Three tips for better graphs and stats in science fair projects.
DataClassroom is a web-app to teach data skills in grades 6-12+
Three tips for better graphs and stats in science fair projects.
Liz Buhmann
Director of Events and Outreach
Minnesota Academy of Science
Dr. Aaron Reedy
Co-Founder + CEO
DataClassroom
6 Tips for better science fair projects
#1 Teach students to collect Tidy Data.
#2 Make intentional graphs.
#3 Use stats to put confidence to conclusions.
#4 Begin with the end in mind.
#5 Focus. Make your question small.
#6 Make the judges feel smart.
Three tips for better graphs and stats in science fair projects.
6 Tips for better science fair projects
#1 Teach students to collect Tidy Data.
#2 Make intentional graphs.
#3 Use stats to put confidence to conclusions.
#4 Begin with the end in mind.
#5 Focus. Make your question small.
#6 Make the judges feel smart.
Three tips for better graphs and stats in science fair projects.
#1 Teach students to collect Tidy Data.
Three tips for better graphs and stats in science fair projects.
#1 Teach students to collect Tidy Data.
Teach students to make data “tidy”
Untidy Data
Tidy Data
#2 Make intentional graphs.
Three tips for better graphs and stats in science fair projects.
Make intentional graphs.
*Default graph
Graph with intentional design
Storytelling with your data
Maximize the visual communication in your graphs
Things to consider:
Make intentional graphs.
X and Y markers enlarged
Graph with intentional design
Increased size of axis labels
Caption defining error bars
Error bars accompany any measure of central tendency
Points made transparent when overlapping
Graph made as vertical rectangle to highlight difference between groups
Visual (bar) is added to highlight means
Point size enlarged for visibility and to emphasize sample size
Complementary color scheme chosen for aesthetics but also to emphasize treatment groups
Gridlines removed for cleaner look
Variable names on graph chosen for understanding
�
Make intentional graphs.
The Art of Intentional Graphing
Basic
Intentional
�
Make intentional graphs.
The Art of Intentional Graphing
Basic
Intentional
�
Make intentional graphs.
The Art of Intentional Graphing
Basic
Intentional
#3 Use stats to put confidence to conclusions.
Three tips for better graphs and stats in science fair projects.
Form your conclusions from your graphs before you use statistics.
#3 Use stats to put confidence to conclusions.
A simple graph supports the conclusion that barefoot runners have a higher running cadence
Showing means on the graph helps to communicate that same conclusion (167.8 vs 154.1)
Statistics give us a way to express confidence in the conclusion with probability.
There is a less than 1% chance of getting a difference between groups like this due to random chance alone.
Webber, H., Nelson, S. J., Weatherbee, R., Zoellick, B., & Schauffler, M. (2014). The graph choice chart.
The Science Teacher
Questions Lead to Graphs…and graphs lead to stats
Chi-Square Goodness of fit
Chi-Square Test of Independence
Repeated measures ANOVA
Linear Regression
Tests of Normality
T-test, ANOVA, 2-Way ANOVA
Linear Regression, ANCOVA
6 Tips for better science fair projects
#1 Teach students to collect Tidy Data.
#2 Use stats to put confidence to conclusions.
#3 Make intentional graphs.
#4 Begin with the end in mind.
#5 Focus. Make your question small.
#6 Make the judges feel smart.
Three tips for better graphs and stats in science fair projects.
Best of luck with all that you do!
Ask me about:
Contact:
lizbuhmann@mnmas.org