On the Pedagogy of Randomness: Effectively Teaching How Random Is Relative in High School

By Mark Louie Ramos, The Pennsylvania State University

The idea that randomness is relative to the observer is a critical concept in statistical estimation and inference, but it is not typically discussed in K-12 statistics classes, nor in basic undergraduate statistics courses for nonstatistics majors. It is argued that prominently including this concept in statistical education pedagogy is important to support practical comprehension on why and how statistical tools work. Examples in the form of classroom dialogues and visual aids are provided to illustrate how statistics teachers can implement this easily in their classrooms.

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