Data rules schools and ignorance is far from bliss. From assessment results to questioning educational claims, there is a growing need to understand the numbers used in education. Education data blogger and teacher Richard Selfridge (aka Jack Marwood) unravels the complexities of dealing with educational data and explains statistics in an…

The learning sequence described in this article was developed to provide students with a demonstration of the development of box plots from authentic data as an illustration of the advantages gained from using multiple forms of data representation. The sequence follows an authentic process that starts with a problem to which data representations…

Reports a series of experiments in teaching data analysis in an interactive graphics environment (IGE). Explains that students can graph distributions and relationships as they obtain statistical results. Describes microcomputer programs for IGE data analysis. Concludes that software capabilities are excellent for small data sets but too slow for…

Suggests using simulated data to teach students about the nature and use of statistical tests and measures. Observes that simulated data contains built-in pure relationships with no poor response rates or coding or sampling errors. Recommends suitable software. Includes information on using data sets, demonstrating statistical principles, and…

The study describes students' patterns of thinking for statistical problems set in two different contexts. Fifteen students representing a wide range of experiences with high school mathematics participated in problem-solving clinical interview sessions. At one point during the interviews, each solved a problem that involved determining the…

Describes the use of a student-designed questionnaire to generate data for teaching statistical procedures and concepts. Maintains that students learn firsthand that data analysis is an integral part of the research process. Concludes that students find real data more interesting. (CFR)

Uses a graphing calculator to predict the record for running a mile, throwing a shot put, and high jumping for any year in the future and the probable record for any year before statistics were kept, based on the statistical analysis of prior records. Data tables and a computer program are provided. (MDH)