This paper is from Session 9K: Alternative and creative ways to teach statistics
which comes under Topic 9: Technology and multimedia in statistics education
Paper 9K1 (Wednesday 11th, 11:00-12:30)
Data in Search of a Context: An Icebreaker Activity
Presenter
- Alexander White (Texas State University, United States)
Co-authors
- Amanda Walker (Texas State University, United States)
- Layla Guyot (Texas State University, United States)
Abstract
Context is a key component to statistical reasoning (Cobb & Moore, 1997) and influences data collection, analysis and interpretation. However, students may be challenged by the interplay between data analysis and the context. In our introductory statistics courses, we use an icebreaker activity to give students a chance to introduce themselves and explore data with an unknown context. As the context is slowly revealed, we find that students learn about what information is provided by the data separate from the context. We present how students engaged in the activity, by creating graphs of their own and identifying features of data representations that help them reveal the context. We discuss how concepts introduced in the icebreaker activity can be developed in later classes.