Let students figure it out

Yesterday was a half day at my school so I decided to do something small but meaningful in each of my classes. At the moment my Algebra 1 students are embarking on my Data Representation unit so we are looking at many different graphs/charts/plots and asking questions about them to see if interpretations are valid. At the same time, I am having them create their own plots by gathering data from their classmates (i.e. asking questions with numerical answers). It's a great time and often spurs a lot of conversation.

I started by showing them these two graphs using Google's new Public Data Explorer. I just wanted to find out what they could ask/tell/explain without me prompting anything. I got some fantastic results, summarized here:

• The x-axis (unlabeled) is the year.
• The dotted line is an estimate for the future.
  
• Why does the Chine line dip? Maybe there is some epidemic/war/famine/birth decline. 
• Time vs. population is a direct relationship.
• What about the baby boom? How does that affect this (disclaimer: I explained what it was and they were fascinated to find out there is a connection between history and math)

Overall, I'd say that is pretty fascinating stuff. I am hoping to have them explore things on their own much more often once I get a bunch of computers in my room regularly. They come up with great ideas and thoughts without being prompted. One of the topics I plan to research is how to teach more by talking less. The more the students are doing/discussing, the less they are relying on me for all the answers.

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