Analyst
Educators understand and use data to drive their instruction and support students in achieving their learning goals.
As a teacher, I want to be able to gather data about my students and teaching practices. One way of accomplishing this is to consider participating in or conducting a research study. The infographic to the side explains one possible research study that would interest me by connecting my CTE field with my background in special education. Even it not completed, it challenges me to analyze my teaching practices to ensure that I am supporting my students in the best way possible.
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The link above is a PollEverywhere activity. This is a quick way to gather data from your class or colleagues. There are several options in the types of questions you can ask and how to view the data. This quick poll can be used as a pre-or post-activity to help guide instruction. Polls can also be used as formative assessments during the lesson.
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I use different programs for gathering data and analyzing it. These skills are also incorporated into my classes. One important skill for both my students and myself is visually representing data. Students can use online programs to create a graph like this one. Students can also use Google Sheets or Microsoft Excel.
RESOURCES
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Common Sense Research & Citation Tools for Scientists - This tool shares Common Sense Media's top 20 tools for students.
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Research Resources for Middle School - This is a LiveBinder resource for researching and evaluating sources.
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PBS Learning Media - This site provides science lessons and materials for analyzing data.