Statistics Workshops for Math, Science Teachers Held at JSM

Katherine Halvorsen, MWM Program Chair, and Rebecca Nichols, ASA Acting Director of Education

The American Statistical Association sponsored a two-day Meeting Within a Meeting (MWM) statistics workshop for middle- and high-school mathematics and science teachers August 2–3 in conjunction with the 2011 Joint Statistical Meetings in Miami Beach, Florida. This year, 28 teachers attended the August 2 workshop, focused on high-school statistics content, and 18 teachers attended the August 3 workshop, which addressed statistical concepts taught in middle school. MWM workshops emphasize the growth of statistical literacy and thinking as teachers explore problems that require them to formulate questions; collect, organize, analyze, and draw conclusions from data; and apply basic concepts of probability. Teachers who attended MWM will complete a follow-up program that includes webinars and email contact.

The primary goals of MWM 2011 were to introduce middle- and high-school math and science teachers to the Guidelines for Assessment and Instruction in Statistics Education (GAISE) Report: A Pre-K–12 Curriculum Framework and statistical content of the Common Core Mathematics Standards, as well as provide an opportunity for teachers to discuss and apply these data analysis and statistical concepts. A secondary goal was to encourage cooperation between mathematics and science teachers in the teaching of statistics.

The MWM program is designed to enhance educators’ understanding of statistics and provide them with hands-on activities they can use in their own classrooms to strengthen the teaching of statistics in their schools.

“One of the primary missions of the American Statistical Association is to work for the improvement of statistical education at all levels,” said Ron Wasserstein, the ASA’s executive director. “We are pleased to reach out to the K–12 mathematics and science community through the MWM workshop and follow-up activities,” he added. “MWM will not only enhance understanding and teaching of statistics concepts in the classroom, but also provide participants with a network of statisticians and educators to assist in developing the quantitative literacy of their students.”

The first MWM workshop was held in Salt Lake City, Utah, in 2007 and focused on middle-school math and science teachers. Its success led Martha Aliaga, ASA director of education, to recommend expanding the Denver MWM workshop in 2008 to a two-day format that included separate strands for K–4, 5–8, and 9–12 teachers. MWM 2009 in Washington, DC, included parallel strands for K–4, 5–8, and 9–12 teachers on the first day with a field trip to the U.S. Census Bureau on the second day. MWM 2010 in Vancouver, BC, was the first international MWM workshop and was jointly sponsored by the ASA and Statistical Society of Canada and included both U.S. and Canadian presenters and participants.

Each workshop day of MWM 2011 consisted of three sessions and a closing period used to reflect on the day’s work and provide comments about the program to the organizers. The sessions were preceded by a brief overview of the GAISE report and Common Core Standards relevant to the audience. The three sessions in the high-school program included discussions about statistical questions and study design and displaying and summarizing categorical and quantitative data, as well as a randomization test for testing the significance of a difference between two groups. The middle-school group participated in discussions about measures of center and spread, using random sampling, and investigating patterns in data.

Katherine Halvorsen, MWM program chair, planned the program, while ASA Acting Director of Education Rebecca Nichols managed the website, application and evaluation procedures, and logistics of setting up and advertising the workshop. Martha Aliaga, ASA director of education, provided guidance, as did members of the ASA/NCTM committee and the MWM speakers. MWM 2011 presenters included ASA/NCTM Joint Committee past chair Patrick Hopfensperger (Homestead High School), GAISE report author Chris Franklin (University of Georgia), Sandra Madden (University of Massachusetts), and Halvorsen (Smith College). Additionally, ASA President Nancy Geller, ASA President-elect Bob Rodriguez, Wasserstein, and South Florida Chapter Treasurer Robert Magari welcomed attendees. Mary Townsend of Statistics Canada, who helped organize MWM in Vancouver, BC, attended MWM this year as a visitor.

All teachers attending MWM were given a certificate of participation issued by the ASA. Teachers may receive 0.5 semester credit hour, through Adams State College, for attending one day of the workshop and 1.0 credit hour for attending both workshop days. MWM participants also received complimentary passes to attend statistics education sessions.

Some participants of the MWM high-school session also attended the Beyond AP Statistics (BAPS) Workshop on August 3. The ASA will provide follow-up activities throughout the 2011–2012 school year, including webinars.

MWM 2012 will take place in San Diego, California, jointly with JSM. Do you know K–12 mathematics or science teachers interested in enhancing their understanding and teaching of statistics within their mathematics and science curricula? If so, encourage them to register in March of 2012. Chapters also are encouraged to sponsor one or more teachers to attend the workshops. Further information will be available on the website. Questions should be directed to Rebecca Nichols at rebecca@amstat.org or (703) 684-1221, Ext. 1877.