ASA at 175 - Enhancing statistics instruction at the K-12 level
By Ronald Wasserstein - March 66, 2014
Thanks to a devoted group of scholar/educators, the American Statistical Association is actively involved in improving statistical education at the K-12 level, and this is a special focus during this 175th anniversary year for the ASA. In this month's Amstat News Column 175, Chris Franklin and Tim Jacobbe write about one of those activities, preparing teachers to teach statistics well.
Statistics historically has been taught at the secondary level by people trained in mathematics and mathematics education, often focusing on formulas, counting techniques, and probability calculations rather than the real-world problem solving, applications, reasoning, and interpretation that form the heart of statistics.
Most people who are preparing future teachers are in the same position, teaching statistics without specific training in the field or knowledge of effective pedagogies for teaching statistics at the K-12 level. Teacher preparation programs often do not prepare teachers appropriately to teach statistical literacy and conceptual understanding at the K-12 level.
Take note, though: This is not any kind of criticism of teachers or those who prepare them. The problem with K-12 statistics education is structural. There are not enough people trained in statistics who are also engaged in preparing future teachers and providing professional development opportunities for them. There are two few undergraduate programs in statistics to begin with, and way too few that are connected with teacher preparation programs in a significant way.
Nor is this problem new. Devoted statistics educators have been trying to get a handle on this for decades. Former ASA President Richard Scheaffer and many others have led major efforts spanning over 30 years to improve quantitative literacy in general and teacher education in particular. Another former ASA president, Fred Mosteller, was the first chair of the ASA-NCTM Joint Committee, formed nearly 50 years ago. (For a brief history of this committee, see the Statistics Teacher Network home page.) Those more experienced than I are probably aware of efforts that go back much further still.
But two factors are changing the landscape, and may be making it possible for major change.
(1) Statistics is increasingly recognized as an important scientific field of study, and as a driver in business, industry, and government. The importance of a well-trained quantitative workforce is becoming more widely recognized.
(2) Statistics is making its way more firmly into the middle and high school curricula in the US. The Common Core State Standards for Mathematics, adopted by the majority of U.S. states, include increased statistics content. Specific statistics and probability standards give statistics a more prominent role and place more emphasis on conceptual understanding and reasoning. For more information see Anna Bargagliotti’s Education Week article Statistics: The New ‘It’ Common-Core Subject.
The ASA and the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NTCM) have joined forces to address the preparation of teachers. In a statement released last year, our two societies said:
“To successfully develop students’ statistical thinking, teachers must have deep knowledge and understanding of statistics and the way that students learn statistics. Consequently, the need is critical for high-quality preservice and in-service preparation and professional development that supports pre-K–12 teachers of mathematics, new and experienced, in developing their own statistical proficiency as well as their students’ understanding of and skill in working with statistics.” (Preparing Pre-K–12 Teachers of Statistics, Joint Position Statement of the American Statistical Association (ASA) and the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM))
There is a community of statisticians and statistics educators, including ASA and ASA members, working to address these issues and enhance statistics education at all levels. Some examples include
- The aforementioned Statistics Education of Teachers Report, which is being funded by the ASA;
- The ASA and NCTM Joint Position Statement on Preparing Pre-K-12 Teachers of Statistics (also mentioned above);
- The ASA GAISE Pre-K–12 Report; and
- Numerous publications, workshops, webinars, lesson plans, and other outreach efforts. (See this May 2013 Amstat News article or this one-page summary for examples of these efforts.)
However, there is still great need for
- materials based on statistics education research and pedagogy;
- collaboration among statisticians, mathematicians, and education faculty;
- improved teacher preparation courses and professional development focusing on the increased statistics content in the Common Core and conceptual understanding;
- partnerships with schools, districts, and states;
- improved assessments items for statistics concepts; and
- statistics departments and statisticians making it a priority to prepare future teachers and provide professional development opportunities for in-service teachers.
We have a big job to do in primary and secondary level statistics education, and we’re grateful for the devoted core of members who are working on that job. I’m deeply grateful for the work of Rebecca Nichols, ASA Director of Education, for coordinating these many efforts.
Want to be a part of all this? Drop me a note at ron@amstat.org, and I’ll help you connect.
In 2014, the American Statistical Association is celebrating its 175th anniversary. Over the course of this year, this blog will highlight aspects of that celebration, and look broadly at the ASA and its activities. Please contact ASA Executive Director Ron Wasserstein (ron@amstat.org) if you would like to post an entry to this blog.