|
Abstract:
|
In large enrollment classes, great efforts are made to ensure that everything runs smoothly and efficiently. Too often, this results in an environment where the teacher solves all problems (correctly and on the first try), and students are responsible for little more than recall. Yet cognitive psychologists emphasize the importance of productive struggle -- wrestling with new concepts, working on problems before strategies are directly taught, and persevering through early pitfalls. This session will explore the tension between efficiency and productive struggle in the context of a large introductory statistic class. First, it will discuss the importance of managing student expectations, thus laying the groundwork for a student-active learning environment. Then it will present classroom-tested examples that engage students in productive struggle toward statistical thinking.
|
