FOOD FOR

THOUGHT

The goal of the Food for Thought project is to engage learners in conversations about the impact of their food choices on the environment. This allows learners to develop content knowledge and engage in data interpretation and synthesis skills.

In the first iteration of the study , the project team developed an app for use on large, multi-touch tables, that combined food choice, calories and costs (topics familiar to students) with data about the amount carbon and water that it takes to produce each food item. Students worked collaboratively to create meals, and were prompted to discuss the data describing the environmental impact of their choices in a classroom setting.

In the second iteration, additional visualizations were used to explore their impact on students' attention to the data. A study with local middle school students was conducted in May 2017.

The app was also adapted for use on iPads . Find out more at the Food for Thought website: https://www.foodforthought.illinois.edu/

Funding Source

This project was funded by the Illinios Campus Research Board Arnold O. Beckman award (Award number: RB15253)

The adaption to an iPad app was funded by the University of Illinois College of Education's Santee Research Funds.

Lawrence, L., Mercier, E., & Kelly, S. (2017, April) Designing for Data Literacy with Collaboration and Multi-touch Technology. Poster at the annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association, St. Antonio, TX, USA.

Kelly, S., Mercier, E., & Lawrence, L. (2017, April) Student Collaboration to Build Joint Understanding of Data. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association, St. Antonio, TX, USA.