This paper is from Session 9F: Technology for developing statistical thinking, reasoning, and literacy

which comes under Topic 9: Technology in statistics education

Technology for developing statistical thinking: a psychological perspective

Presenter

• Peter Sedlmeier (University of Chemnitz, Germany)

Abstract

Recent years have seen tremendous advancements and innovations in technology that also can be (and have been) used for teaching statistical thinking, reasoning, and literacy. However, these modern technological tools do not automatically yield better learning results than those achieved with traditional methods of instruction. More important than technology itself is a sound theoretical basis for building an effective technological tool. It is proposed that this theoretical basis should include aspects of usability, pedagogical aspects, and also content specific aspects. A brief description of the ACT tutoring systems program illustrates what a successful combination of these three aspects could look like. Then, the importance of the often neglected content specific aspects is demonstrated with examples from our own research. It is recommended that a special emphasis should be given to a systematic and sound evaluation of such technological tools.