Here’s the final product right before the TSA representative collected it from me:
So, there is an error. Could I use this picture to offer our learners an opportunity for error analysis? Could this picture be used to discuss communication and correct notation?
Here’s what happened. I arrived at the airport in Seattle for a 1:15 flight to Atlanta. Upon arriving at the security checkpoint, a TSA representative handed me a slip of paper (shown below) and asked me to hand it to the ticket checker.
Fun! How might we use this type of data collection at school?
What if we used this method to collect data about carpool? Having the time I arrived at security told me how long I had been standing in line. I wonder if, when in a hurry, it feels like it takes longer to get through than it really takes.
The TSA agent checked my ID; I scanned my e-boarding pass, and she recorded the time. Another opportunity for math. How long did this portion of the process take?
Only five minutes passed. A basic, everyday math problem. How often do we subtract times? How authentic are the questions on our assessments? Do they have context? Is this a (dreaded) word problem?
There’s one more stop before passing through security. My line – I always pick the slow one – stalled as the TSA representatives changed shifts. Again, I wondered if this felt longer than it really was taking. Holding the slip of paper allowed me to say to the nice but fidgety man in line ahead of me that we’d only been in line twelve minutes at this point. He said “Twelve minutes; that’s not so bad.” Ahh…to have data.
I arrived at the security checkpoint, unloaded my MacBook, put my shoes and bags on the belt, and passed through the detector. I handed over the slip and then asked if I could take one more picture.
What was the total time I spent in line? How do we explain the error in the data collection? Could this type of data collection help us in our school community? Could our young learners use this type of data collection to find context and meaning for their learning? Would we make different decision if we collected data and made data-driven decisions?
How might we show math in action?
Experiments in Learning by Doing 
I like… the real-world connection. The transfer to other contexts (waiting in the lunch line). That you asked if you could take the pictures. I like… the invitation to collect data to inform and support our decision-making and responses to our experiences. I wonder… what would happen if we brainstormed all the kinds of data we could collect and use this way in a day? And then did it and captured our thoughts and reflections and questions?
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