Teaching Data in the Classroom with Interactive Storytelling

My first learning experience took place in a one-room schoolhouse, where my mother was the preschool teacher. The value of education was constantly hammered home at home. My mom went on to earn her Doctorate in Education, reinforcing the idea that learning is a lifelong pursuit.

I’ve always dreamed of seeing our work in data visualization play a role in reaching kids.

Then along came Danish researcher Alejandra Celis Vargas, on a research mission to make Open Data more accessible and engaging in the classroom. Along with George Papageorgiou, she wanted to create a student- and teacher-friendly way to build data literacy—and she found the perfect tool in Juicebox.

“Juicebox was the only platform allowing users to immerse in interaction with visualizations for data analysis and data storytelling.”

The result? The Open Data Newsroom, an interactive game that helps elementary school students develop open data competencies while solving a mystery. Here’s the storyline:

A chief editor from the ‘Data Journalists Hackers’, an international network of investigative reporters, reaches out to local journalists with a challenge:

Several mysterious events have been unfolding over the past two weeks, sparking fear and confusion among citizens. The network has gathered four cases and collected open datasets—but they need the help of local journalists (the students!) to dig into the data, solve the mystery, and uncover the truth.

It’s free. It’s interactive. It’s collaborative. And it’s a powerful way to introduce students to the importance of data analysis and storytelling in a way that feels real and relevant.

Ms. Vargas has moved on to new research, but I’d love for this to be just the beginning:

• If you’re a teacher, try the game in your classroom and reach out if you want to customize it for your school or district. Here’s the teaching guide.

• If you’re a data literacy educator, consider how this gamified model might apply to your students.

• If you’re my mom: “Look, Ma—I’m teaching kids about data!”