READING AND WRITING THE WORLD WITH CHILDREN: STATISTICAL THINKING AND MULTIVARIATE DATA

This article reports on research in which a teacher and researcher from a Brazilian public school conducts civic statistics teaching practices with multivariate data, based on Engel’s (2017) and on Freire’s (1989) reading of the world. The research with seven- and eight-year-old children illustrates the complexity of statistical thinking that starts from examining real data from the virtual comparison tool Dollar Street on how people live in the world. The aim is to understand how children invest in a multivariate dataset of images, texts, coded symbols, and locations to draw conclusions about reality. During the progression of the research, the broader issue of promoting the learning and use of statistical language was encountered. The outcomes highlight the potential for using multivariate data from meaningful contexts and personal experiences to expand children’s awareness of themselves and of the world through statistics.