Data Driven Classrooms

In the article Data Driven Teachers, by Dr. Scott McLeod, he makes the argument that Data Driven Decision Making, or DDDM, is a system of teaching that allows for better information about students to be gathered and placed into the hands of teachers. McLeod points out the fact early on in his article that many teachers currently reject the use of DDDM as it is closely associated with the not-so-popular No Child Left Behind Act. Ironically, school districts that have implemented the practice of DDDM and data-driven practices have observed impressive improvements in student learning and achievement.

The way I see myself most likely using data in my classroom, is with assessment. When giving a test, if I gather data from the results of all my students, I would be able to pinpoint precisely where students had the most difficulty on the exam. Taking this information into account, I would be able to see what material I had taught was most likely misunderstood or just not covered in enough detail during class time. If i felt it was necessary, I would be able to go back over this material before a test was given on the lessons, allowing for students to better prepare themselves and to come to understand what was initially unclear to them. Another benefit of the use of such data is that I would be able to see which questions on my examinations had a high difficulty level or high discriminating power. I could then accurately judge which questions were good, and which needed to be revised. This would allow me to craft my tests in such a way that it really encapsulated the material that I had covered in class, and actually test my students knowledge on the subjects.

The use of data in the modern day classroom is becoming more important, and, more importantly, more beneficial for both students and teachers alike. The only issue I have with this use of data is that the instructor must know the difference between data analysis, and human analysis. Test results can only tell you so much about a student. It becomes the teacher's responsibility to get to know their students and understand what they struggle with so that they may help push them, and allow them to excel in the classroom.