The American Statistical Association will host Meeting Within a Meeting—a free, virtual statistics workshop for middle- and high-school math and science teachers—July 24–25, with additional opportunities to continue learning all year with community-building and virtual learning options. This workshop is being conducted on behalf of the Joint Committee of the American Statistical Association and National Council of Teachers of Mathematics. This year’s theme is “Building the Future Through Student Engagement with Data and Statistics.”
The MWM program provides middle- and high-school mathematics and science teachers an opportunity to discuss and apply the data analysis, data science, and statistical concepts embodied in the NCTM Catalyzing Change books and the ASA’s Guidelines for Assessment and Instruction in Statistics Education (GAISE) Report. The workshop emphasizes the growth of statistical literacy and thinking as teachers explore problems that require them to formulate questions and collect, organize, analyze, and draw conclusions from data. Teachers will learn to use strategies and technology tools that support students’ learning and empower them to investigate questions using real-world data.
The MWM workshop was 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. A secondary goal was to encourage cooperation between mathematics and science teachers in the teaching of statistics and make connections between teachers and local statisticians. “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 workshop is free, though space is limited and registration is required by June 30. Around 100 teachers are expected this year. Due to support from the ASA Biopharmaceutical Section, a small stipend is available. Participants engaged throughout the workshop will also receive a certificate documenting 10 hours of professional learning that may be submitted to their local agency for CEUs.
MWM was held in person at the Joint Statistical Meetings from 2007–2019 and has been held virtually since 2020. Katherine Halvorsen of Smith College served as MWM program chair from 2007–2021. Hollylynne Lee and Gemma Mojica of NC State University have served as co-chairs since then. Both are also co-directors of the Hub for Research and Innovation in Statistics Education (HI-RiSE) at the Friday Institute. Additionally, ASA K–12 Statistical Ambassador Christine Franklin is on the planning committee and has been involved with MWM since the first workshop in 2007.
More free K–12 statistics education resources are available on the ASA website and Statistics Teacher.
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