Beyond Human Error

This was a three-day workshop for high school science teachers. Measurement and error are key ingredients for all science applications. Both align with the Next Generation Science Standards, but many high school students struggle to understand the importance of error analysis and prevention. Over the three days we examined multiple experiments going on at Fermilab and discussed the ways that scientists take measurements and reduce error on these projects. Participants met and worked with scientists from Fermilab and University of Chicago to look at how error analysis takes place at Fermilab and bridged those ideas into high school classes. Teachers discussed lesson plans available at Fermilab and their own methods of teaching error analysis. Additionally, participants heard from high school students who participated in summer research as they presented their findings and linked students' learning back to the teachers' understanding of error recognition and analysis.