the passage they were reading, despite the fact that the data visualization was directly related to the question they were trying to answer. Yet, when asked to read the data visualization, most of the participants said it was helpful for answering the question.[4]
Even if students do pay attention to data visualizations in texts, they may face significant challenges when trying to make sense of them. For teachers, it's important to be aware of these challenges, so that students may overcome them and reap more of the benefits.
Each section below provides a summary of some of the benefits and challenges associated with timelines, map, graphs and charts.
Contents of this path:
1media/tijdkaart-der-geschiedenis-van-het-vaderland-onderste-helft-02fe35.jpgmedia/6700000.jpg2020-09-15T11:56:10-07:00Tamara Shreiner72eaa2d1ba1352b75b8a8da73e879a4ceb510ae0Timelines: Benefits and Challenges31Timelines are temporal data visualizations that graphically display historical events in chronological order. Students across the United States are required to work with timelines as early as kindergarten. Working with timelines can help students understand important historical concepts, but they can also present challenges as students try to make sense of them.plain2020-11-17T08:50:31-08:00Tamara Shreiner72eaa2d1ba1352b75b8a8da73e879a4ceb510ae0
1media/2152017.jpg2020-09-15T12:01:03-07:00Tamara Shreiner72eaa2d1ba1352b75b8a8da73e879a4ceb510ae0Graphs and Charts: Benefits and Challenges52Graphs are a common type of data visualization and can be distinguished from the other types of data visualizations by their well-defined reference system, such as horizontal or vertical axes on which data are plotted. Charts are topical or categorical data visualizations with no inherent reference systems, such as pie charts or word clouds. Graphs and charts can tell a powerful story and they can serve as compelling evidence. However, they also present multiple challenges for students trying to make sense of them.plain2020-11-03T08:46:52-08:00Bahare Naimipourc072c4333423346b255d4333d851905b05d6bf7a
12020-09-15T12:01:31-07:00Tamara Shreiner72eaa2d1ba1352b75b8a8da73e879a4ceb510ae0Maps: Benefits and Challenges35Maps are essential tools in social studies. They provide important spatial context for understanding past and current events and patterns. As ubiquitous as maps are, they can be challenging to read for students, or worse, may enforce misconceived world views.plain2020-12-01T09:40:48-08:00Tamara Shreiner72eaa2d1ba1352b75b8a8da73e879a4ceb510ae0
