Workshop Agenda

The workshop will consist of nine sessions held during 9:00 am - 5:00 pm each day. The contents of the sessions are described below.

Sessions 1 and 2: Planning a conceptual course using common threads and big ideas

During these sessions we will examine the main ideas that underlie a statistics course. Facilitators will share their planning process for a course, including methods used to identify key ideas. Participants will work in groups to build their own concept map for introductory statistics.

Sessions 3 and 4: Making the class interactive with activities

In these sessions facilitators will provide a framework for incorporating student activities within the classroom. Participants will use this framework to identify and prepare activities of their own for use in the classroom. Participants will also be introduced to CAUSEweb.org, an online library of statistics teaching materials to aid in finding materials for classroom use.

Sessions 5: Finding and using real data

A very effective strategy to encourage student involvement in the classroom is to have them use real data. In this session facilitators will share their experiences in using real data. Participants will find sources of data from the internet and explore in-class activities, which can generate data from the students themselves.

Session 6 and 7: Using technology in the classroom

These sessions will demonstrate a wide variety of statistical packages and their use in the classroom. These sessions will compare the advantages of various packages for classroom use. Extensive discussion will be given for using simulations to help students understand statistical concepts. Demonstrations will include calculator and computer based data collection systems.

Session 8: Assessment in the classroom

In this session participants will be introduced to a variety of assessment techniques that allow them to evaluate student learning. This session will also include an introduction to the Assessment Resource Tools for Improving Statistical Thinking (ARTIST). This comprehensive web-based resource includes an assessment builder and extensive resources for creating authentic assessments.

Session 9: Participant discussions and presentations

During this final session participants will compile the resources and materials they have found during the preceding sessions into a cohesive notebook to take back for use in their own courses. This session will include presentations and discussions of the materials each participant produced.