I’m fairly self-righteous about my personal commitment to a healthy lifestyle. I pride myself on sleeping 8 hours every night. I’m happy to tell anyone willing to listen how I perform better after sleeping 8 hours and often wax on about how deeply I sleep as soon as my head hits the pillow.
Until my son showed me how to use my Fitbit to monitor my sleep. The sleep data showed I consistently sleep less than 6 1/2 hours a night. During my sleep, I’m typically awake for 60 to 90 minutes, wake up 3 to 4 times a night and I’m actually a light sleeper.
Empowered by the data, I’ve made behavior changes and now sleep a rejuvenating 8 hours.
This process was a tangible reminder of the power of data….and how data can powerfully effect learning. When you show a teacher the data of a student’s progress, the teacher can use the data to change behaviors and outcomes. Student data can inform parents and all others committed to student success. Most importantly, student data can provide meaningful feedback to the student. The student learns he can take responsibility for his own learning trajectory.
Student Data can create powerful change. It is one of the most powerful, under-utilized forces in education. The time has come for us all to wrap our arms around it and drive better learning outcomes.
