Literature Index

The development of a data-driven curriculum for high school mathematics appears to be in line with the needs of students to see more motivation and application within the mathematics classroom and to develop important skills to carry beyond the classroom. The revised curriculum under development is designed to raise the quantitative literacy off all students as it builds connections among mathematics, science, and technology. It models a new approach to the teaching of mathematics, the approach required by the NCTM Standards, as it emphasizes hands-on activities for students and discovery of concepts through data. Technology in the form of graphing calculators and computers is an integral part of the teaching and learning style being promoted through these materials and workshops. This project attempts to connect topics of importance in a modern mathematics curriculum to a modern view of statistical science for the purpose of enhancing student interest and skills in both areas.

Humor has been promoted as a teaching tool that enhances student engagement and learning. The present report traces the pathway from research to practice by reflecting upon various ways to incorporate humor into the face-to-face teaching of statistics. The use of humor in an introductory university statistics course was evaluated via interviews conducted with a random sample of 38 students. Responses indicated that humor aided teaching by providing amusement, breaking up content, bringing back attention, lightening the mood, increasing motivation, reducing monotony, and providing a mental break. Students that were already motivated and interested in statistics derived less benefit from humor, finding it at times irrelevant and distracting. The selective use of humor is recommended in teaching statistics, particularly for students that hold negative attitudes towards the subject.

Service-learning can mean different things and look quite different in varying statistics curricula that may include undergraduates, graduates, majors and non-majors across a wide array of higher institutions. The terms community engagement, volunteerism, community-based projects and service-learning are tossed around on various institutions‟ websites. The purpose of this article is two-fold. First is to provide an historical review of the evolution of service-learning activities to try to unify and define the terminology as one might use this pedagogy for statistics instruction. Second is to present some examples of how a first and second course in business statistics can step up from service-learning and move up the continuum towards reaping the reciprocal benefits of SERVICE-LEARNING (SL). In this article, service learning (note the omission of a hyphen) is a valued classroom service activity that separates the activity from the learning goals of the class, while service-learning (note the presence of a hyphen) is a teaching methodology in which the service and learning goals are carefully given equal weight in the development of the project so that classroom goals and service outcomes enhance each other providing a reciprocal experience for all participants (Sigmon 1994). When this careful design is a “method of teaching through which students apply newly acquired academic skills and knowledge to address real-life needs in their own communities” (ASLER 1994), SL unifies what students are currently learning in the classroom with the service they are simultaneously providing in the community. Careful design opens the door to provide opportunities of SL in an introductory, non-majors statistics class.

Literacy and informed decision making in an uncertain world require the ability to reason statistically. However, research indicates that, although conceptions of statistics and probability have steadily advanced within scientific and mathematical communities, adults in mainstram American society cannot think probabilistically or statistically about important societal issues. This problem is addressed through implementation and evaluation of a novel statistics course for students who are teachers or are considering a career in teaching. The course is designed to help students use statistical concepts as tools for social reasoning within simulations of real-world problem situations. The course is unique because of its connections with the community and its commitment to achieving a high degree of authenticity through simulations of realistic social problem solving.