|
It all started on a Saturday in November 1996, when we hosted an NSF sponsored "STATS: Statistical Thinking with Active Teaching Strategies" workshop for 24 participants, featuring Allan Rossman and Robin Lock.
They presented several sessions discussing teaching statistical
thinking with more data and concepts, less theory and fewer formulas;
active learning alternatives to the lecture method; and resources for
teaching statistics.
+ + + + + + + + + +
In June 1997, we presented our first two-day statistics conference, Beyond the Formula, here at Monroe Community College in Rochester, NY. Our program focused on Teaching Techniques. David Moore,
our keynote speaker, made two presentations: "Reforming the Teaching of
Statistics" and "Statistics, Mathematics, and Teaching." Allan Rossman spoke about "Student Activities for Analyzing Data", David McNitt lead discussions about "Creating a Learning Experience", Robert Johnson presented three classroom lessons using Minitab, and Roger Andersen made an after-dinner presentation, "Humor in the Classroom." David Bakken, Charles Knauf and Cheryl Utter
each presented a case study. Sixty-five participants attended, coming
from 4 providences of Canada, The Netherlands, New York State and 9
other U.S. states.
+ + + + + + + + + +
In June 1998, our second two-day statistics conference, Beyond the Formula II focused on curriculum. Jessica Utts
was our keynote speaker and made presentations titled, "Engaging
Students in Thinking about Statistics", "The AP Statistics Curriculum",
and "Adding Concepts to the Statistics Curriculum." Rick Cleary presented non-high tech "Alternatives to the Statistics Lecture", Paul Zeitz led sessions using Excel, and Martha Aliaga led sessions using the TI-83, Robert Johnson and Patricia KubyCarolyn Gray and Carl Wetzstein spoke about problem-solving and statistical thinking approaches to teaching statistics. After-dinner Alex Kugushev gave us a glimpse into the future using the Internet as a teaching tool. Robert Boser, Robert Vitello and Gregory Sokaris
each presented case studies. Sixty-three participants attended from
Canada, Japan, New York State and 12 other US states. made
presentations using Minitab.
+ + + + + + + + + +
August 1999 brought our third Beyond The Formula two-day
statistics conference, "How modern technology is effecting the teaching
and learning of statistics, and how this technology can best be
incorporated into the classroom." Robin Lock
was our keynote speaker and gave four talks: "How has technology
changed the teaching of statistics?" "Where do we go from here", "Some
Tasks for Evaluating Statistical Software", and "WWW Resources for
Teaching Statistics." David Mathiason, Gary McClelland, Robert Heckard and Laurie Snell presented sessions on using the internet and its resources. Roxy Peck talked about teaching in a "studio setting" and Lori Thombs presented methods for using a laboratory. Fred Djang showed us ways to use the TI-83 calculator and Tina Konrath gave sessions on tips for getting the most out of Minitab. Rick Cleary presented a variety of "low tech" classroom methods. After-dinner, George Cobb
asked and answered the question: Are we paying so much attention to
"how" we teach -- computers, the web, activities, groups, projects --
that we are neglecting "what" we teach? Jason Lucas and Patty Cyr
presented case studies. Sixty-five participants attended from Canada,
Mexico, Netherlands, Tasmania, New York State and 15 other US states.
+ + + + + + + + + +
Beyond the Formula IV took place in August 2000 and was shaded toward an emphasis on statistics curriculum. We were fortunate to have Richard Scheaffer,
President of ASA, leading off the conference with a look at "Statistics
for a New Century" and sending us off on the second day with a
comprehensive history of statistics education. Joan Garfield
presented a summary answer to the question, "What's being taught in
statistics courses around the country?" from her study of a number of
colleges. William Harkness, Ruby Evans and Mario Triola
on the other hand focused, on their own institutions to bring us
insights on curriculum and teaching techniques, some which had stood
the test of time and others which were new and experimental. Fred Djang on the TI-83, Christine Sarris with Minitab in the world of CyberStats, and Robin Lock
using Fathom software directed our attention to using technology in the
teaching of statistics. Textbooks were not forgotten as David McNitt
led a discussion time that tried to sort out the good and bad points of
texts we love and hate. "Probability, don't forget it," was the theme
of Kyle Siegrist's talk, and a powerful argument he made, too. From outside the academic world, Nathan Hatch and Patrick McAuliffe
gave us an inside look into applications of statistics, in the
evaluation of doctors and hospitals with clinical data and the
improvement of manufacturing methods respectively. Finally, we learned
that statistics can be entertaining and an aid in reasoning for real
world situations from the experienced and well-traveled Robert Hogg.
Sometime after "finally" we threw a group of the speakers together on a
panel and asked them to dialog on the "Ideal Statistics Course." After 27 presentations, do you think the 85 participants and 14 speakers who were gathered could reach a consensus?
+ + + + + + + + + +
Monroe Community College's Damon City Campus was the site of Beyond the Formula V in August 2001
with 11 major speakers in 18 sessions and 82 participants representing
68 schools and colleges from England, Belgium and 15 US states. The
speakers were asked to address the issue of putting into practice the
changes in curriculum, teaching techniques and technology that have
recently been bubbling up in statistics education.
Roxy Peck
of California Polytechnic State University asked the question, "How
would you teach someone to serve at tennis?" She then used this
illustration to springboard into her three talks about changes in
statistics education that involve what is taught, how it is taught and
the new challenges for those of us who are doing the teaching. Peter Carlson
of Delta College showed us how he has introduced an online component to
his courses and how to prepare for the difficulties that might occur
when using this teaching approach.
Activity based cooperative learning was the contribution of Julie Morrisett Clark
of Hollins University as she explained that approach and some possible
activities that could lead students to discover statistic principles
and techniques. Deborah J. Rumsey of Ohio State also
advocated for a student centered learning environment with the
instructor filling the role of facilitator, not lecturer.
James J. Higgins
of Kansas State spoke on the importance of tying the teaching of
statistical techniques to the scientific investigations of problem
solving. To simulate that approach he has developed Planet X,
population 500,000, to provide a rich source of investigations for his
students. For John P. Holcomb of Cleveland State,
team writing projects provide an ideal way to show the
interconnectedness of statistical concepts and he shared some of his
own projects as well as demonstrating a number of his student
assessment techniques.
Robert W. Hayden
of Plymouth State spoke on exploratory data techniques in statistics
and urged us to make use of them throughout our courses from beginning
to end. Thomas Short of Villanova provided some
ammunition for ways in which to include the topics of experimental
design and the power of statistical tests, even in our introductory
courses. o special presentations added some enlightenment on atypical topics for participants. Gloria S. Dion
of Educational Testing Service challenged us to consider various
aspects of test security in the presence of sophisticated calculator
technology and shared a number of stories on various scenarios. A two
person panel of Mike Simpson of Key College Publishing and Carolyn Crockett of Duxbury Press discussed textbook publishing, its challenges, goals and hazards.
As the organizers
had hoped, participants in Beyond the Formula V had been presented with
a wealth of ideas about how to invigorate their courses with new
applications, techniques and concepts.
+ + + + + + + + + +
"Constantly Improving Introductory Statistics: The Role of Assessment" was the title of Beyond the Formula VI, held once again at MCC's Damon City Campus, in August 2002. The 90 participants were split about evenly between high school, two-year and four-year college teachers.
Joan Garfield,
U. of Minnesota, was back, this time as keynote speaker, directing our
attention to the goals of introductory statistics with an emphasis on
developing statistical reasoning and thinking. She followed this with a
presentation on integrating a variety of assessment methods in a first
statistics course.
Also speaking on assessment were Beth Chance, Cal Poly, whose focus was on written exams, but included group projects as well; Gary Kulis and Norayne Rosero,
Mohawk Valley C.C., addressed recent initiatives from SUNY requiring
institutions to develop models for assessing student learning outcomes
in areas of General Education.
John Spurrier
has been involved with an activity-based laboratory in teaching
statistics at the U. of S. Carolina and in three presentations he
explained the redesign of his course and highlighted experiments that
are used as hands-on learning experiences. Allan Rossman,
Cal Poly, used a hands-on session to present a simulation activity
designed to lead students to explore probability distributions. Allan
and Beth jointly presented a further activity-focused session exploring
ways to help post-calculus students discover and apply statistical
concepts as well as a session outlining an introductory statistics
course for prospective mathematics teachers. In his final talk, Allan
addressed decision-making with still another activity, this time
analyzing the famous "secretary problem."
Patricia Kuby, Monroe C.C., and Paul Velleman,
Cornell U., addressed technology in the teaching of statistics. Pat
conducted a workshop on the use of Cyberstats in Web pedagogy and
course management. Paul challenged participants to utilize technology
to teach their statistics courses in new ways with a Think, Show and
Tell approach. In a second talk, Paul extended these ideas to
multimedia approaches to teaching, including text, sound, video,
animation, simulation and student interaction.
James Bohan,
Manheim, PA, Township School District, used one presentation to give an
overview of the AP Statistics course and a second to emphasize the
importance of sampling distributions to statistical inference,
illustrating his talk with the TI calculator statistics capabilities. Beth Chance led a discussion of the 2002 AP Exam with sample papers and strategies for preparing students for the exam.
The conference contained two talks on case studies, the use of statistics in the real world by practitioners of the craft. Scott McNitt,
a statistics modeler for Sigma Marketing Group, explained the use of
basic regression techniques in marketing a specific new product. Kent Gardner,
Center for Governmental Research, shared analysis techniques and
problems in evaluating efforts in education reform in local schools.
As a special treat, "Florence Nightingale" in the guise of Elizabeth Heston,
Skidmore College, presented an autobiological case study based on her
pioneering statistical work in the field of nursing starting in the
19th century.
Before the final bell, there was time for two freewheeling discussion sessions, one for AP teachers, led by James Bohan, and the other for college teachers led by David McNitt, Monroe C.C.. At the final bell, Joan Garfield
helped us put it all together with a description of different
approaches to teaching statistics based on studies of innovative
teachers.
+ + + + + + + + + +
The seventh edition of Beyond The Formula, a conference addressing the teaching of a first course in statistics, was held in July 2003,
on Monroe Community College's Damon Campus in downtown Rochester, NY.
The focus was on using technology in teaching and speakers addressed a
variety of technology options and the impact of their use on the
curriculum.
Paul Velleman,
Cornell U., was the keynote speaker and presented his ideas on the
teaching of statistical thinking and the essence of the "lean, but
beautiful" elementary stat course. Statistical curriculum topics were
covered by Floyd Bullard, NC School of Science and
Mathematics, in his discussion of "The German Tank Problem" dealing
with sampling variability and then again as he presented his views with
evidence on the subjectivity of hypothesis tests. John McKenzie,
Babson College, made choosing data sets the focus of one of his talks
and shared a long list of objectives that choosing the right data sets
can accomplish. Sterling Hilton, Brigham Young U.,
focused his use of technology on the teaching of variability including
strategies for implementation and assessment.
Rob Carver,
Stonehill College, led off the presentations on technology by showing a
number of ways in which the use of software, as classroom demonstration
and as component of student assignments can speed learning and take the
drudgery out of calculations. Webster West, U. of SC,
showed a teaching approach using Java applets for various topics and in
a second session showed how Webstat, a Web-based analysis package, can
be used to achieve the same goals. In another Web-based presentation, Ginger Holmes Rowell,
Middle Tennessee State U., discussed the problem of choosing among the
many Web materials available to develop a statistics digital library. Michael Larsen,
U. of Chicago, presented his ideas on using technology to connect
topics throughout a first course in statistics. His second talk used a
number of examples to illustrate ways to integrate the information
available on Internet sites with the learning objectives of the first
course. In his second talk, John McKenzie spoke about the use of the
spreadsheet program, Excel, in teaching statistics, including the
negatives along with some benefits.
Joe Gallo,
Ferronics, Inc. addressed the statistical applications aspect of the
conference, in his presentation of case studies from the manufacturing
sector. An additional industry presence was provided Roger Hoerl,
GE Global Research. He spoke strongly of the need to instill an
understanding of core statistical concepts in the students who take our
courses. In a second talk Roger related the Six Sigma initiative of
industry to possible responses of the academic community.
Both AP and college
free-wheeling sharing sessions were also a part of the conference, as
was a panel discussion of presenters which addressed a number of
questions and comments from a plenary session of the conference
participants. During the first afternoon of the conference, an exhibit
of publishers allowed participants to examine new texts and software
that is now or will soon be available.
Two Thousand Four was a vintage year for statistics talk. How could it be otherwise with BTF VIII keynoted by William Harkness and supported by a superb array of speakers and workshops.
Our theme was “Updating a Crowded Curriculum” and Bill challenged
us with ideas on “Restructuring Intro Stats”, both the what and the
how. Alternatives ideas on curriculum topics and course planning
were presented by Kirk Steinhorst, talking about a “slim and trim” course; Peter Holmes, a “truthful and useful” course; and Rex Bryce, Roger Hoerl and Ronald Snee
with three presentations on “a statistical thinking” approach.
There were a number of presentations that provided concrete suggestions
for the classroom regarding specific topics including Floyd Bullard with paper helicopters and data collection; Brad Hartlaub with methods based on counts and ranks; Linda Young on design of experiments; Robert Gould mean, median and mode helping to differentiate statistics from mathematics.
The importance and complexity of assessment in teaching statistics was
clearly evident from presentations on that topic by three
speakers. Peter Holmes,
who added an international flavor to our conference, gave us a British
perspective on the “two-edged sword” nature of assessment in
teaching. Carl Lee led a workshop based on a Demming style model to the task of assessment and Kirk Steinhorst’s proposals involved take-home/in-class tests.
Advances in technology continue to impact the teaching of intro
statistics and all BTF conferences have devoted time to helping
participants learn of new ways to use these advances. Mary Harrison
demonstrated in two sessions the benefits of using the TI-83/84 or the
TI-89 to focus on the meanings of statistical calculations. Jason Krasowitz illustrated new developments in Minitab graphics and Ruth Carver provided a hands-on activity involving Fathom software to use in teaching the central limit theorem and other topics.
The strong interest in AP Statistics was addressed by three speakers. Brad Hartlaub gave a snapshot of the AP statistics program, Robert Gould reported on INSPIREd, the NSF-funded project to prepare first-time AP statistics and Floyd Bullard filled us in on “what’s in and what’s out” with the curriculum.
The three additional sessions that rounded out the conference included
a review of the findings on student attitudes and motivations and their
influence on learning statistics by Carl Lee; a case study, “SAT Scores and First Semester GPA” by Angel Andreu and the ever popular “Search for an Ideal Statistics Course” by the panel of Linda Young, William Harkness, Brad Hartlaub and Peter Holmes.
|
