Your instructor recently noticed that there are different types of golf clubs in a golf bag. There are those which look like an alien head on a long neck. These are woods, although they don’t appear to have anything to do with wood. Then there are flat clubs where the flat part is at various angles. These are irons. Another club looks kinda squatty like the ones they use at the miniature golf places. These are putters although it is hard to tell why. Perhaps they call them "put-ers" because they are used to "put" the ball into the hole. Anyway, apparently you use the putters when you are close, the woods when you are far away, and the irons when you are somewhere in between. Different clubs for different objectives. Please remember, however, that although it may have crossed you mind, we do not use golf clubs for behavior management. With that introduction behind us, lets move on to a discussion of types of data.
In a teacher’s golf bag of data collection strategies (what a masterful use of analogy) there are a variety of types of data one might use to monitor student performance. Some require the data collector’s undivided attention for significant periods of time. Others demand less attention, and others little at all. In some cases the person being monitored can even be taught to monitor her own behavior. It is important that a teacher think carefully about the kind of data she will be taking in order to assure that she will get the information she wants on her student.

Sometimes teachers get frustrated with data collection. This could be because they 

For the moment, lets focus on the different types of data teachers might use in order to assess students and monitor their progress in educational programs. The six data types we will want to discuss are listed top left.  Visit the data types at the left and then . . .

You can email Dr. McNair at jmcnair@calbaptist.edu

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