Data Science and the “Three Rs”

Doing Homework Together with my Grandkids

I just finished my first year of grad school. I’m working on a master’s degree in data science while my grandchildren who live with us are in elementary school. I come home from work, they come home from school, and we do homework together. Fun!

As data scientists, we are motivated to change the world. One of the easiest ways to do that is to share what we do with the people who will be making the big changes in the long-term: the children.

Common Core and Real Learning

When I was in grade school, the big controversy was the “New Math”. The math was not new, of course! The curriculum simply explained the why instead of just using rote memorization and pulling magical formulas out of the air. I loved it. My parents hated it because they were not taught math that way and had a hard time helping me. That was ok because I learned to learn on my own.

Today, common core math is stirring up the same kind of emotions in parents. Take a chill pill. The math is correct. Don’t tell kids they can’t subtract a bigger number from a smaller one. Tell them the truth. Just show them what it means.

If you don’t understand counting up to subtract, or using grouping to add and subtract, or something else, just ask your kid! Don’t be afraid to let them know you don’t know. Asking your child to explain concepts will help them learn too.

And by asking, you set examples of open-mindedness and respect. Your relationship with your child or grandchild will grow because of such a simple act as just asking questions.

Doing Science and Growing Up

The practice of data science is being scrutinized like common core right now. Some people are offended that we are calling ourselves "scientists". Some say the term is just PR or sales "fluff" without real meaning.

We are just seeing a new discipline going through growing pains, just as computer science did forty years ago. Data science incorporates statistics and predictive analytics. It leverages software engineering and algorithms. It uses visualization and storytelling. It depends on data governance and ethics. Data science is not the same as any of these disciplines. It is a new profession.

You do not have to have a Ph.D. to be a scientist. We are born as scientists. Children naturally question and test the world. We start by putting pretty much anything in our mouths. And children are mature questioners by the age of 8. “Why…why…why…why…why…?” That can be annoying, I know. And manipulative. My 3-year-old daughter quickly learned that she could delay bedtime by asking her mathematician father, "Dad, what's infinity?" But it's a lot of fun to see curiosity bloom in children. Nurture that in your little scientists.

Homework

Doing data science well requires, more than anything else, to do the “3 Rs” (reading, writing, ‘rithmetic) well. It’s been good to get an elementary school perspective on these skills.

I don’t need to explain the third “R”, arithmetic. Solid math skills are absolutely required to be a data scientist and are used throughout our lives, no matter what work we do.

The first “R”, reading, is an extension of watching and listening, the original survival skills that human beings needed. Encourage your children to read. Nurture their love of reading. I cannot think of any profession that does not depend on reading for success and advancement. Reading even fiction improves communication, imagination, and foresight.

The second “R”, writing, includes storytelling and presentation skills. We are never done practicing these because our audiences are always changing. We communicate better when we connect to our audience emotionally, and that can only happen by knowing more about them. Then write in plain language. Speak to them so they don’t have to work to understand you.

Your children don’t use jargon when they write. There is a lesson for us in that! Check out this book written by Lincoln Griffith when he was just six: We Went Walking in the Wash. I think his message is easy to understand and it motivates the reader because of that. Ask yourself if your writing is as clear.

Communicating clearly, completely, and concisely is something we all need to do, whether we are data scientists or not. A data scientist must be able to communicate well above all else. Otherwise, what is the point of doing the work in the first place?

The mandatory next steps are practice, practice, and practice. This applies to third-graders and graduate students alike. Do your homework!

Sharing

Working together with my grandkids has been a gift of joy to me. And by letting them see my commitment to my work, and my enjoyment of it, they have developed pride in their own work. They no longer talk about “going to school”. We all “go to work” in the morning and do our homework when we get home.

And I think that I'm learning at least as much from them as they are from me.