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ERIC Number: EJ1144425
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2017-Mar
Pages: 7
Abstractor: ERIC
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0025-5769
EISSN: N/A
Using Technology to Prompt Good Questions about Distributions in Statistics
Nabbout-Cheiban, Marie; Fisher, Forest; Edwards, Michael Todd
Mathematics Teacher, v110 n7 p526-532 Mar 2017
The Common Core State Standards for Mathematics envisions data analysis as a key component of K-grade 12 mathematics instruction with statistics introduced in the early grades. Nonetheless, deficiencies in statistical learning persist throughout elementary school and beyond. Too often, mathematics teachers lack the statistical knowledge for teaching required to help students build solid conceptual understanding of fundamental data analysis concepts such as mean, median, and standard deviation, opting instead to teach statistics exclusively with a focus on procedural knowledge. In this article, the authors present technology-based tasks that, through careful questioning, foster conceptual understanding of statistics and engage students in statistical reasoning. Interactive statistics software is central in this activity, as it serves as a vehicle for generating more cognitively demanding questions while providing students with tools to explore statistical concepts dynamically, generating numerous examples to test conjectures and uncover patterns within data. The discussions that presented are based on informal observations the authors have made in professional development sessions with grades 7-12 math teachers over the past several years. Exploring revisions to the grade-calculation task discussed in the opening vignette, the authors illustrate ways in which technology automates much of the computational drudgery associated with procedural tasks while focusing increased attention on concepts in a manner consistent with GAISE Report recommendations.
National Council of Teachers of Mathematics. 1906 Association Drive, Reston, VA 20191. Tel: 800-235-7566; Tel: 703-620-9840; Fax: 703-476-2570; e-mail: NCTM@nctm.org; Web site: http://www.nctm.org/publications/mathematics-teacher/
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Descriptive
Education Level: Secondary Education; Grade 7; Grade 8; Grade 9; Grade 10; Grade 11; Grade 12
Audience: Teachers
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A