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Numbers and Pictures are Information too Statistical and Spatial Literacy Skills and the Information Literacy Program

Numbers and Pictures are Information too Statistical and Spatial Literacy Skills and the Information Literacy Program. Andrew Nicholson –GIS/Data Librarian, University of Toronto at Mississauga Laine G.M. Ruus –Data Librarian, University of Toronto UTL Staff Conference May 8, 2006. Outline.

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Numbers and Pictures are Information too Statistical and Spatial Literacy Skills and the Information Literacy Program

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  1. Numbers and Pictures are Information too Statistical and Spatial Literacy Skills and the Information Literacy Program Andrew Nicholson –GIS/Data Librarian, University of Toronto at Mississauga Laine G.M. Ruus –Data Librarian, University of Toronto UTL Staff Conference May 8, 2006

  2. Outline • Introduction • What is Statistical Literacy, with examples (Laine) • What is Spatial Literacy, with examples (Andrew) • Information literacy: the Big Picture & Next Steps • What can the U of T Libraries do? • Questions??

  3. Introduction • Libraries have made great strides in recent years in promoting and integrating information literacy concepts across university campuses. • Emphasis in information literacy instruction has been text based. • A need for statistical and spatial literacy education is becoming increasingly recognized by librarians and educators across North America

  4. Statistical literacy

  5. Statistical literacy “…refers broadly to two interrelated components, primarily (a) people's ability to interpret and critically evaluate statistical information, data-related arguments, or stochastic phenomena, which they may encounter in diverse contexts, and when relevant (b) their ability to discuss or communicate their reactions to such statistical information, such as their understanding of the meaning of the information, or their concerns regarding the acceptability of given conclusions.  These capabilities and behaviors [sic]do not stand on their own but are foundedon several interrelated knowledge bases and dispositions...". Source: Gal, Iddo. Adults’ Statistical Literacy:  Meanings, Components, and ResponsibilitiesInternational Statistical Review70( 1): 1-25, April 2002

  6. Stories • The Metro article of 2006/05/03 chose to tell one story: a “growing trend” of private or semi-private worship, rather than conspicuous worship in a public place (church, etc) • Refers to a source, a Statistics Canada study. Found article entitledWho's religious? listed in the Statistics Canada Daily of 2006/05/02

  7. Source: Study: Who’s religious? The Daily Tuesday, May 2, 2006

  8. The Daily article refers to an article in Canadian Social Trends, May 2006 …

  9. … which contains statistical tables, as well as charts which help visualize some of the statistics in the tables, including …

  10. What the Metro article got wrong: • Focused on only one of the stories in the Statistics Canada Daily/Social trends articles • The phrase “growing trend” came from a different story, one of declining religious affiliation and church attendance • Misinterprets the information in the table • There is only one time period, therefore cannot identify a trend from this table • Implies that a majority prefer private to public religious observance, but from the article and table it appears to be only 27-37% of the 21% of the population who attend religious services infrequently/never

  11. Frequency of public religious observance (eg frequency attend church, etc) Frequency of private religious observance Producing a similar cross-tabulation using the original microdata provides support for a slightly different variation on the story….

  12. Standing the table ‘on its head’ gives a different interpretation of the data… Frequency of private religious observance Frequency of public religious observance (eg frequency attend church, etc)

  13. Statistical literacy skills include: • Ability to follow the trail of breadcrumbs to find the Canadian social trends article and the tables/charts that accompany it • To assess the reliability of Statistics Canada as a source of statistics on religion – ie what if any might Statistics Canada’s bias be vis-à-vis religion? • To assess the validity of survey-based information versus anecdotal information (the Metro article) – ie are there other data sources that would provide better information on the question? How good is Statistics Canada at taking surveys that represent the population?

  14. Statistical literacy skills include (cont’d): • Ability to interpret the information provided in the table, including ability to visualize it Frequency of religious practices on one’s own showing attendance at religious services/meetings (%) Attend public religious services Frequency of religious practices on one’s own

  15. Statistical literacy skills include (cont’d): • Ability to assess the significance of the information that is not in the table – how many cases were there in this survey? Does this table tell us what % of the population go to church once a month or more? • Ability to assess cross-tabulations and percentages as appropriate descriptive statistics for this type of data – are there other descriptive statistics that would have added to the information in the table, eg cell counts as well as row percentages?

  16. Statistical literacy skills include (cont’d): • Understand the role of the tests of significance that have been used – ie, what does ‘95%’ confidence interval mean? • Understanding what has to be done to examine the influence of a third variable (eg gender, age, education, or province) on religious attendance & private religious practice

  17. In summary … • Like information literacy, statistical literacy includes: • determining information needs • information access skills • critical evaluation of sources • understanding of the information • Unlike information literacy, statistical literacy includes: • some understanding of data collection, descriptive statistics, significance, inference, and causality • active involvement in process of creation/transformation of descriptive statistics

  18. Now…Spatial literacy

  19. What is Spatial Literacy? • Has been difficult to define • Often confused with map literacy (map reading skills) and geographic literacy (location of places). • More recent work to define it has taken a broader approach encompassing such areas as visual literacy, technology literacy, and “graphicacy”.

  20. What is Spatial Literacy? Spatial literacy involves students understanding and applying three main concepts when searching and/or using (geographic or visual) information.* These include: • Space • Representation • Reasoning *National Academies Press (2006). Executive Summary In Learning to Think Spatially: GIS as a Support System in the K-12 Curriculum.Retrieved on May 1st, 2006 from http://www.nap.edu/catalog/11019.html

  21. Space • Dimensions University of Toronto at Mississauga Campus 3D Maps or Views 2D Maps Map & Data Source: NTS Sheet 30M012 “Brampton”; Natural Resources Canada, 1994. What is Spatial Literacy? -Examples

  22. Space • Different ways of calculating distance between two points • (UTM Campus to St. Michaels College) By time Google Maps By Travel Cost By Distance What is Spatial Literacy? -Examples

  23. Space • Understanding coordinate systems Cartesian Coordinates (x, y, z) Polar Coordinates More information: Eric W. Weisstein. "Cartesian Coordinates." From MathWorld--A Wolfram Web Resource. http://mathworld.wolfram.com/CartesianCoordinates.html Eric W. Weisstein. "Polar Coordinates." From MathWorld--A Wolfram Web Resource. http://mathworld.wolfram.com/PolarCoordinates.html What is Spatial Literacy? -Examples

  24. 2. Representation Principles of graphical design Include and contrast different data. Data Source: Statistics Canada, 2001 Census. What is Spatial Literacy? -Examples

  25. 2. Representation Principles of graphical design 1996 Population: 4.8 million (1 Dot = Ten People) Present data in a clear and accurate presentation. 2028 Population: 7.8 million (1 Dot = Two People) A misrepresentation of population growth around the Oak Ridges Moraine Oak Rides Moraine Data Source: Ontario Ministry of Natural Resource and Ontario Ministry of Finance. What is Spatial Literacy? -Examples

  26. 2. Representation How Projections work–controlling distortion • Presenting a three dimensional object on a flat form (like a paper map) • will always involve distortion • Projections can minimize distortion in elements such as scale, area, distance, direction and shape. • No perfect projection. Hundreds of different projections exist. • Choice of projection depends on many factors particularly the purpose of the map Mercator Projection Mollweide (Equal-Area) Projection What is Spatial Literacy? -Examples

  27. 3. Reasoning What is the shortest distance between two points? The shortest distance from the Robarts Library to the Conference using a direct line (0.68 km). What is Spatial Literacy? -Examples Photo source: JD Barnes/OGDE, 2002.

  28. 3. Reasoning What is the shortest distance between two points? The shortest driving distance from the Robarts Library to the conference (1.87 km) What is Spatial Literacy? -Examples Photo source: JD Barnes/OGDE, 2002.

  29. 3. Reasoning Ability to interpolate and extrapolate from spatial data or map. Deaths from Cholera epidemic in London, 1859. Original Map by Dr.John Snow. Downloaded from Wikipedia. May 6th, 2006. Retrieved at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Snow-cholera-map.jpg What is Spatial Literacy? -Examples

  30. 3. Reasoning Making Decisions. Should this city build a new highway to ease traffic congestion? What is Spatial Literacy? -Examples

  31. 3. Reasoning Making Decisions. No, the proposed highways cuts through the centre of a wetlands area. What is Spatial Literacy? -Examples

  32. 3. Reasoning Making Decisions. Highway project cancelled. Wetlands boundary established and protected from future development What is Spatial Literacy? -Examples Data Source: Lane Council of Governments, 2001.

  33. Information Literacy: the Big Picture Definition from ALA: “a set of abilities…to recognize when information is needed and have the ability to locate, evaluate, and use effectively the needed information.” ACRL Information Literacy Competency Standards for Higher Education -a set of five standards for assessing “the information literate individual”. -each standard has performance indicators and outcomes, several of which consider the use, manipulation, and dissemination of data, and imagery. Source: Information literacy competency standards for higher education. (2000). [Brochure]. Chicago: Association of College & Research Libraries.

  34. Information Literacy: the Big Picture Spatial Literacy is particularly relevant in the following ACRL Information Literacy Competency Standards for Higher Education Standard One: Outcomes: Identifies the value and differences of potential resources in a variety of formats. Determines the availability of needed information and makes decisions on broadening the information seeking process beyond local resources. Standard Three: Outcomes: Utilizes computer and other technologies for the studying the interaction of ideas and other phenomena. Determines probable accuracy by questioning the source of the data… Standard Four: Outcomes: Manipulates…images, and data as needed…to a new context. Source:Information literacy competency standards for higher education. (2000). [Brochure]. Chicago: Association of College & Research Libraries.

  35. Information Literacy -Next Steps: At a presentation on “Defining Information Literacy in the 21st Century”* at the 2004 IFLA General Conference, three areas for moving forward were suggested: • Critical Thinking and Awareness of Information • “Making users self-reliant” • Decoding the Packaging • “Interpretation of statistical data , cartographic and spatial data…require additional literacy instruction” • “the ability to understand why an image is presented in a a particular way and the impact…on the viewer will become a critical piece of information literacy”. • Appropriate use of Information • “develop sensitivity to cultural variations in what is considered…appropriate use of information.” *Campbell, Sandy. (2004). Defining Information Literacy in the 21st Century. Paper presented at the World Library and Information Congress: 70th IFLA General Conference and Council. Retrieved May 1st, 2006 from http://www.ifla.org/IV/ifla70/papers/059e-Campbell.pdf

  36. Information Literacy -Next Steps: At a colloquium on Information Literacy and Lifelong Learning in November 2005 sponsored by IFLA and UNESCO, the importance of critical thinking and decoding were made clear in Proposition #5*: The rapidity of technological chance requires continuous updating of the definition of Information Literacy and our assumptions about information technology. Information Literacy is the ability to use “knowledge and information interactively”. *Garenr, Sarah Devotion. (2006) High-Level Colloquium on Information Literacy and Lifelong Learning, Bibliotheca Alexandrina, Alexandria, Egypt, November 6-9, 2005:Report. Cairo: Bibliotheca Alexandrina, Pg.38-39.

  37. Information Literacy -Next Steps: In March 2006, the Chronicle of Higher Education issued a “Plea for Spatial Literacy”noting that: “Spatial literacy is as important a goal as traditional literacy is. We need to invest our resources and efforts accordingly.”* * Newcombe, Nora. “A Plea for Spatial Literacy”. The Chronicle of Higher Education. March 3rd, 2006.

  38. What can the U of T Libraries do? • collaborate with GIS and Data Librarians to learn more about Statistical and Spatial literacy and share these concepts with faculty and students.

  39. What can the U of T Libraries do? For example: • at the UTM Library, we have started to collaborate closely with some faculty on course instruction and assignments relating to statistical and spatial information. • at the UTM Library, we have a well established course related instruction program. We are now moving towards embedding information literacy into the course curriculum, including statistical and spatial literacy.

  40. Conclusion • The variety of online (statistical and spatial) resources and software now offered through the University of Toronto Libraries makes the teaching of statistical and spatial literacy essential…and attainable.

  41. Questions???

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