This paper is from Session 8A: Research on developing students’ statistical reasoning in primary and middle school

which comes under Topic 8: Research in statistics education

Other papers under session 8A ... 8A1: Developing primary students’ ability to pose questions in... 8A2: How students’ spontaneous use of statistical tools shapes their... 8A3: Emergence of reasoning about sampling among young students in the...

(Monday 12th, 14:00-16:00)

Developing statistical reasoning facilitated by TinkerPlots

Presenter

• Noleine Fitzallen (University of Tasmania, Australia)

Co-author

• Jane Watson (University of Tasmania, Australia)

Abstract

Of interest in this study, based in a class of 26 Year 5/6 students, is the way TinkerPlots facilitated the development of statistical reasoning for students with no previous data handling experience. The class completed four lessons related to data collection, data representation, data summary, and data inference based on a sporting activity, where they had recorded their heart rates before and after the event and used the software TinkerPlots to analyse the data. A month later 12 of the students were individually interviewed with a three-part protocol using TinkerPlots to assess their reasoning in relation to comparing two data sets, to hypothesising relationships and providing evidence, and to interpreting differences in large data sets. The consolidation and transfer of reasoning evidenced in the student interviews demonstrated the value of employing TinkerPlots in the classroom.

Other papers under session 8A ... 8A1: Developing primary students’ ability to pose questions in... 8A2: How students’ spontaneous use of statistical tools shapes their... 8A3: Emergence of reasoning about sampling among young students in the...