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Bonnie and Hal’s 5 Tips for Teaching Statistics Tip #1 Professors’ behavior can maximize students’ achievement Tip #2 Meet students where they are, not where you wish they were Tip #3 Learn about pedagogy and use it to its advantage Tip #4 Don’t assume students know how to study Tip #5 Don’t reinvent the wheel

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Page 1: Tip #1  Professors’ behavior can maximize students’ achievement  Tip #2  Meet students where they are, not where you wish they were  Tip #3  Learn

Bonnie and Hal’s 5 Tips for Teaching Statistics

Tip #1 Professors’ behavior can maximize students’

achievement Tip #2

Meet students where they are, not where you wish they were

Tip #3 Learn about pedagogy and use it to its advantage

Tip #4 Don’t assume students know how to study

Tip #5 Don’t reinvent the wheel

Page 2: Tip #1  Professors’ behavior can maximize students’ achievement  Tip #2  Meet students where they are, not where you wish they were  Tip #3  Learn

Tip #1: Professors’ behavior can maximize students’ achievement

Be a role model Demonstrate behaviors you wish to see in

students Watch general tenor of class Don’t be a rude, arrogant, condescending jerk Do be yourself (at least the nice version of yourself) http://statisticalsage.wordpress.com/2010/09/19/want-to-e

ngage-students-dont-be-an-idiot/

Be prepared for class each day Practice calculations before coming to class If you say you are going to do something … do it Grade papers and return them promptly

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The Syllabus is more than a Contract

Formulate an explicit syllabus Assignments and requirements for each class How grades will be determined A bit about your expectations http://statisticalsage.wordpress.com/2010/08/

16/75/

Structure syllabus to assure appropriate pacing Plan on spending more time on critical

information Build a foundation at the beginning of the

semesterStatistics in the context of researchVariability, chance difference, uses of statistics

Tip #1

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Sum of Squares as Foundational Knowledge

Calculating the Sum of Squares 1 day conceptually 1 day calculations

Assignments and Exercises for Students 4.4 Extra few days of homework

Assignments and Exercises for Students 5.2

http://statisticalsage.wordpress.com/2010/10/05/engaging-learners-by-focusing-on-three-learning-styles/

Tip #1

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Sampling Distribution of the Means as

Foundational Knowledge

Sampling Distribution of the Mean 1 day M&M activity 1 day conceptually

Tip #1

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Standard Error as Foundational Knowledge

Standard Error Foreshadow this concept by talking about

individual differences in every class Every time you introduce a new research topic,

have students identify potential individual differences that can lead to sampling error

Tie in with sampling distribution of the mean activities/ discussion

Point out where the standard error is being calculated in various statistics

Tip #1

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Shaping Student Attitudes

Discuss beliefs about attitudes and their relation to academic success Encourage students to adopt a growth

mindset Have students complete Exercises 1.1 to 1.4

of Assignments and Exercises for Students. Discuss their responses in class or on a

discussion board Have students complete a mindset survey

http://mindsetonline.com/testyourmindset/step1.php

 http://mindsetonline.com/whatisit/about/index.html

Tip #1

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Engage Students

Engage students from the first day You are the best tool you have http://chronicle.com/blogPost/How-to-Avoid-Being-a-Jerk-in/26427/

Engage the various modalities, visual, tactile, and kinesthetichttp://statisticalsage.wordpress.com/2010/10/05/engaging-learners-by-focusing-on-three-learning-styles/

Get students interacting and talking On the first day

Be three standard deviations from the mean with a discussion on variability

http://statisticalsage.wordpress.com/2011/01/29/first-day-of-class-starting-off-right/

Every day Pedagogical practice (discussed later)

Anticipatory Set (opening activities) Every Pupil Response Modeling of calculations Using data gathered from students

http://statisticalsage.wordpress.com/2010/09/12/getting-them-to-talk/

There are additional examples throughout this presentation

Tip #1

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Tip #2: Meet students where they are, not where you wish they were

They would rather be in almost any other course Engage students from the first day

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Students Don’t Believe Statistics is Important???

It is likely they have no idea of why this course should be relevant to their plans Ask students to generate questions they

would like to answer Point out that statistics can be the tool to help

answer these questions Use their questions as examples while

defining those first few terms variability, statistics, variable, and data

Tip #2

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Weak Math Skills

Many students come to college woefully ill-prepared in mathematics Order of operation for calculations The difference between squaring a number

and finding the square root How to use the calculator for finding a square

root or to square a value Lining up the decimals before adding

subtracting How to convert a fraction into a decimal

Tip #2

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Learn how to control your “You have got to be kidding me” micro (macro)-expressions on your face

Solution for Weak Math Skills

Tip #2

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Solution for Weak Math Skills

Assign daily homework that meets the needs of your students (discussed later)

Use modeling to your advantage During steps of the calculation, include

reminders of elementary math You can have fun with it by acting like you are

“Calling a Game” “Describing a Fashion Show”

Tip #2Tip #2

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Example Phrases for “Calling the Game”

“OK, so here we have two negative numbers that we need to multiply. A negative times a negative is a positive … ”

“Now it’s time to square three, so that’s three times three, and we end with nine”

“What order should I calculate this in … oh, yes, Please Excuse My Dear Aunt Sally. We start with ‘please’ the P in ‘please’ stands for calculating what is in the parentheses first”

Tip #2

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Math Anxiety

It is not uncommon for more than ½ of a class to report high levels of math anxiety

Tip #2

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As discussed earlier, having students adopt the optimal mindset will Decrease their anxiety Increase behavior associated with success

Due to a lack of prior academic success, particularly in math, students often have low self-efficacy beliefs

Tip #2Change Students’ Thinking

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Students’ Mindset Impact their Behavior

Students’ with low self efficacy and/or entity mindset have behaviors that Keep them from being successful Can be interpreted that they don’t care

Solution Structure the class, homework, and non-graded

quizzes so students can experience success Quickly identify any potential areas of

weakness Help students adopt a growth mindset Use other techniques discussed (e.g., Every

Pupil Response or “Calling the Game”)

Tip #2

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For some professors …

English may be a second language for some students

Students may have weak reading skills Solution

Provide students with outlines of the reading material

Provide students with a list of vocabulary and symbols

All of the above recommendations, especially providing relevant, real life examples and having students generate ideas themselves

Tip #2

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Tip #3: Learn about Pedagogy and Make it Work for You

Concrete/real life/ relevant examples Teaching statistics as theory can be too

abstract Much of statistics developed in an applied

context Fisher developed many statistical techniques

in his studies of the effect of soil fertility on plant growth

Students enjoy hearing about research being conducted by people you know

Collect data from students Students enjoy “current” topics

Page 20: Tip #1  Professors’ behavior can maximize students’ achievement  Tip #2  Meet students where they are, not where you wish they were  Tip #3  Learn

Research found that in just and fair organizations, local employees were more likely to offer aid to their foreign coworkersBeing treated differently because you’re a foreigner doesn’t have to be a bad thing. Research published in Psychological Science found that in just and fair organizations,  local employees were more likely to offer aid to their foreign coworkers.Psychological scientists Geoffrey Leonardelli and Soo Min Toh, Univeristy of Toronto conducted two field studies on various local employees who have worked with an immigrant from another country. Locals were more likely to aid their foreign coworkers by sharing information and knowledge about the local area when there was clear categorization of local or foreigner and when they felt the organization was fair and bias-free.“Group-based differences often create an ‘us versus them’ mentality,” says Toh. “However, we found that when employees felt that they were treated fairly by their employers, group-based differences were more likely to manifest as an ‘us and them’ mentality.” Toh and Leonardelli’s findings suggest that immigrants may benefit more from openly sharing their foreign origin with coworkers rather than trying to blend in as a local. Leonardelli GJ, & Toh SM (2011). Perceiving expatriate coworkers as foreigners encourages aid: social categorization and procedural justice together improve intergroup cooperation and dual identity. Psychological science, 22 (1), 110-7 PMID: 21148458

Your source for the latest psychological research.

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Apply Statistics

Don't be afraid to introduce some basic principles of research Understanding statistics in the context of research

Increases understanding Increases sense of relevancy

Much of applied statistical thinking has been driven by attempting to improve decision making from data Business decisions Games of chance. Where would casinos be without

a grasp of probability? Predicting behavior like suicide or marital

happiness

Tip #3

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Scaffolding

Building upon research by cognitive developmental psychologists, this pedagogical practice encourages the instructor to Recognize when students are in the Zone of

Proximal Development Students cannot complete a task on their own, but

can with assistance Constrain the complexity of the situation so students

can master the task After mastery, the constraint is removed, yet the

student is still successful at the task This approach results in a much greater speed

of learning Kiess and Green (2010) applies this technique

Tip #3

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Example of Scaffolding

Before having students find the variance, have them practice finding the sum of squares (e.g., Assignment and Exercise 4.4 and 5.2)

Once they master finding the SS, finding the variance (sd, z-test, t-test, or r ) becomes much easier

Set AX

(X – M) (X – M)2

22

23

25

24

21

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Scaffolding can take Students Farther

Sometimes it may seem like students should be able to put multiple steps together

Adding that last step can be the straw that breaks the poor camel

By having students master the component pieces before putting them together, greater and faster success will be realized

Tip #3

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Modeling

Modeling Discussed Previously Showing students how to complete a problem

is not as helpful as truly modeling it for them, like “Calling a Game” or “Describing a Fashion Show”

Have students work along with you, completing the parts they already know how to do Every Pupil Response

Tip #3

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Every Pupil Response

Every Pupil Response Every Pupil Response is a pedagogical

technique that expects all students in the class to simultaneously respond

Getting students talking or engaging increases their intellectual engagement

There are different ways of getting all students to respond

This link has a list of activities for K – 6 students, but many of them will work for college students.

http://daretodifferentiate.wikispaces.com/file/view/Pre-assessment+Techniques+Chart.pdf

Tip #3

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Examples of EPR

Have everyone respond in unison What is this symbol? “little sigma” What does it represent? “population standard

deviation” Other examples:

Thumbs up, thumbs down for true and false questions Students can shade in area in a normal distribution Using your hand to demonstrate the answer (Likert

Scale) Using your hand, show me what the sum of the

deviations should be? “fist” or “O.K.” sign is shown to illustrate zero

With a thumbs up or down, who found the answer? http://statisticalsage.wordpress.com/2010/09/1

2/getting-them-to-talk/

Tip #3Tip #3

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Modalities

Visual, Tactile, & Kinesthetic Activities For decades, K-12 educators have been telling

children they are either auditory, visual, tactile, or kinesthetic learners

The research is questionable regarding students being better suited for one style of learning over another

http://chronicle.com/article/Matching-Teaching-Style-to/49497/

Tip #3

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Benefits of Multimodality

All people benefit from visual illustrations or hand-movements from the professor Illustrations on the chalk board Using sign language with initial letters (works

well with EPR) Mathematica http

://statisticalsage.wordpress.com/2011/01/08/before-the-semester-starts-im-playing-with-pictures/

Tip #3

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More Multi-modal tips

Hands-on activities (e.g., poker chips) You will keep students attention if they

have to move Have students draw concepts

Identifying and shading in regions associated with z-score and the normal distribution

The location of a t-test or F-test on the appropriate distribution

Tip #3

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Anticipatory Set

An opening class exercise presented to students prior to the start of direct instruction Enables students to anticipate what will be

covered during class Increases effective encoding of newly taught

information Increases integration of new material with

previously learned material Can make use of the benefits of self testing

Tip #3Tip #3

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Details of Anticipatory Set

Used to Motivate students Help students get mentally prepared to learn material Provides the context for the lesson

Examples of Anticipatory Set Non-graded quizzes Asking students to discuss a topic Provide students with a question at the end of the

prior class, and begin by discussing their answers at the start of class

Minute Papers Give students a minute to write what they learned from

the prior reading material, homework, or class

Tip #3Tip #3

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Tip #4: Don’t assume students know how to study

Encourage students to make use of: Flash cards for terms and symbols Assignments and Exercises for Students http://

www.pearsonhighered.com/educator/product/Statistical-Concepts-for-the-Behavioral-Sciences/9780205626243.page

Assignments in the textbook Provide students with answers

Entire problem Intermediate steps

Assign homework so students will be most likely to experience success

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Two Powerful Study Behaviors

Space studying 6 days a week, with 1 day off 1 hour per day Make assignments specific

Problem numbers Terms Symbols Pages to read in the book

Self testing Encourage students to treat homework like it’s an

exam … closed note, closed book (though they should have the statistical formula in front of them)

Tip #4

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Continued

Early in the semester, use research on study skills as examples for the concepts you are teaching Cassaday, H. J., Bloomfield, R. E., & Hayward, N. (2002).

Relaxed conditions can provide memory cues in both undergraduate and primary school children. British Journal of Educational Psychology, 72, 531-547.

Gurung, G. A. R. (2005). How do students really study (and does it matter)? Teaching of Psychology, 32, 239-241.

Roediger, H. L., & Karpicke, J. D. (2006). The power of self testing memory: Basic research and implication for educational practices. Perspectives in Psychological Science, 1, 181-210.

It may be worth it to spend 20 minutes talking about optimized study skills to your students

http://statisticalsage.wordpress.com/2011/02/05/helping-students-with-study-skills/

Tip #4

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Don’t Reinvent the Wheel

There plenty of available resources Journal of Statistics Education, an ASA journal Teaching of Psychology Journal Textbook supplements Books geared toward teaching statistics

Ware, M. E., & Brewer, C. L. (Eds.). (1999). Handbook for teaching statistics and research methods (2nd ed.). Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.

Dunn, D. S., Smith, R. A., & Beins, B. C. (2007). Best practices in teaching statistics and research methods in the behavioral sciences. Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.

Tip #5

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If you liked this presentation

Supplemental Materials for Kiess and Green (2010) Extensive instructors’ manual PowerPoint presentations Assignments and Exercises for Students Test Bank http://

www.pearsonhighered.com/educator/product/Statistical-Concepts-for-the-Behavioral-Sciences/9780205626243.page

Statistical Sage Blog We review, synthesize, and summarize what we and

others are doing and saying about the teaching of statistics

http://statisticalsage.wordpress.com/ Don’t forget to tell us what is working for you and what

isn’t!

Tip #5

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Thank you! Questions?

[email protected] or [email protected]

statisticalsage/wordpress.com