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Computing · Stage 6

Evaluate Data: Reliability, Bias & Big Data

Programs & Judgement · data — judge whether data is reliable and fair, and know that even huge 'big data' can still be one-sided

✦ Computing📘 Stage 6 · S6⏱ ~14 min🧒 Ages 10–12★ Free to start
I can judge data's reliability and bias at any scale.
Start the free lesson →⬇ Printable PDF
Kavi the owl for Computing
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Kavi and the Two Signs

Kavi found two signs in the forest. The big one shouted: "EVERY owl loves midnight snacks — 2 million owls agree!" The smaller one, in tiny print, added: "surveyed: 2 million owls… all queueing at the midnight buffet." Kavi grinned. "A big number is not the same as a fair one. Before I believe any data, I ask three things: where did it come from, who got left out, and can I check it?" That, Kavi decided, is how a clever bird judges data — at any size.

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What your child will learn

1Five questions that judge any dataBefore you believe a number, graph or claim, run it through five quick checks. Reliable data passes them; shaky data trips on one. Tap each check to hear what it asks.
2A huge dataset is not automatically a fair one'Big data' means data at enormous scale — millions or billions of records. Scale is powerful, but it does NOT cure bias: a giant dataset that left a group out is still one-sided. Tap each card.
3Reliable sign or warning sign?Each card is a clue about where some data came from. A reliable sign makes you trust it more; a warning sign tells you to be careful. Tap the right box for each one.
4How to judge a piece of dataJudging data is a little program — steps in order. Press ▶ Run and watch Kavi check a claim before believing it.
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A peek inside

A website claims '90% of people love spicy food!' Its only evidence is a poll run inside a chilli-sauce shop. What is the biggest problem with this evidence?
ask WHO was counted — the people inside a chilli-sauce shop already like spicy food

Try this at home: Data that leaves a whole group out and so gives a one-sided result is called ____.

Ready to play and learn?

Start the free interactive lesson, or print the handout for screen-free play.

Start the free lesson →⬇ Download PDF

Part of Computing · Stage 6 · S6 on KAVI Academy — a secular, whole-child learning platform for ages 5–12.