Proceedings

  • Data analysis can play an important role in bridging the gab between the world of mathematics and the student's world experience. Students study functions in class, but seldom have the opportunity to see these functions and their interactions exhibited in the world around them. As the students study the behavior of functions in calculus and precalculus courses, they learn how things should happen in theory. Through data analysis, the theory can be motivated and realised in the actual. The principles of curve fitting, re-expression, and residual analysis, offer a very exciting and enlightening basis for the motivation and derivation of many of the functions and functional concepts taught in high school algebra and in calculus. The Mathematics Department at the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics has created, tested, and published an innovative data-driven precalculus text and is presently writing a calculus course involving many laboratory experiences from which the examples in this article are taken.

  • The ups and downs of statistics in the school academic programs in France during the 1980's.

  • We report on a project of combined teaching of probability and statistics in the Italian secondary schools. The aim is to bring a group of secondary school teachers up-to-date, without getting involved with complicated arguments and trying to overcome the barriers created by prevailing opinions (such as the combinatorial or frequentist approaches) concerning the teaching of probability and statistics. The project involves the study of specific teaching patterns, which aim at inculcating the idea of inductive reasoning as complementary to deductive reasoning, and no providing a kit of statistical tools for use in practice. In fact, teaching based on subjective probability and Bayesian statistics allows the coverage in a short time of some of the most significant aspects of statistical thinking. This can be done through an inferential model based on the iterative use of Bayes' theorem: hundreds of experiments can be simulated on a computer using elementary software. New statistical data can be used to evaluate current (posterior) probability; then taking this as the starting point (prior probability), further experiments produce another posterior probability, and so on.

  • The three papers which follow were presented as part of a special session with the above title, organized by Professor Midzuno and his colleagues from the Statistical Association of Japan. In arranging them for publication in the Proceedings, however, we have preferred to group them with the sessions into which they naturally fall. The first three papers, presented here, give an overview of statistical education in Japanese schools. They are closely thematically linked, follow each other in natural sequence, and have been treated here as three parts of one general paper.

  • Statistics has rapidly developed with the help of modern probability theory and with the effective use of computers. Such an accomplishment marks a new era for statistics education. It is now time to think of how to teach statistics, taking into account both the subjects to be chosen and the actual method of education. At present we can see many places where mathematical statistics is efficiently used and where people are requested to learn statistics, not only in academic institutions, but also in daily life. The remarkable fact is that, compared to the past, the need for statistics has changed, and its appearances in actual subject fields have become highly modernised. We are therefore led to discuss now to teach statistics and to think of what topics should be taught. At this juncture, we are going to look over the present stage of practical use of statistics and to propose some ideas of statistics education by focussing our vision on high school level mathematics.

  • This paper presents a summary of the syllabi (statistical part) of different stages of education and addresses aiding factors and adverse issues in The Gambia.

  • The study of statistics in the post-compulsory years (11-12) in Victoria, Australia, has increased dramatically as a result of the introduction of the Mathematics Study Design within the Victorian Certificate of Education. The VCE is being phased in over a number of years and from 1991 will encompass all Year 11 and 12 mathematics in the State. Essential features of the innovation are its stateside nature and the strong link established between three key work requirements and four common assessment tasks. This paper provides an overview of these developments, with particular emphasis on the statistics education component.

  • This paper reports on the philosophy, contents, and readership of the journal Teaching Statistics since it was launched in 1979. Recent changes in the editorial policy are discussed.

  • The Statistics Teacher Network is a newsletter published by the American Statistical Association/ National Council of Teachers of Mathematics Joint Committee on the Curriculum in Statistics and Probability. The objective of the Network is to provide a vehicle for information exchange and sharing of ideas among all individuals who are involved in and committed to providing statistical education to all members of society. The newsletter creates that all important link between the classroom teacher and leading educators and statisticians who are in the forefront of the movement to enhance the teaching of statistics. Thus, the teachers and their administrators are able to learn firsthand about new techniques, materials, software, inservice programs, guidelines for teaching statistics, and current textbooks. Subscribers have the opportunity to share innovative projects which they have developed, submit questions, learn about their colleagues' activities, and be informed about professional conferences and training programs for teachers.

  • The National Curriculum for Mathematics recently introduced to all state schools in any UK school curriculum. Help and support is constantly sought by both primary and secondary teachers now attempting to implement this new initiative. In my role as Project Officer: Data handling in the National Curriculum I am attempting to meet these needs. This initiative has given us the opportunity to review how statistics is taught in our schools and to develop new strategies to improve upon existing good practice. The heading given to the statistical content in the National Curriculum is Data Handling, an unfortunate title which implies a passive act. It is my belief that statistics is best taught through active statistical investigation, in real life, practical situations offering meaningful and enjoyable learning experiences. Examples of the materials I have produced were discussed and further references to other recent international curriculum developments made. Some of the implications of the"National Curriculum" on primary teaching, secondary teaching and teacher training (retraining) were also discussed.

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