Data - Level 2 (HD1/L2)

Skills, knowledge and understanding		Example
Adults should be taught to:
1 .	extract discrete and continuous data from tables, diagrams, charts and line graphs	Extract information from a holiday brochure (dates, flight times, costs, supplements, reductions, insurance, etc.).
	understand how to use scales in diagrams, charts and graphs
	know how to interpret information from bar charts, pie charts, and line graphs with more than one line

Sample activities

Discuss the difference between continuous and discrete data. A useful example is that the size of shoe someone wears is discrete, but the length of their foot is continuous.
Look at graphical representations of discrete and continuous data - line graphs for continuous data, e.g. conversion graphs.
Extract information from tables in price lists, catalogues, brochures, web sites.
Discuss the information produced by local councils to explain how their money is spent.
Examine Social Trends (The Stationery Office) or other government publications.
Discuss the key elements of line graphs. Look at the use of different scales and their effect on the graph. Look at trends from the slope of the graph.

Skills, knowledge and understanding		Example
Adults should be taught to:
2 .	collect, organise and represent discrete and continuous data in tables, charts, diagrams and line graphs	Measure a patient's temperature at regular intervals and represent it in a line graph. Measure a baby's weight at weekly intervals over a period of time and record it in a line graph.
	understand that continuous data is collected through measurement
	understand that continuous data can only be collected to a certain degree of accuracy
	know how to choose a suitable scale to fit the data
	label charts, graphs, diagrams

Take temperature readings over a period of time and represent them in a line graph.
Measure the growth of a plant over a period of time and represent it in a line graph.
Collect and record data from exchange rates or a particular share issue over a period of time. Display the data in a table or graph.
Use given sets of data and represent them in a suitable form.
Explore different graphic representations using a spreadsheet program.

Skills, knowledge and understanding		Example
Adults should be taught to:
3 .	find the mean, median and mode, and use them as appropriate to compare two sets of data	Compare the mean and median house prices from local data.
	understand what is meant by mean, median and mode	Compare the mean and median house prices from local data.
	understand that each average is useful for different purposes

Discuss the use of mean, median and mode. Why is the median sometimes a 'better average' than the mean (e.g. average earnings may be distorted by very high salaries)? When might mode be used (e.g. the truancy rate against the age or year group)?
Compare sets of data using data collected in the above activities. Compare them with the data collected by another person who has undertaken a similar survey. Compare them with published results. Compare them with the performance of currency or shares from a previous time period.
Enter a formula in a spreadsheet to calculate the mean of a set of data. Explore the AVERAGE, MEDIAN and MODE functions (under 'Insert: Function, Statistical' in Excel).

Skills, knowledge and understanding

Example

Adults should be taught to:

4 .

find the range and use it to describe the spread within sets of data

Compare the rainfall in two locations.

Compare the distribution of pay scales in two organisations.

understand that the range is the difference between the highest and lowest values in a set of data

Consider the use of range in everyday language, e.g. price range, age range.
Compare the range in given sets of data, e.g. the range in the monthly rainfall at two different places (if possible, places with a similar annual total but different range, e.g. Niagara Falls and Mexico City).
Collect data of interest and compare the range, e.g. local house prices with those in another area, local council tax bands with those of another council.

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