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This lesson was dedicated to data science skills. We discussed storytelling in general, and in particular referred to the rhetoric triangle (Hazzan & Rakedzon, 2022). The lesson was facilitated by Dr. Tzipora Rakedzon, co-author of the above-mentioned blog and Associate Head of the Technion’s Department of Humanities and Arts.
The lesson started off by asking the students what data science skills they had already acquired in the course. The students mentioned mainly (but not only) cognitive skills: individual learning, learning in a changing environment, adaptation to changes, computational thinking, statistical thinking, concept perceptions as processes and as objects, 21st century skills, and presentation skills. In addition, in the spirit of the MERge model (Hazzan & Lis-Hacohen, 2016), the prospective teachers mentioned the importance of disciplinary knowledge in computer science, mathematics, statistics, and the application domain.
After Dr. Rakedzon presented the idea of the rhetoric triangle, the students worked on the following tasks.
Task 1 (In pairs)
Present your project (see Table 1 in Grading policy and submissions) according to the following guidelines:
- Choose two of the four audiences that we discussed (lay/general, investors, policymakers, or scientists/engineers).
- Fill in the table with the information your audience needs in order to understand the importance of your project. Address each side of the triangle separately (logos, ethos, pathos; 1-2 sentences per side).
- Add another example audience according to your choice and apply the task to it as well.
Task 2: High school data science – a student and a teacher’s perspective
- As a high school pupil, what do you need to know before you start planning your project or presentation?
- As a teacher, how would you guide your high school pupils in the process of planning their project presentation?
- Is the rhetorical triangle applicable to high school data science projects?
A discussion was held after each task.
For example, with respect to the second question in Task 2, how to guide high school pupils in the process of planning their project presentation, the prospective teachers described the gradual project development process they would lead their pupils through, which would also include questions they would pose to their pupils intended to guide them in formulating the different edges of the triangle. The prospective teachers also mentioned additional mentoring practices such as teaching their pupils to use tools for self-learning, showing the pupils examples of other pupils’ projects, and to dividing the project into small parts and developing it gradually,
At the end of the lesson, the students were asked to share, via the chat function, their opinion with respect to the usability of the rhetoric tringle in general, and specifically in the context of data science education. The students mentioned the usability of the triangle in all domains of life and the importance of considering who the audience is and preparing the presentation based on this knowledge.