Studio checkpoint: write an ethical data plan
Teams turn the approved question into a practical collection protocol. They identify the population, sample, variables, consent boundaries, responsibilities, and a response plan for missing or sensitive data.
- Studio move: Data-plan template, risk check, and teacher approval conference
- Portfolio evidence: A collection protocol ready for field use
🎯 Learning Intentions
- Understand different data collection methods (survey, experiment, observation)
- Design clear survey questions to avoid bias
- Plan for ethical data collection
🎥 Media Anchor (8 mins)
Video: Research Skills for Students
- Which data collection method best matches your investigation question?
- How will your plan improve reliability and fairness of results?
1. Discussion: How do we get answers? (10 mins)
Brainstorm ways to get data:
- Survey: Asking people questions (e.g., opinions, habits)
- Observation: Watching and counting (e.g., cars passing by, birds in garden)
- Experiment: Testing something (e.g., how far paper planes fly)
- Existing Data: Using internet research (e.g., Stats NZ data)
2. Concept: Bias and Fairness (15 mins)
What is bias? When data doesn't tell the whole truth.
- Question Bias: "Don't you agree that rugby is the best?" (Leading question)
- Sampling Bias: Asking only your friends about school issues.
Activity: "Fix the Bias." Students correct biased survey questions.
3. Task: Design Your Plan (20 mins)
Students create a plan for their investigation:
- Question: (Using I-V-G from Lesson 2)
- Method: Survey? Observation? Experiment?
- Tools: Paper survey? Google Form? Tally chart?
- Who/What: Who will you ask? Where will you observe?
4. Ethics Check (5 mins)
Is your plan creating harm?
- Permission: Do people know you are collecting data?
- Privacy: Are you asking overly personal questions?
- Respect: Are you being culturally safe?
📋 Teacher Planning Snapshot
Ngā Whāinga Ako — Learning Intentions
Ākonga plan the collection and confront who their method includes and excludes.
Ngā Paearu Angitū — Success Criteria
- ✅ I can say who I will ask, and who that leaves out.
- ✅ I can write my method clearly enough for another group to repeat it.
Differentiation & Inclusion
Scaffold support: A plan template with the sampling decision pre-flagged: who will you ask, and who does that leave out? Extension: design a second method and compare what each would miss.
ELL / ESOL: Teach 'sample', 'population', 'bias' by asking the class who is NOT in the room.
Inclusion: Planning is where roles start — collector, recorder, analyst, presenter. Every ākonga holds one.
Mātauranga Māori lens: Generational monitoring works because the method stays the same across years. Ask ākonga what would have to be written down for next year's class to repeat this exactly.
Prior knowledge: Students should have basic familiarity with data displays (bar graphs, dot plots). No prior statistical investigation experience required — the PPDAC inquiry cycle provides accessible scaffolding for first-time investigators.
Curriculum alignment
- Te Mātaiaho (2025) · Mathematics and Statistics · Phase 3 (Years 7–8) · Statistics (Practices): “- Planning and collecting data in order to respond to a statistical question (e.g. Are our feet the same length?) - Calculating the mean, median, and mode for numerical data - Calculating the range for numerical data”
- NZC (2007) · Mathematics and Statistics · Level 4: “Plan and conduct investigations using the statistical enquiry cycle: – determining appropriate variables and data collection methods; – gathering, sorting, and displaying multivariate category, measurement, and time-series data to detect patterns, variations, relationships, and trends; – comparing distributions visually; – communicating findings, using appropriate displays.”
This lesson develops the Level 4 statistical-investigation objective through a real stage of the PPDAC cycle. See the unit curriculum companion for the exact source statement and lesson-to-evidence map.