Despite the dearth of literature specifically on teaching statistics using social justice, there is precedent in the more general realm of teaching using social justice, or even in teaching mathematics using social justice. This article offers an overview of content examples, resources, and references that can be used in the specific area of statistics education. Philosophical and pedagogical references are given, definitional issues are discussed, potential implementation challenges are addressed, and a substantial bibliography of print and electronic resources is provided.
As a way to engage all of the students who pass through our classes, the CURV database profiles statisticians and data scientists with backgrounds that aren't typically seen in our textbooks and histories. With dozens of accounts, you can use the database for a statistician-of-the day activity.
Celebrate the contributions of people year round with "awareness" months. This document gives you a starting point for months where you can share the contributions of people who may not look like the students in your class. For example, Amstat.org regularly interviews statisticians for Black History Month and Women's History Month.
Students practice setting up research questions and discussing observational studies about wastewater discrimination in Alabama. This activity has students first work alone, then come together as a group, before turning in their answers as a group. The class was an online introductory statistics class.
Engaging and motivating students in undergraduate statistics courses can be enhanced by using topical peer-reviewed publications for analyses as part of course assignments. Given the popularity of on-campus therapy dog stress-reduction programs, this topic fosters buy-in from students whilst providing information regarding the importance of mental health and well-being as it impacts learning. This paper describes how instructors can use a study on the benefits of human–dog interactions to teach students about study design, data collection and ethics, and hypothesis testing. The data and research questions are accessible to students without requiring detailed subject-area knowledge. Students can think carefully about how to collect and analyze data from a randomized controlled trial with two-sample hypothesis tests. Instructors can use these data for short in-class examples or longer assignments and assessments, and throughout this article, we suggest activities and discussion questions.
Dr. Rochelle Gutierrez (2002) stated "equity is ultimately about the distribution of power - power in the classroom, power in future schooling, power in one's everyday life, and power in a global society." This presentation unpacks ways in which statistics classrooms can put power in students' hands.