What's Going On In This Graph?
A new feature by the New York Times and the ASA
How do statisticians tend to see the world?
Through data in context
What is one of the more efficient ways to view data?
A graph
Who makes some of the best graphs in journalism?
New York Times
What feature in the New York Times is so difficult for readers to understand?
Their extraordinary graphs
Who is best prepared to explain these extraordinary graphs?
American Statistical Association members
How does this happen?
What’s Going On In This Graph? (WGOITGraph?) is a free monthly, online New York Times feature, a partnership of the New York Times and the American Statistical Association.
Since Amanda Cox joined the New York Times in 2005 as Graphics Editor and now as The Upshot’s editor, the New York Times has frequently produced excellent data displays (graphs, flow charts, maps, and plenty of other representations) that explain a story. Whether its their annual, data-rich weather graphs, the Supreme Court voting block table, or its recent “Is Sushi Healthy?” scatter plot (above), the visual representations have been insightful additions to the understanding the story. In these days of skepticism and cynicism about data, it is all the more important to help readers to know how to understand the displays. And, this is no easy task since graphs are all so different from each other. “Guided practice” with statistics teachers is the way to teach how to “read” graphs, but where can readers get this? WGOITGraph? can be a class starter, taking 10 -15 minutes. Project the graph or hand out copies. Have students work in pairs or discuss as a class. Respond online or write out answers. Read the Reveal to see the graph’s article, sample responses, additional questions, and explanations of key statistical terms.
Fifteen years ago, the New York Times started the Learning Network, a free, online feature that provides materials to help teachers use the newspaper in their classrooms. Two former humanities teachers– Katherine Schulten and Michael Gonchar, have led the charge by offering daily writing prompts, news quizzes, contests, and much more. Their following with English language arts and history teachers is strong and growing. But, there have been hardly any offerings focused on quantitative aspects of reporting.
Enter the American Statistical Association. Steve Pierson, ASA Director of Science Policy, and Rebecca Nichols, ASA Director of Education, approached and offered to assist the New York Times Learning Network in addressing the need. ASA member Sharon Hessney, a Boston Advanced Placement Statistics teacher, selects the graphs, writes the releases, and coordinates the online moderators. ASA moderators of student responses have been Corey Andreasen (WI and Qatar), Jared Derksen (CA), Erica Chauvet (PA), and Paul Buckley (DC). Senior editors are Roxy Peck (ASA Fellow and professor emerita of Statistics at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo) and Christine Franklin (ASA K-12 Statistical Educator Ambassador and professor emerita of University of Georgia).
Monthly at 9 am on Tuesday, WGOITGraph? presents a New York Times graph. From 9 am-2 pm, a team of ASA teachers moderates the live discussion of student responses focused on the questions:
What do you notice? What do you wonder? What’s the story this graph is telling?
Many teachers recognize the first two questions. They are the Math Forum/NCTM's Noticing and Wondering strategy. To learn more about how to use this strategy, go to Annie Fetter's video and our two-page explanation.
On the Friday following the release, the New York Times Learning Network publishes a Reveal - a follow-up which includes the original article, summary of student responses, additional questions that students may want to answer, and Stat Nuggets. These Stat Nuggets inform the teachers, who are usually not statistics teachers and may not even be math teachers, the definition of statistical terms and how they are represented in that month’s graph.
All WGOITGraph? are archived to use at any time on the New York Times Learning Network site. Already in the archives are scatter plots, time series, and choropleths (colored maps) on climate change, nutrition, jobs, and e-commerce. Other topics that will probably be featured this school year are on gun violence, the DACA Dreamers, and fiction writing. The feature's main audience is middle and high school math, science, and humanities students, but all are encouraged to participate. The feature has already been featured on a Data Stories podcast. A podcast on PolicyViz is planned. (Here is an excellent PolicyViz podcast by the New York Times’ Amanda Cox.)
ASA has been spreading the word for this unusual feature, but we welcome you doing the same with colleagues and social media networks.
WHO Grades 7 - 12 math, English, and social studies students
WHAT A free, online feature of the New York Times, in partnership with the American Statistical Association
WHEN Second Tuesday of each month during the school year and in the archives thereafter
WHY Using timely New York Times graphs that are compelling to students, learn how to critically think and write about all kinds of graphs
HOW A class starter, which can take 10 - 15 minutes.
Students answer the questions:
What do you notice? What do you wonder? What’s the story this graph is telling?
On release Tuesdays, moderators respond in real time to students entries.
On Fridays, moderators reveal the graph and its article, summarize the responses with shout-outs, ask additional questions, and give three Stat Nuggets--definitions of statistical terms and where they are seen in the graph.