Transcript What you need to know about the ASA project competition Megan Mocko Senior Lecturer University of Florida.

What you need to know about
the ASA project competition
Megan Mocko
Senior Lecturer
University of Florida
Agenda
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
What is a project?
Can this satisfy any Education Standards?
Breaking down the parts of the projects.
How do you enter the contest?
A few example winning projects.
How are the projects judged?
FAQ
WHAT IS A PROJECT?
What is a Project?
• The students should . . .
– Ask a question about the world around them.
– Design a method to collect data to answer that
question.
– Summarize the data using summary statistics.
– Analyze the data.
– Make a conclusion that answers their initial question.
– Reflect on the process.
• Then, the students write up their findings in a
written report, averaging about 10 pages.
STANDARDS
National Standards in Mathematical
Education
• Projects can be tied to National Standards.
• For example, the expectations of
– grades 3 through 5 include “to design investigations to
address a question and consider how data-collection
methods affect the nature of the data set”
– grades 6 through 8 include “to formulate questions, design
studies, and collect data about a characteristic shared by two
populations or different characteristics within one
population;”
– grades 9 through 12 include “to compute basic statistics and
understand the distinction between a statistic and a
parameter. “
• http://standards.nctm.org/document/appendix/data.htm
State Standards
• Most likely projects can be tied to State
Standards as well.
BREAKDOWN THE PARTS OF THE
PROJECT
Ask a Question About the World
Around Them.
• Have the students brainstorm ideas either as a
whole class or in groups.
• Have them think about their hobbies, music,
favorite games. Have they ever had a question
about something related to those things?
• Do they have a question about something
they saw in the media?
Proposals
• Have students present their idea to the
class/group/partner as a proposal.
• Have the class/group/partner critique each
idea.
Critiques
Critiques should include the following questions.
•
•
•
•
•
•
Is it possible to answer the question?
Does the question need to be more focused?
Are there any ethical concerns?
How can data be collected to answer that question?
Is the idea too complicated? (Keep it simple!)
Is there a comparison that could be made between
different groups?
Design a method to collect the data to
answer their question.
• Projects that collect their own data are scored
higher on the judges rubric.
• The data collection method should be
discussed clearly in the paper.
• If used, surveys should be included in the
appendix of the paper.
• Raw data should also appear in the appendix.
Important Concepts to Consider.
• Randomize.
• Replicate.
• Control extraneous variation.
Summarize the data using summary
statistics and graphs.
• Provide appropriate graphs for the type of
data.
• For quantitative data, histograms, stem and
leaf plots or boxplots are good.
• For categorical data, bar charts are good.
• DO NOT use “fancy” graphics that make the
graph hard to read, such as 3D graphs.
Analyze the Data
• Use appropriate methods to analyze the data.
• The expectation of the analysis is age
appropriate.
• For the younger grades, this may be just
looking at graphics and summary statistics.
• The discussion of the graphics should answer
the question that was selected at the
beginning of the project.
Analyze the Data (con’t)
• For grades 10 – 12th, formal statistical
inference of some type is sometimes needed,
such as a simple linear regression or a
comparison of two independent proportions.
– The null and alternative hypothesis needs to be
clearly stated with notation defined.
– The assumptions must be checked.
– Important numbers should be given such as a
confidence interval or p-value.
– Students should fully understand the analysis.
Make a Conclusion that Answers Their
Initial Question
• The students should write a conclusion based
on their analysis in non-technical language
that the average person could understand.
Reflect on the Process
• No projects are ever perfect.
• The students should address any issues that
they feel they should have done differently.
• Did the projects have any problems that could
have been avoided?
• If they were to do the project again, what
would they do differently?
• Any ideas for future study?
Common Problems for the Younger
Grades.
• Having questions that are unclear and
unfocused.
• Not disclosing how much help they received.
• Failing to make comparisons between two
populations.
Common Problems for Grades 10 – 12
• Confusing and Unclear Hypothesis Statements
• Using Statistical Procedures beyond AP level
Statistics and then not being able to explain the
procedures adequately. A clear, simple analysis is
preferred to a poorly done complicated analysis.
• Not checking assumptions.
• Do not say “Accepting the null hypothesis”.
• Interpret confidence intervals correctly.
• Interpret R-squared correctly. (% variation of y
explained by x)
The Write-Up
• The projects average around 10 pages.
• The projects for the younger age groups tend
to be shorter.
• Longer write-ups do not necessarily mean
better projects, shorter well written projects
are better.
• The paper should exhibit clear, concise writing
with correct grammar and spelling.
• It should be at least 12 point font.
EXAMPLE PROJECTS
2008 Top 4 -- 6th Grade Project
• Who’s the biggest drinker?
Willa Glickman
New York, NY
2008 Top 7th – 9th Grade Project
• Hear it, say it, spell it: Investigating nonvisual
pathways for spelling.
By Laura S. Levy
Woodland Hills, CA
2008 Top 10 – 12th Grade Project
• The association between heavy academic
workload and sleep deprivation among high
school students.
By Qiushuang Jin
Iowa City, Iowa
SUBMITTING THE PROJECT
Projects Submitted
• The projects are submitted electronically.
http://www.amstat.org/education/index.cfm?fuseaction=poster1
Deadlines
The due date varies by age level.
April 1st is the deadline for projects in the
•4th to 6th grade
•7th to 9th grade
May 30th is the new deadline for projects in the
•10th to 12th grade
JUDGING
Brief History of Project Competition
• Started in 1987, through the efforts of
Dwayne Cameron.
• Linda Young at the University of Florida has
been working with the projects since 1993.
• I started assisting this year.
Judges from the 2008 Competition
Judging
• Each project is judged by a teacher and a statistician.
• Each of the viewpoints are equally important. The teacher ensures that
the students understanding is age appropriate and the statistician ensures
that the statistical tests are conducted appropriately.
• The projects are divided into groups of 6 to 10 projects.
• The judges use a scoring rubric that looks at
–
–
–
–
–
–
Question
Research Design and Data Collection
Analysis of Data and Conclusions
Reflection on Process
Final Presentation
Creativity/Originality
• Each area is worth 3 points.
• The top projects out of each group are then identified.
Second Round of Judging
• Each groups top picks are then sent to the second
round.
• The judges, statisticians and teachers, look at the top
projects and determine the award levels.
• Great concern is taken to make sure that the data
collection process and the statistical methods are
handled appropriately, and to make sure that these
expectations are age appropriate. Expectations are
greater for the higher grade levels.
Awards
• First, Second, Third and Honorable Mention are
awarded for 4th to 6th graders, 7th to 9th graders
and 10th to 12th graders.
–
–
–
–
1st place is awarded -- $2oo, Certificate and Plaque for school
2nd place is awarded -- $100 and Certificate
3rd place is awarded -- $50 and Certificate
Honorable mention -- Certificate and Ribbon
• Additionally, through the generous support of Texas Instrument, 1st
place winners and their advisors will be awarded graphing
calculators.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Can a Student use a Science Fair
Project?
• Yes, a student’s science fair project can be the
foundation of the project submitted to the
competition.
• The write-up for the ASA project competition
however is different from a write-up for a
Science Fair competition.
• There should be less background information
given and a strong emphasis on the design
and analysis of the project.
How much help is too much?
• It is o.k. for the student to seek guidance from
parents, teachers and professional scientists;
however, the project needs to be student
driven.
• The student must understand the project
completely.
• Additionally, the student should acknowledge
how much help was given and by whom.
References
• Many of the ideas of this presentation are
from the ASA project website. Linda J. Young,
Linda Quinn, and John Schollenberger have
contributed to the text on that website.