Patrick (Pat) Hopfensperger is a career mathematics and statistics educator at both the secondary and higher education levels. A former high school teacher at Homestead High School in Mequon, Wisconsin, he later became involved in teacher education at the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee. Hopfensperger has been a national advocate for improving statistics education in K–12 classrooms and has served as chair of the ASA/NCTM Joint Committee on K–12 Education in Statistics and Probability. He was a lead contributor to Bridging the Gap Between Common Core State Standards and Teaching Statistics, an influential resource designed to help teachers incorporate statistical thinking and data analysis into classroom instruction. His work has focused on connecting mathematics, statistics, and real-world inquiry to help students become thoughtful consumers and producers of data.
We asked him the following questions to find out more about him and his involvement with statistics education.
Journey and Inspiration
What initially drew you to teaching? Did anyone inspire you? If so, who?
My dad and my high school mathematics teacher encouraged me to pursue teaching as a career.
When you began your career as a teacher, what did statistics education look like compared with today?
When I started in the early ’70s, there was hardly any mention of statistics or probability in high school mathematics textbooks. There were a couple lessons on combinations and permutations and a few lessons on measures of central tendencies, but not much else. My high school did not have a statistics course. Now, middle and high-school mathematics textbooks have incorporated stats and probability into their curricula, and many high schools have dedicated statistics courses, both AP and non-AP.
How did the GAISE recommendations change the conversation around teaching statistics?
I believe it helped state departments of education begin to focus on the importance of statistics education. Curriculum writers now had a guideline to follow as they developed material, and local school districts now had a blueprint they could use to incorporate statistics into their existing mathematics curricula.
Legacy and Philosophy
What inspired the creation of resources such as Bridging the Gap and other classroom materials you authored?
After GAISE came out, it became apparent there was a clear lack of quality lessons available that elementary, middle, and high school teachers could use to implement statistical thinking into their mathematics curricula. We wanted to showcase lessons that encouraged teachers to have students collect data and draw conclusions.
How would you describe your teaching philosophy? Can you give us one or two principles?
Actively involve students in their own learning and use the resources available, like technology, to enhance their understanding of the concepts.
Was there a particular student, classroom experience, or project that reinforced why you chose a career in education?
As math educators, we have all heard the phrase, “Where am I ever going to use this stuff?” I recall a senior in high school who was in my non-AP stat course. This course was designed for seniors who were struggling in mathematics and needed an alternative to pre-calculus. Shortly after the semester started, this senior stopped by after class and said that this was the first time he could see where he would use math in his life.
Reflections and Advice
What skills will students need in an increasingly data-driven world?
Students should understand that statistical analysis is an investigative process. They need to understand how to formulate a question that can be answered with data, design a plan to collect the data, analyze the data both graphically and numerically, and interpret the data to answer the original question.
In addition to these steps, students need to question how the data was collected and what techniques were used to analyze the data.
What excites you most about the future of statistics education?
Statistics education at all levels is much more prevalent. Statistics and probability are no longer just additional lessons. I see more students being actively involved in the collection and analysis of data.
What advice would you give educators who want to make statistics more engaging and relevant to students?
Involve your students in collecting the data, use technology to help in the analysis of the data, and encourage the use of simulations to help in the development of statistical concepts such as inference.
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