Affective recollections of statistical education among K–12 school counselors By Anna Yu Lee The American Statistical Association hosted a booth at the annual American School Counselor's Association conference in Los Angeles July 14-17, 2018, to promote the practice and profession of statistics among approximately 3,000 K-12 school counseling professionals. ASA … [Read more...] about How You Feline?
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Building Understanding of Randomness from Ideas About Variation and Expectation
By Jane Watson and Noleine Fitzallen, University of Tasmania This article is based on professional learning devised to help Australian middle-school teachers build an appreciation for randomness before content related to sampling and variables are introduced in later years. It is accompanied by a PowerPoint presentation teachers, teacher educators, and professional learning … [Read more...] about Building Understanding of Randomness from Ideas About Variation and Expectation
Teaching Quartile Location Using Sample Size Divisibility
By Jon-Paul Paolino, Mercy College Quartiles are descriptive measures of location that can be introduced to students as early as primary school and are taught at the tertiary education level across the world. To successfully locate the quartiles of a univariate data set, basic counting and arithmetic are required. However, particularly in the tertiary-level statistics … [Read more...] about Teaching Quartile Location Using Sample Size Divisibility
Ambiguity: The Biggest Challenge Lies Ahead
By George Cobb Thoughtful statisticians know what far too many users of statistical methods do not, the big and open secret that hides in plain sight: Inference from data cannot be reduced to rules. To oversimplify, but only a little, the mistaken readiness of students and researchers to rely on rules in statistics has its roots in two sources: a natural human instinct … [Read more...] about Ambiguity: The Biggest Challenge Lies Ahead
Re-Envisioning the Mathematics Teaching Practices as the Statistics Teaching Practices
By Natasha E. Gerstenschlager In 2014, the Mathematics Teaching Practices (MTPs) were released by the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics in Principles to Actions: Ensuring Mathematical Success for All. These eight practices are described as practices based in research that ensure students receive quality mathematics instruction. As a mathematics teacher educator, … [Read more...] about Re-Envisioning the Mathematics Teaching Practices as the Statistics Teaching Practices
Model t, or a Newer Randomization?
By Sean Bradley, Clarke University Anyone who loves math appreciates a good mathematical model. There is no shortage of useful workhorses in statistics–normal, t, F, and chi-square distributions come quickly to mind. Mathematicians and statisticians of yesteryear developed these beautiful models to overcome the inability to use brute force methods to answer statistical … [Read more...] about Model t, or a Newer Randomization?
What Is Power?
By Angela L.E. Walmsley and Michael C. Brown, Concordia University Wisconsin For many teachers of introductory statistics, power is a concept that is often not used. In many cases, it’s avoided altogether. In fact, many Advanced Placement (AP) teachers stay away from the topic when they teach tests of significance, according to Floyd Bullard in “Power in Tests of … [Read more...] about What Is Power?
How to Lie (to Congress) with Statistics
By Kirk Anderson and Mary Richardson, Grand Valley State University On September 17, 2014, testimony was given at a House Veterans’ Affairs (VA) Committee hearing. Participants included a member of the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, Rep. Tim Huelskamp (R-Kansas), and the chief of staff for the Phoenix VA Health Care System, Dr. Darren Deering. Rep. Huelskamp took issue with … [Read more...] about How to Lie (to Congress) with Statistics
Where’s Wenda? An Activity on Teaching Middle-School Students Data Privacy
By Claire M. Bowen and Evercita C. Eugenio When middle school students hear the word science, many imagine looking at bacteria under a microscope or mixing chemicals over a Bunsen burner, not writing mathematical equations or typing code on a computer. At the University of Notre Dame, 230–280 middle-school girls (6th through 8th grade) attend Expanding Your Horizons (EYH), … [Read more...] about Where’s Wenda? An Activity on Teaching Middle-School Students Data Privacy
When Losing Is Winning: An Exploratory Analysis of Data from The Biggest Loser
By Mary Richardson and Daniel Adrian Students should be exposed to current and interesting data sets. Most, if not all, will have at least some familiarity with The Biggest Loser television show. Portions of the following discussion have been adapted from Wikipedia, visited on July 2, 2016. The Biggest Loser is an American reality TV show that debuted on NBC on … [Read more...] about When Losing Is Winning: An Exploratory Analysis of Data from The Biggest Loser