Overview:
Often times, we ask students to answer low level questions that do not require a lot of thinking, analysis, or interpretation. Instead, we should ask our students to answer big questions that spur debate and struggle. This module focuses on creating and answering a larger scale group of inquiry questions that would be suited for students to engage in. Throughout this module, the questions will be answered using qualitative data found online.
Topic:
For the purpose of my data inquiry I have decided to focus on the number of HIV infections in the Bay Area.
I currently teach 9th and 10th grade math at a health focused school that involves many integrated projects. A topic that is covered in Chemistry and Physiology in the 10th grade is the science of HIV. Additionally, students in their humanities class engage in the book Saturday is for Funerals by Unity Dow, and I'd like to better incorporate student understanding about the HIV epidemic in my math classroom as students will engage in statistical analysis and trendline creation.
Questions:
The following are inquiry questions that students will be asked to answer that will require the manipulation of data obtained online. Students will be asked to find the data, analyze the data, and provide correct source information for the data.
1. Which communities more impacted by HIV than others in the Bay Area?
2. What trends do you notice about HIV in the Bay Area?
3. Are you able to predict when HIV infections will lower to zero?
Data Procedures/Investigations:
The data that I searched for included looking at public health documents created by theCalifornia Department of Public Health, Alameda Public Health Department and the San Francisco Health Department to understand the scope of HIV in the Bay Area and who it is impacting. Additionally, I researched HIV in Southern Africa, a region that was hit hard by the HIV epidemic and a region that students have learned about in their humanities classes.
The following google document is intended to be student facing and shows the sources that I used to conduct my data investigation and analysis. Students will use these as a reference in class as they complete the data inquiry. The document is also linked here to view: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1sVrcUFwbLodKQ6p5azsBqxDGbZuinj3Cx18Vgmi-fGI/edit
For the purpose of the student assignment, it was broken into sections over the course of a couple weeks. Students will also learn about stigma associated with HIV and the cost of treating HIV as they will also be asked to create a potential solution along with a budget. Students would be expected to do their own analysis and turn in their own product but could work with partners or groups to break down and understand the data. The sources can be found by clicking the link above.
Often times, we ask students to answer low level questions that do not require a lot of thinking, analysis, or interpretation. Instead, we should ask our students to answer big questions that spur debate and struggle. This module focuses on creating and answering a larger scale group of inquiry questions that would be suited for students to engage in. Throughout this module, the questions will be answered using qualitative data found online.
Topic:
For the purpose of my data inquiry I have decided to focus on the number of HIV infections in the Bay Area.
I currently teach 9th and 10th grade math at a health focused school that involves many integrated projects. A topic that is covered in Chemistry and Physiology in the 10th grade is the science of HIV. Additionally, students in their humanities class engage in the book Saturday is for Funerals by Unity Dow, and I'd like to better incorporate student understanding about the HIV epidemic in my math classroom as students will engage in statistical analysis and trendline creation.
Questions:
The following are inquiry questions that students will be asked to answer that will require the manipulation of data obtained online. Students will be asked to find the data, analyze the data, and provide correct source information for the data.
1. Which communities more impacted by HIV than others in the Bay Area?
2. What trends do you notice about HIV in the Bay Area?
3. Are you able to predict when HIV infections will lower to zero?
Data Procedures/Investigations:
The data that I searched for included looking at public health documents created by theCalifornia Department of Public Health, Alameda Public Health Department and the San Francisco Health Department to understand the scope of HIV in the Bay Area and who it is impacting. Additionally, I researched HIV in Southern Africa, a region that was hit hard by the HIV epidemic and a region that students have learned about in their humanities classes.
The following google document is intended to be student facing and shows the sources that I used to conduct my data investigation and analysis. Students will use these as a reference in class as they complete the data inquiry. The document is also linked here to view: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1sVrcUFwbLodKQ6p5azsBqxDGbZuinj3Cx18Vgmi-fGI/edit
For the purpose of the student assignment, it was broken into sections over the course of a couple weeks. Students will also learn about stigma associated with HIV and the cost of treating HIV as they will also be asked to create a potential solution along with a budget. Students would be expected to do their own analysis and turn in their own product but could work with partners or groups to break down and understand the data. The sources can be found by clicking the link above.
Data Analysis:
After finding and organizing relevant sources for students, I created a google spreadsheet to analyze the data to experience how students would engage in the activities of answering the inquiry questions. For students I believe there would need to be a good amount of scaffolding and teaching before they would be able to create a fluid google sheet. The google sheet that I created for the purpose of this example can be found by clicking on the following link: docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1MSi7whPca4QyUMTbHwCpS-jwz1fvFXpiucPRN7jtn2A/edit?usp=sharing
Below are some of the charts and tables that I created (screenshots as it is difficult to embed graphs into the Weebly platform) to answer the three inquiry questions.
After finding and organizing relevant sources for students, I created a google spreadsheet to analyze the data to experience how students would engage in the activities of answering the inquiry questions. For students I believe there would need to be a good amount of scaffolding and teaching before they would be able to create a fluid google sheet. The google sheet that I created for the purpose of this example can be found by clicking on the following link: docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1MSi7whPca4QyUMTbHwCpS-jwz1fvFXpiucPRN7jtn2A/edit?usp=sharing
Below are some of the charts and tables that I created (screenshots as it is difficult to embed graphs into the Weebly platform) to answer the three inquiry questions.
Analysis of figure 1
The following graph to the left displays the number of people living with HIV in South Africa, a country that was hit extremely hard by the HIV epidemic. Additionally, South Africa is located in a region where HIV is thought to have originated. It is noticeable that although the number of people living with HIV is continuing to rise, the number of new infections is significantly declining for the same years. The amount of people living with HIV has continued to rise as death rates from the virus have lowered as a result of better and more readily available treatment methods. |
Analysis of figure 2:
The figure to the left details the new infections in South Africa over the last 30 years. It is noticeable that the number of new infections exhibits exponential growth between 1990 and 1999, a nine year period. This growth could be modeled by students and used to make predictions for future years had nothing been done to combat the epidemic. From the year 2000 to 2018 the data shows a slow but steady decline in the number of new infections in South Africa which resulted from better education and the lowering of stigma around HIV. This section of the data could be modeled by a linear trendline and students could work to predict when HIV infections would lower to zero in the region given the same rate of decrease. |
Analysis of figure 3:
After focusing on South Africa, a region near the origin of the HIV epidemic and a region that was hit hard, I shifted my data inquiry into looking at how HIV impacts the region where my students and I live. The chart to the left details the number of new infections in San Francisco and Alameda. It is hard to compare the numbers directly to South Africa as the populations are so different but it was interesting to compare the two different counties. After creating the scatter plot and trendlines to model the data it is noticeable that San Francisco is reducing new infections at a much larger rate than Alameda County. Despite having double the number of infections in 2006, San Francisco has reduced its new infections to be at the same level as Alameda Country in the last few years. Further research suggests that San Francisco has been more proactive about education, outreach and reducing stigma around HIV. If the Alameda Public Health Department is able to take some of San Francisco's strategies, they could also work to limit the number of new infections. |
Analysis of Figure 4:
HIV shows its highest prevalence rates among the MSM (men who sleep with men) community and I thought it'd be interesting to showcase that in the graph to the left. The graph to the left focuses on new HIV infections in San Francisco in general and HIV infections among the MSM community in SF. Both trendlines show that there is a strong correlation between the number of HIV infections in San Francisco over the years. Additionally, the graph shows that most of the infections are happening among the MSM community when compared to the other populations that are infected. |
Analysis of Figure 5:
The last piece of data that I analyzed was understanding what ethnic groups are most impacted by HIV in the United States. The data that I collected came from the CDC and was focused upon the MSM community because, as we established earlier, they are the most impacted group by HIV. When broken down by ethnicity it is apparent that the highest number of new cases in the MSM throughout the United States appears among the African American community followed most recently by both the white and Hispanic/Latin American communities. After analyzing the trendline, it appears that new infections is increasing among both the African American and Hispanic community while decreasing at a much greater rate among the white community. Some explanations for this difference may be attributed to stigma, access to healthcare, and access to quality education. |
Answers to Inquiry Questions, Conclusions, and new Questions:
Through conducting the online data analysis, I feel much more informed about HIV, who it impacts, and trends that are apparent both in South Africa and in the United States, mainly the Bay Area. Using simply quantitative data I feel that given the graphs created above I would be able to answer my first three inquiry questions.
1. Which communities are more impacted by HIV than others in the Bay Area?
In the Bay area, the community that is most impacted is the MSM community as shown and discussed in figure 4. Figure 5 also points to the different ethnic MSM groups in the United States and how they are impacted.
2. What trends do you notice about HIV in the Bay Area?
Figure 3 details that in Alameda the number of infections has remained relatively stable while in San Francisco the number of new infections is decreasing at a steady rate. Figure 1 and 2 outline the country of South Africa and detail that the number of new infections rose exponentially and have since started to decline at a steady rate.
3. Are you able to predict when HIV infections will lower to zero?
Yes, using algebra and the trendline equation of your choice from either Figure 3, 4 or 5, one would be able to predict when the number of new HIV infections could be predicted to reach zero for that particular group or community.
After answering my first three inquiry questions, I have begun to ponder other questions that could be asked of students through the creation of an integrated project. The following questions would require data analysis and also information covered in their humanities, chemistry, and physiology classes. Creating inquiry questions is an iterative process that results in personal growth and understanding of the topic you are teaching/learning about.
Through conducting the online data analysis, I feel much more informed about HIV, who it impacts, and trends that are apparent both in South Africa and in the United States, mainly the Bay Area. Using simply quantitative data I feel that given the graphs created above I would be able to answer my first three inquiry questions.
1. Which communities are more impacted by HIV than others in the Bay Area?
In the Bay area, the community that is most impacted is the MSM community as shown and discussed in figure 4. Figure 5 also points to the different ethnic MSM groups in the United States and how they are impacted.
2. What trends do you notice about HIV in the Bay Area?
Figure 3 details that in Alameda the number of infections has remained relatively stable while in San Francisco the number of new infections is decreasing at a steady rate. Figure 1 and 2 outline the country of South Africa and detail that the number of new infections rose exponentially and have since started to decline at a steady rate.
3. Are you able to predict when HIV infections will lower to zero?
Yes, using algebra and the trendline equation of your choice from either Figure 3, 4 or 5, one would be able to predict when the number of new HIV infections could be predicted to reach zero for that particular group or community.
After answering my first three inquiry questions, I have begun to ponder other questions that could be asked of students through the creation of an integrated project. The following questions would require data analysis and also information covered in their humanities, chemistry, and physiology classes. Creating inquiry questions is an iterative process that results in personal growth and understanding of the topic you are teaching/learning about.
- What are the demographics of the Bay Area? How does that compare with the demographic groups that are affected by HIV?
- How might we bring HIV infections down to zero in the Bay Area?
- Why are some communities more impacted than other ones?