Innovations in Teaching Statistics

✍ Scribed by Joan B. Garfield (editor)

• Publisher: The Mathematical Association of America
• Year: 2005
• Tongue: English
• Leaves: 152
• Category: Library

✦ Synopsis

"Innovations in Teaching Statistics" is a book of stories about teaching statistics. These stories are told by fourteen different instructors of innovative statistics courses, who demonstrate that learning statistics can be a positive, meaningful, and even exciting experience. Despite the prevailing opinion that statistics courses are dull and difficult for students, these stories paint quite a different picture. In the classes of the instructors whose stories fill this book, students are engaged in learning, are empowered to do statistics, and appreciate the instructional methods of their teachers. The instructors profiled in this book are inspiring, dedicated teachers who have devoted considerable effort to creating courses and materials that enable students to successfully learn statistics. Each chapter begins by describing how the author became a teacher of statistics, then provides details about the courses they currently teach, describing their teaching method, textbook, types of student assessments, and uses of technology. One typical class is described in detail, to provide a snapshot of what each person's teaching looks like. The writers then tell the story of the process they went through in developing an innovative course, and conclude their chapters with a discussion of their future plans for course revision or development. As you read these stories, you will learn about some great activities, some helpful technological tools and some innovative assessment methods. By reading these stories, teachers of statistics will understand and be motivated to try different ways to implement reform recommendations, so that these recommendations may continue to lead to a variety of new materials, activities, and teaching approaches. I hope that teachers of statistics may be inspired by these stories and feel encouraged to try new methods, leave behind more traditional approaches to teaching statistics, and carefully examine the effect of their teaching on student learning.

✦ Table of Contents

cover
copyright page
Innovations in Teaching Statistics
Forword
Contents
1 Introduction
Section 1 Statistics Teachers in Mathematics Departments
2 Teaching a Data-Oriented, Activity-Based Course
Becoming a teacher of statistics
My course
A typical class
Some sample activities
Student assessment
Developing an innovative statistics course
Future plans
References
3 Using the PACE Strategy to Teach Statistics
Becoming a teacher of statistics
My courses
A typical class
Assessment
Developing an innovative statistics course
Future plans
References
4 Statistics as a Core Course in Liberal Arts
How I became a teacher of statistics
My course
A typical class
Questions on homework
Presentation of the day’s topic
Class assessment
Student assessment
Developing an innovative course
Future plans
References
5 Teaching a Technology-Enhanced Statistics Course in a Liberal Arts Environment
Becoming a teacher of statistics
My course
A typical class
Assessment
Developing an innovative statistics course
Future plans
References
6 Teaching a CHANCE Course
Becoming a teacher of statistics
My course
A typical class
Assessment
Developing an innovative statistics course
Future plans
References
Section 2 Statistics Teachers in Two-Year or Community Colleges
7 Teaching Statistics to Under-Prepared College Students
Becoming a teacher of statistics
My course
A typical class
Student assessment
Developing an innovative statistics course
Future plans
References
Appendix 1 Part of the First Day Questionnaire
Appendix 2 Sheet of graph labels
Appendix 3 Example of a completed scrapbook
Appendix 4 Questions used to guide inquiry about relationship of sample size to distributions of sample means.
8 Active Learning and Technology in the Community College Classroom
Becoming a teacher of statistics
My course
A typical class
Assessment
Developing an innovative statistics course
Future plans
References
Section 3 Statistics Teachers in Departments of Statistics
9 Teaching Interactive Statistics for Understanding
Becoming a teacher of statistics
My course
A typical class
Student assessment
Developing an innovative statistics course
Future plans
References
10 Teaching Statistics through an Immersive Learning Environment
Becoming a teacher of statistics
My course
A typical class
Assessment
Developing an innovative statistics course
Future plans
11 Becoming an Active Learning Facilitator in the Statistics Classroom
Becoming a teacher of statistics
My course
A typical class
Assessment
Developing an innovative statistics course
Future plans
References
12 Integrating Pedagogies to Teach Statistics
Becoming a teacher of statistics
My course
And now
A typical class
Student assessment
Assessment of the course
Developing an innovative statistics course
Future plans
References
APPENDIX Guidelines for full lab reports
Section 4 Teaching Statistics to Students in Other Disciplines
13 Teaching Statistics as a Language to Students in Psychology
Becoming a teacher of statistics
My course
A typical class
Assessment
Developing an innovative course
Future plans
References
Appendix 1 Sample Project
14 Teaching Statistics to Beginning Researchers in Psychology
Becoming a teacher of statistics
My course
A typical class
Assessment
Developing an innovative course
Future plans
15 Teaching Statistics to Business Students
Becoming a teacher of statistics
My course
Topics covered
A typical class
Assessment
College of Business.Developing an innovative statistics course
Future plans
References
About the Editor