Elementary School Teachers: Teaching, Understanding and Using Statistics Anna E. Bargagliotti

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& Derek Webb

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University of Memphis,

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Bemidji State University Overview

• Data and data-driven decision-making are being set as the gold-

standard throughout business, education, and policy

• “I am a deep believer in the power of data to drive our

decisions. Data gives us the road map to reform. It tells us where we are, where we need to go, and who is most at risk.” Arnie Duncan, 2009

• “We find that firms that adopt data-driven decision making

have output and productivity that is 5-6% higher than what would be expected.” Brynjolfsson, Hitt, Kim, 2011

• It is therefore crucial for us as educators to consider how we can

prepare a population that can make sense of data, i.e., a statistically literate population

• Statistical literacy refers to the ability to think and reason in

the presence of uncertainty

Guiding Questions

How do we ensure students in the elementary grades gain the skills necessary to become statistically literate as they mature?

What statistical content should students learn in the elementary grades?

What should elementary teachers know about statistics in order to be prepared to teach this content?

Our Goals

: (1) Take inventory of existing documents addressing our guiding questions, (2) Compare these documents to see whether there are overall themes, (3) Shed light on the type of data teachers encounter as part of their jobs, and (4) Offer recommendations for future work with elementary teacher preparation Common Core State Standards

General Framework

Interweaving factors related to elementary teacher preparation in statistics

Student Learning Policy & Regulations On the Job Requirements

Student Learning

GAISE: A Pre-K-12 Curriculum Framework (2005)

• Provides an overarching outline for

statistics education in K-12

• Defines a statistically literate person to

be one that can formulate questions, collect data, analyze data, and interpret results

• Presents a three-level framework

(levels A, B, and C) corresponding to the depth of coverage within each component

• Level A and B may be pertinent to

elementary grades

NCTM Standards

Principles and Standards for School Mathematics (2000)

• Organizes K-12 mathematics content

into five content standards

• Dedicates the standard “Data Analysis

and Probability” to statistical content

• Decomposes Data Analysis and

Probability strand into four sub standards that divided into expectations for Pre-K-2 and 3-5 grade band

Common Core

The Common Core Standards (2010)

• Unify K-12 education across the US

for math and English Language Arts

• Deemphasizes statistics in the

elementary grades

• Introduces statistics in middle

school and continues through high school

• Contains the strand “Measurement

and Data” in the elementary grades under which a few statistical concepts are described

Comparison

The Approaches of GAISE, NCTM, and Common Core Differ

• CC covers a small subset of the

concepts outlined by GAISE

• Main difference lies in the

approach

• GAISE focuses on

student’s overall statistical literacy

• CC focuses on ensuring

that students can perform specific tasks related to statistics

• NCTM standards are much broader

and all encompassing than the other two documents

• E.g., the first standard alone

encompasses most of the GAISE components

• NCTM not as explicitly

decomposed as GAISE

• NCTM standards set large

broad goals for statistical learning by listing a general set of tasks

• NCTM standards allude to

having students explore their own statistical thinking process

On the Job Data

• Under the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB, 2001), all states have to produce

an Annual Yearly Progress (AYP) report

• Every state, school system, and school is then in turn issued a Report

Card

• The Report Card lists the subjects and the assessments that are included in

the evaluation of the specific state

• These reports contain an enormous amount of statistical information • Teachers are expected to use these data to inform their teaching • Here is a sample report card from the state of TN:

Teacher Preparation Recommendations

• While taking into consideration the GAISE report, the NCTM Standards, the CC,

and the district data reports, elementary teachers are required to navigate through numerous statistical concepts both in and outside the classroom

• In light of the differences and similarities found among the way these influential

and important documents approach statistics, elementary school teachers must at the very least

• understand all of the tasks presented throughout the documents • be aware of the different approaches and be comfortable switching among

the documents

• have a general understanding of the process of thinking statistically • understand how to use data to inform their teaching

Contact Information

Anna E. Bargagliotti Dept. of Mathematical Sciences University of Memphis [email protected]

Derek Webb Dept. of Mathematics and Computer Science Bemidji State University [email protected]