How to address a design error?

[Laurie]

One of our team projects (6th grade) is going on to county. I asked the judges for constructive critism and everything made sense except two suggestions.

1. They wanted the Research/ Background section (on the presentation board) changed from a bibliography format to a summary of the articles read. While I've seen students summarize their research in their report, I've never seen it done on the board. Is that something new or just something expected of middle school students?

2. They said the students should have "left out" the design error they discovered while processing their data AND the fact they were running a second exeriment to find out if their hypothesis was correct or not. (I had advised they explain the uncontrolled variable (age), how it impacted the results, and the status of the second experment.) Obviously I gave poor advice, but I'm still not sure how I should have advised them.

Please help.

Laurie

[donnahardy2]

Hi,

Congratulations on your team’s win! The judges sound like they were experienced and were trying to make suggestions that would improve the project presentation for the next level of competition.

1. Yes, it is a good idea to include a background section that summarizes the scientific literature behind the project and explain why the project was done. Progress in science is made one experiment at a time, so it will be helpful to the judges to understand what has been discovered on the topic in the past and establish the scientific basis for the current project. It sounds like your team does have a bibliography, so they will just need to summarize information that is pertinent to their project in a short paragraph or two.

2. Without seeing the project, it’s more difficult to respond to this comment. Judges like to see data presented and an analysis of the data that explains the data. Finding out about data that was not presented in the conclusion section would cause uncertainty about the validity of the conclusion. Would it be possible to present results of both experiments? If there’s not room on the board, maybe the first experiment could be included in a binder with the project, clearly labeled, so the judges could refer to it? A discussion of the design error that was discovered during the experiment is very appropriate in the discussion section. However, it the project would be clearer without the first experiment and without the discussion of the design error, then it would be acceptable to omit the information. If you are still uncertain about this comment, then contact the fair organizer and ask the judge's phone number. I'm sure that the judge would be happy to spend more time discussing this would you.

Donna Hardy

[deleted-71536]

Hi Laurie,

Donna has given you some sound advice.

With regard to the Background section, I think the judges were looking for something akin to the Introduction of a scientific paper. As Donna said, a couple short paragraphs summarizing the background we know about the topic should suffice.

I have nothing to add to Donna's advice regarding the error. I agree that it might help to seek clarification from one of the judges, if possible.

I hope your team does well at the county level!

Heather

[Laurie]

Thank you for your advice. Because they had quite a few resources, I asked them to divide them into groups and then summarize each group. They did a nice job:
1. The Problem (4 out of 10 fourth graders cannot read at a basic level)
2. Independent Variable One (Reading Angle)
3. Independent Variable Two (Reading Method)
4. Two Dependent Variables (Rate & Accuracy)

I also went back to the person in charge of the school fair, but wasn’t able to get a useable answer w/ regard to the suggestion the students cover-up or leave out the flaw in their initial experimental design. The first time, they said it was better not to mention the mistake they found in the design of the experiment because the project would look better if the error was covered up. This time they added the student’s project was complicated, and even though the kids were able to answer the questions presented, give percents, show graphs, and explain the entire process, they (the judges) still didn’t quite understand the project.

The kids have finished running a second experiment with fewer trials (26), but the design error has now been corrected (age). It turned out to be a huge learning experience for everyone, including myself.

I decided not to mention the staff’s first suggestion. I did tell the students they need to be able to explain the project so a child can understand it, adding they should expand their answers any time the judges at show an interest. Maybe they will get lucky and one of the judges they get at county will be a reading teacher or a scientist. No matter how it ends up, I bet they never forget this experiment.

[deleted-71536]

Hi Laurie,

Sounds like your students are well on their way. Please let us know how they do at the county fair!

Best,
Heather

[Laurie]

Dear Heather,

They took first place at county and are hoping to be invited to state. I am truly out of my depth, so I sent in a request for feedback and assistance with regard to preparation. County likely has something in place for children who move on to the next level.

Thank you again for a wonderful web site.

Laurie

[deleted-71536]

Congratulations! So glad to hear your students are seeing the rewards of their hard work!

It's a great idea to get as much of the judges' feedback as you can get. I wish them luck at the state fair!

Best,
Heather