Developing Data Literacy and Fighting for Data Justice

This episode of the podcast features a conversation about working with adult learners around data literacy and data justice. I’m joined by Sherry Ruff and Bonnie Taylor, two long time adult educators who are committed to connecting the work done in their classrooms with the lives and concerns of their students outside of them. Earlier this year the three of us took part in a study circle on communicative and data justice sponsored by San Francisco State University. During the discussion, Sherry and Bonnie describe the action research projects they engaged in and share lesson they learned about teaching from a data justice perspective. A key point is how adults should not just be the object of somebody else’s study – they should be identifying issues and leading the research and analysis themselves. The discussion also touches on how to communicate their findings in ways that are most effective– this means working with learners on the nature of rhetorical strategies and creating visuals to make data easier to understand. Related Links: RI DOH Health Equity Zone World Health Organization Centers for Disease Control and Prevention