Courses: Beginning research methods and statistics courses, as well as advanced communication courses that require reading research articles and completing research projects involving statistics. Objective: Students will understand the difference between significant and nonsignificant statistical results based on p-value.

Understanding the concept of the sampling distribution of a statistic is essential for the understanding of inferential procedures. Unfortunately, this topic proves to be a stumbling block for students in introductory statistics classes. In efforts to aid students in their understanding of this concept, alternatives to a lecture-based mode of…

Offers an instructional approach and an exercise that can serve as a useful introduction to stratified random sampling. (ASK)

Sophisticated simulations using computer graphics can lead to students deducing virtually all conditions of the Central Limit Theorem. Eight graphs illustrate the discussion. (MNS)

Describes a hands-on demonstration of the concept of the sampling distribution of the mean using M&M's candy. Compares the effectiveness of the candy demonstration with that of a comparable demonstration using a textbook example. Reports that students exposed to the candy example performed better on a subsequent examination. (DSK)

Presents an activity on the simplification of penguin counting by employing the basic ideas and principles of sampling to teach students to understand and recognize its role in statistical claims. Emphasizes estimation, data analysis and interpretation, and central limit theorem. Includes a list of items for classroom discussion. (ASK)

This activity makes students a part of an investigation that determines the frequency of a particular plant variety in a simulated population. Provides an opportunity for students to observe the inherent variability of estimates, observe the relationship between sample size and sampling error, and consider aspects of research design. (Author/SAH)

Discusses the extent to which the existing literature offers insights into effectively teaching statistical inference. Describes an in-class exercise that helps students understand inferential statistics. Explains that students learn more about concepts such as population distribution, sampling distributions, and standard error of the estimate.…

An activity for grades seven and eight using goldfish crackers is described. Students set up ratios and proportions to describe relationships between the sample and the total. (MNS)

This module on statistics consists of 18 worksheets that cover such topics as sample spaces, mean, median, mode, taking samples, posting results, analyzing data, and graphing. The last four worksheets require the students to work with samples and use these to compare people's responses. A computer dating service is one result of this work.…

Presents suggestions for making statistical topics interesting and relevant in the classroom. For each of the topics, a general discussion is followed by a suggested teaching sequence with specific activities and examples. (PK)

Presents teaching activities that are intended to be used to teach statistics to students in a high school mathematics program. Includes a worksheet of eight discussion questions on statistics, four activities on sampling bias, two experiments on sampling techniques, and a game known as "capture-recapture." (TW)

This document is the fourth of seven units developed by the Math Network Curriculum Project. Each unit, designed to be a 2-week module, is a teacher's guide which includes detailed directions along with the courseware and software needed. Teacher intervention in the non-computer activities that begin each unit is required, and the consistent use…