This is the fourth in a series of statistical articles for mathematics teachers. In this article, the authors discuss topics in General Mathematics in Unit 2 Topic 1 (Univariate data analysis and the statistical investigation process) and topics in Essential Mathematics, Unit 2 Topic 1 (Representing and comparing data).

Two case studies of Australian primary school students tracked changes in their data interpretation and representation over three years. Students were engaged in predictive reasoning tasks based on their interpretation of a data table showing temperature change over time. Students' explanations and graphical representations were collected at the…

This article describes Gapminder, a dynamic time-series graph that can be found at http://www.gapminder.org. Gapminder was created by a team of developers (Rosling, Ronnlund, and Rosling 2005) to create beautiful, interactive graphs of otherwise lifeless numbers. Their goal is increased use and understanding of statistics and data that…

Over a sixteen-week term, the study dove into how chess could enhance math skills for eleventh graders at three public schools in Cartagena, Colombia. It assumed that chess would sharpen their minds and problem-solving prowess. Seventy-one pupils took part, trying out a chess-centric way of learning. Researchers used multiple statistical…

Understanding and analyzing data is a crucial aspect of quantitative literacy in the 21st century, leading scholars and policy makers to push for more rigorous instruction in this area rooted in statistical investigation. In this study, we examine 144 upper-elementary mathematics lessons on data and statistics topics to assess the extent to which…

Understanding and analyzing data is a crucial aspect of quantitative literacy in the 21st century, leading scholars and policy makers to push for more rigorous instruction in this area rooted in statistical investigation. In this study, we examine 144 upper-elementary mathematics lessons on data and statistics topics to assess the extent to which…

The authors asked a group of students during a classroom research study to analyze data sets containing different amounts of noise. The authors use the word "noise" to refer to statistical variability. The four students in the group were finishing seventh grade and participating in summer mathematics instruction. The authors carefully…

Finite Mathematics has become an enormously rich and productive area of contemporary mathematical biology. Fortunately, educators have developed educational modules based upon many of the models that have used Finite Mathematics in mathematical biology research. A sufficient variety of computer modules that employ graph theory (phylogenetic trees,…

The idea of variation is a foundation of statistical reasoning, and many curriculum documents, including the "Australian Curriculum", include variation in the learning required for the primary years. In this paper, we consider the design of activities that can exemplify the idea of variation for young students and investigate how…

Typical difficulties in learning probabilistic subjects are concerned with big data, complicated formulas and inconvenient figures in statistical analyses. The present research considers the usage of innovative teaching methods (e.g. electronic summary of lectures, presentations of lecture courses, task solution templates, electronic training…

Students often are confused about the differences between bar graphs and histograms. The authors discuss some reasons behind this confusion and offer suggestions that help clarify thinking.

Research shows that playing games in the classroom improves students' attitudes toward mathematics, increases motivation to practice skills inside and outside the classroom, and increases learning by encouraging students of all levels to participate. Rutherford asserts that playing games encourages strategic mathematical thinking and supports…

Boxplots are statistical representations for organizing and displaying data that are relatively easy to create with a five-number summary. However, boxplots are not as easy to understand, interpret, or connect with other statistical representations of the same data. We worked at two different schools with 259 middle school students who constructed…

Statistical knowledge for teaching is not precisely equivalent to statistics subject matter knowledge. Teachers must know how to make statistics understandable to others as well as understand the subject matter themselves. This dual demand on teachers calls for the development of viable teacher education models. This paper offers one such model,…

Current views in the teaching and learning of data handling suggest that learners should create graphs of data they collect themselves and not just use textbook data. It is presumed real-world data creates an ideal environment for learners to tap from their pool of stored knowledge and demonstrate their meta-representational competences. Although…