Foundations of Mathematical Thinking · Senior Infants

Active learning ideas

Data Collection Methods

Active learning lets children explore data collection through movement and collaboration, which strengthens their understanding more than worksheets alone. When they physically sort, ask, and test, abstract concepts like sampling and tallying become concrete experiences they can describe and repeat.

• NCCA Curriculum Specifications
• NCCA: Junior Cycle - Statistics and Probability - SP.1

• 25–40 min
• Pairs → Whole Class
• 4 activities

Activity 01

• Stations Rotation
• 25 min · Whole Class

Whole Class Survey: Favourite Colours

Ask each child their favourite colour and mark tallies on a large floor chart. Count totals together and discuss why blue got most votes. Children predict before revealing results.

Can you sort these objects into groups , what groups did you make?

Facilitation Tip

During Whole Class Survey, circulate with a clipboard to model asking each child the same question so everyone’s voice is included equally.

What to look for

Provide students with a set of mixed objects (e.g., buttons of different colors and sizes). Ask them: 'Can you sort these into two groups? What did you use to make your groups?' Observe their sorting and listen to their explanations.

• Remember
• Understand
• Apply
• Analyze
• Self-Management
• Relationship Skills

Activity 02

• Stations Rotation
• 30 min · Pairs

Pairs Observation: Playground Choices

Pairs choose one playground area, observe for 5 minutes, and tally activities like climbing or jumping. Pairs share tallies on class board and note patterns. Compare observations across pairs.

How many children chose their favourite colour as blue?

Facilitation Tip

For Pairs Observation, assign roles: one child tallies while the other watches, then switch after five minutes to keep both children engaged.

What to look for

Ask students: 'Imagine you want to know everyone's favorite fruit in our class. Would it be better to ask everyone, or just ask three friends? Why?' Guide the discussion towards the idea of a sample representing a larger group.

• Remember
• Understand
• Apply
• Analyze
• Self-Management
• Relationship Skills

Activity 03

• Stations Rotation
• 35 min · Small Groups

Small Groups Experiment: Roll or Stop

Give groups ramps and toys. Predict, test rolls, and record yes/no in tables. Groups sample three toys each and share to build class data set.

How did you decide which group to put this object in?

Facilitation Tip

Set up Station Rotation so every pair visits each station before moving on, using a timer to maintain pace and focus.

What to look for

Give each student a small piece of paper. Ask them to draw one thing they could observe on the playground and write one word about what they saw. For example, drawing children playing and writing 'running'.

• Remember
• Understand
• Apply
• Analyze
• Self-Management
• Relationship Skills

Activity 04

• Stations Rotation
• 40 min · Small Groups

Stations Rotation: Data Methods Stations

Set stations for survey (poll partners), observation (watch toy play), experiment (drop tissues), sorting (group shells). Groups rotate every 7 minutes, recording one note per station.

Can you sort these objects into groups , what groups did you make?

Facilitation Tip

In Roll or Stop, give each group three identical balls but different surfaces to test, so results can be compared quickly after the activity.

What to look for

Provide students with a set of mixed objects (e.g., buttons of different colors and sizes). Ask them: 'Can you sort these into two groups? What did you use to make your groups?' Observe their sorting and listen to their explanations.

• Remember
• Understand
• Apply
• Analyze
• Self-Management
• Relationship Skills

A few notes on teaching this unit

Teachers use open questions to guide children toward noticing patterns rather than rushing to correct answers, for example asking, 'How did you decide where this toy belongs?' instead of naming the group for them. It helps to model data collection aloud while doing it yourself, so children hear the thinking behind choices like why a blue toy goes in the blue group. Avoid moving too quickly to abstract symbols until children have solid experience with real objects and real questions.

Children will confidently explain how they group objects by attributes and justify their choices with clear language. They will use tally marks or simple counts to record information and share their findings with peers in a way that makes sense to the group.

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Watch Out for These Misconceptions

• During Whole Class Survey, watch for children who believe one answer represents all opinions.

  Use the colour survey results to show how patterns emerge when more children answer, then ask the class to predict what the next five children might say to reveal sampling power.

• During Pairs Observation, watch for children recording opinions instead of observable facts.

  Prompt pairs to use tally marks only for what they see, for example tallying 'children climbing' rather than 'children who like climbing,' and model rewriting vague terms on the spot.

• During Station Rotation, watch for children treating sampling as counting every single item.

  After Roll or Stop, ask groups to compare their small-sample bounce heights to the class average, showing how a few tests can represent the whole set.

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Methods used in this brief

• Stations Rotation