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Variation and expectation as foundations for the chance and data curriculum
Citation
Watson, JM, Variation and expectation as foundations for the chance and data curriculum, Building Connections: Theory, Research and Practice, 7-9 July 2005, Melbourne, pp. 35-42. (2005) [Refereed Conference Paper]
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Copyright Statement
Copyright 2005 Mathematics Education Research Group of Australasia Inc.
Official URL: http://www.merga.net.au/node/38?year=2005
Abstract
This paper considers the evolution of research in statistics education since the introduction
of chance and data into the Australian mathematics curriculum in 1991 and presents
selected outcomes of research into students’ understanding of the content in the chance and
data curriculum, using them to argue for a change in emphasis in the classroom in the
teaching of chance and data. These suggestions might also influence current curriculum
revisions taking place within Australia and New Zealand. Building on the history of the
discipline of statistics and its introduction into the school curriculum, it is argued that topics
in the curriculum associated with expectation, such as the mean, generally have preceded
those associated with variation, such as the standard deviation. Research however, suggests
that children develop an appreciation of variation before expectation, and this knowledge
should influence the order of the introduction of associated topics and their juxtaposition in
the curriculum and the classroom.
Item Details
Item Type: | Refereed Conference Paper |
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Keywords: | statistics education, curriculum, chance, data |
Research Division: | Education |
Research Group: | Curriculum and pedagogy |
Research Field: | Mathematics and numeracy curriculum and pedagogy |
Objective Division: | Education and Training |
Objective Group: | Other education and training |
Objective Field: | Other education and training not elsewhere classified |
UTAS Author: | Watson, JM (Professor Jane Watson) |
ID Code: | 38007 |
Year Published: | 2005 |
Deposited By: | Education |
Deposited On: | 2005-08-01 |
Last Modified: | 2013-10-14 |
Downloads: | 9 View Download Statistics |
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