Efficiency in Minitab

This simple Minitab simulation exercise illustrates the concept of efficiency of estimators. Students compare the sampling distributions of the sample mean, median and mid-range from a normal distribution and from a uniform distribution. The striking differences observed give rise to much discussion.     

Water Quality Statistics

Water quality experiments, especially the use of macroinvertebrates as indicators of water quality, offer an ideal context for connecting statistics and science. In the STAR program for secondary students and teachers, water quality experiments were also used as a context for teaching statistics. In this article, we trace one activity that uses virtual streams and repeated sampling to develop the notion of a hypothesis test for one proportion.     

Using Consulting for Teaching Elementary Statistics

Consulting in statistics is usually deferred until at least near the end of a first degree, but this article shows how some aspects can be effectively taught to students in upper secondary or early tertiary courses in a way which reinforces their learning of standard basic concepts. We suggest that the existence of a real client adds a degree of realism not available in other ways, and emphasizes to students the importance of blending statistical calculations with meaningful communication.     

Minitab Menus-Do They Help or Hinder?

A comparison of the levels of difficulty experienced by students in the use of Minitab through its menu interface and its command language showed no advantavge in using the menus.     

Experiences from Teaching Statistics Using Directed Projects in Greek Elementary School

In this article, we present the main findings of an experiment which involves teaching statistics in the 5th and 6th grade classes of Greek elementary schools. This experiment focused on the evaluation of the potentials of teaching statistical concepts and methods using directed projects.     

Beginning Statistics with Cuisenaire Rods

Cuisenaire Rods provide a concrete embodiment for teaching mean, median, and mode to middle schoolers. These statistical concepts are traditionally only taught abstractly, but may be better understood via manipulatives.     

Exploring Correlation Coefficients with Golf Statistics

This article explores the relationships between several pairs of statistics kept on professional golfers on the PGA tour. Specifically, two measures related to the player's ability to drive the ball are compared as are two measures related to the player's ability to putt. An additional analysis is made between one statistic related to putting and another that measures how effectively the player tends to reach the green. An analysis of which statistic has the most impact on a player's score is also included. The article concludes with an interesting extension relating the statistics of professionals to the performance of an amateur golfer.     

Statistics and the Mathematical Processes

The increasing emphasis on what mathematicians do as distinct from what they know in the development of school mathematics curricula presents some interesting possibilities for teachers of statistics. This article looks at these processes and suggests the kind of influence that they may be having on schools.     

The Language of Statistics

The discussion of problems associated with the use of language, specifically vocabulary and symbolism, is extended from the teaching and learning of mathematics to the particular area of statistics.     

Fishy Statistics

Being a statistical detective can provide a strong motivation for early work in data handling. Media reports can often start a fascinating chain of events, as this article shows.     

Elementary methods for computation of quartiles

Quartiles are usually introduced early, often in primary school together with box‐and‐whisker plots. Various methods are used, and in lack of explanation in many textbooks at elementary level, this leads to unnecessary confusion. We discuss some elementary methods that are consistent with the most common definition and are also easy to understand.     

Motivating Inquiry in Statistics and Probability in the Primary Classroom

We describe how the use of a games environment combined with technology supports upper primary children in engaging with a concept traditionally considered too advanced for the primary classes: The Law of Large Numbers.     

Using IT to Investigate World Statistics

This article outlines the development of classroom materials and a number of associated datafiles involving the use of IT.     

Probability,Intuition and a Spreadsheet

Probability simulations are a useful way of helping students to challenge their intuitions about chance events. However, tossing dice and coins can be slow and messy, and may mask underlying long-run patterns. This article provides examples of probability simulations on a spreadsheet which overcome some of these difficulties.     

Using Mnemonics in Teaching Statistics

This article advocates the use of mnemonics as an aid to learning statistics. Some examples are supplied and others sought.     

Statistics poster challenge for schools

The analysis and interpretation of data are important life skills. A poster challenge for schoolchildren provides an innovative outlet for these skills and demonstrates their relevance to daily life. We discuss our Statistics Poster Challenge and the lessons we have learned.     

Common Elements Correlation

This work demonstrates common elements correlation, its extension to negative correlation, and the production of bivariate normal samples for a specified correlation matrix.