This is a session of Topic 6: Innovations in teaching probability

Session 6F (Thursday 12th, 11:00-12:30,   Level 2 - AV Study Room)

Novel Approaches to Teaching Probability

Organizer

• Helen Chick (Australia) : Session chair

Abstract

The teaching of probability involves many challenges, and students often struggle to understand how to analyse a probability situation in such a way that they can proceed to determine the likelihoods of certain events. They may have difficulty determining context, relationships, dependencies, and the connections between theory and situation-based practice. In this session, three novel approaches to teaching probability will be discussed, along with their implications for conceptual understanding, probabilistic reasoning, and computation. These approaches include (i) the use of diagrammatic representations to identify the sample space in a conditional probability situation, which will be examined from a semiotic perspective; (ii) the use of classroom discourse and justified argumentation to analyse situations such as the Monty Hall problem, including a focus on developing an effective classroom culture of discursive reasoning; and (iii) the use and development of appropriate empirical simulations that allow students to better connect theory and context and build computational skills, with discussion on how this can build better intuitions.

Papers