“Zoos, Aquariums, and Expanding Students’ Data Literacy” featured in May issue of Teaching Children Mathematics
May 13, 2009
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:
Kacy Karlen
kacy_karlen@terc.edu
617.873.9667
CAMBRIDGE, MA–Current TERC researcher Tracey Wright and former TERC researcher Jan Mokros (now Executive Director of the Maine Math and Science Alliance) have coauthored “Zoos, Aquariums, and Expanding Students’ Data Literacy” for the May 2009 issue of Teaching Children Mathematics.
In “Zoos, Aquariums, and Expanding Students’ Data Literacy”, Tracey and Jan translate research findings from TERC’s Math in Zoos and Aquariums (MiZA) project into applicable methods that elementary teachers can use to get their students working with observational data. Particularly, the article has helpful tips and suggestions for getting children to engage in collection methods and measurement by watching and recording the behaviors of animals in zoos and aquariums.
Through the Math in Zoos and Aquariums project, TERC and the Phoenix Zoo are infusing math into educational programs involving animals by providing professional development for staff in zoos and aquariums. Over 120 institutions and over 400 participants were part of the MiZA workshops which focused on math in the context of science and conservation.