In this lesson by Gary Kader, Christine Franklin, Tim Jacobbe, and Kaycie Maddox, each student tries two methods for selecting a sample from the population of words in the Gettysburg Address: self-selection and simple random sampling. Then, as a class, students construct dotplots and calculate numerical summaries to show how sample means vary from sample to sample. Using … [Read more...] about Lesson Plan: How Long Are the Words in the Gettysburg Address?
Statistics
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
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
Announcements: Winter 2019
Upcoming Conferences Meeting Within a Meeting (MWM) Statistics Workshop for Middle- and High-School Mathematics and Science Teachers Denver, Colorado – July 30–31 Meeting Within a Meeting (MWM) Statistics Workshop for Middle- and High-School Mathematics and Science Teachers will take place in conjunction with the Joint Statistical Meetings. The workshop is … [Read more...] about Announcements: Winter 2019
Why 0.05? Two Examples That Put Students in the Role of Decision-Maker
By Leah Dorazio Any teacher of introductory statistics has heard this question more times than they can remember: “Why 0.05?” Here, the value 0.05 refers to the significance level in a hypothesis test. A nice overview of hypothesis tests is described in the Fall/Winter 2015 issue of STN. In this article, I provide a brief review of the concepts of hypothesis test and … [Read more...] about Why 0.05? Two Examples That Put Students in the Role of Decision-Maker
Helping Community College Math Instructors Teach Statistics Effectively
By Matt Teachout We are reaching a crisis at community colleges across the country. The number of STEM majors (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) has dramatically decreased, while the number of non-STEM majors continues to rise. At my college alone, only about 30% of our students are STEM majors. The Problem Here is the problem as I see it: The … [Read more...] about Helping Community College Math Instructors Teach Statistics Effectively
Editors’ Note: Winter
Welcome back to school! It’s so much fun to see photos and hear of back-to-school stories, which seem to take place from July through the end of September in the United States. I hope this edition of Statistics Teacher finds you well, back in the groove of your classroom, and that it contributes to your statistical teaching this year. The first article is by Matt Teachout, a … [Read more...] about Editors’ Note: Winter