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Milo Wiltbank: "Teaching students to think: Using scientific data in the classroom setting"

Milo's course, Reproduction in Farm Animals, attracts students from a very practical background, often with farm experience. One major problem in Milo's course is that students want him to tell them the right answer. They don't even ask the question- they just want a clear answer for any question that might come up. They would like that answer to be relevent from now until infinity and will likely continue to use the answer forever. Milo would like them to see that the answers are different dependent upon the conditions.

Milo's solution to this problem is to use data sets 2-3 times per class period. He begins a topic by introducing terminology. Then he shows on the overhead a table or graph of data and teaches students how to interpret them. He asks two questions: 1) What are the data- which groups are different? and 2) What do the data mean? Students usually try to skip the first question. He would like students to recognize that all data are not equally good. Students come with preconceived ideas and he would like them to be able to evaluate which data to use to guide decisions.

Milo calls on students from the registration list for the answers. He often calls for a vote in class based on the data. Each day, he gives a quiz on material from the last session.

Students in Milo's course will need to apply the information in the course. Milo learned in his first year that covering the material doesn't mean that students can apply it. Therefore, he now focuses on key topics and uses the time to go through the data sets. He hopes that frequent use of scientific data in the classroom will teach students how to interpret data and use it as they make decisions post-university. Some examples of data tables used are: Effects of the presence of a boar on simulation of puberty, Litter size vs estrous period at breeding, Effect of level of feed on time to puberty in holstein heifers.

Milo would like more ideas on how he can use data to teach students how to think.

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UW-Madison, December 1997