Advanced Placement Statistics Institute
Advanced Placement Statistics Institute
Clemson University
Master Instructor: Thomas Goodrich
[Project Overview]
[Course Dates]
[Participants]
[Instructor]
[Master Teacher]
[Institute Implementation - Course Methodology]
[Institute Classroom Conferences - Dates and Topics]
[Institute Materials]
[Technology used in the Institute]
[Institute Participant Evaluation]
[Institute Evaluation]
Project Overview
The Advanced Placement in Statistics courses are to be initiated in
the 1996-1997 school year.Clemson University has been awarded a grant
to conduct this first AP Statistics Institute in the state.
The institute will develop a nucleus of well trained teachers, well
versed in statistics, in
preparation to instruct the Advanced Placement course in Statistics
as well as to advance the study of mathematics and statistics in the
secondary schools.
The objectives of the institute are to engage the teachers in four
basic areas of statistics and probability.
- Data collection and exploration in which to observe patterns
and departures from hypothesized and/or theoretical patterns,
- Design and analysis of experiment which to important variables
and
factors which influence certain real-world processes and how to go
about
measuring these quantities.
- Verification of models produced through simulation and
assessment of how well the simulated outcomes fit the true outcomes.
- Statistical inference in order to make informed decisions about
real world problems.
These goals will be achieved through an institute taught be
instructors recognized as a leader in statistics both nationally and
state-wide.
Course Dates
The proposed dates for the institute is June 17, 1996 through June 28,
1996. Alternate proposed dates are July 9, 1996 - July 20, 1996.
These dates are chosen to allow teachers to take courses for
certification and/or personal enrichment during the following or
previous summer session, respectively.
Master Teacher
The role of the master teacher will be to facilitate a liaison between
the instructor and the teachers. The master teacher will also be
available for after hours consultation and problems solving
assignments given by the instructor. Being that this is the first AP
Statistic Institute, that this will be a learning experience for the
Master Teacher as well.
The Master Teacher chosen for this institute is Mr. Thomas C.
Goodrich from Socastee High School in Myrtle Beach South Carolina.
Mr. Goodrich has participated in several workshops and seminars on
the incorporation of statistics in the mathematics curriculum
including the Quantitative Literacy Project and the Statistics Leaders
in the Palmetto State Project. More specifically, he has shown an
great interest in the promotion of statistics in the classroom
and has projected this interest in the development of statistics
courses with projects that give a greater insight on the usefulness
of statistics in real-world applications.
Participants
Participants will be selected and assigned by the South Carolina
State Department of Education. Since this is the first offering for
Advanced Placement in Statistics, it is assumed that the participant
will be selected from current instructors of the AP Pilot and
perhaps certified teachers of AP Calculus. Without exception,
those that are wishing to become certified in AP Statistics should
be enrolled. Their participation in this institute will enable them to develop district curricula consistent
with the AP Statistics course as well as the data analysis portions of the South Carolina
Curriculum Frameworks and to assist their district in the
implementation of the NCTM Curriculum and Evaluation Standards.
Their acquired skills in statistics, data analysis, use of calculators and computers, and
use of new teaching methods will improve their teaching skills in
all areas of mathematics. In addition, they will receive graduate credit from Clemson University.
Participation will gain them membership in a network of local
teachers and professional statisticians which can lead to
school/industry partnerships. Fellow teachers of the institute
participants will be inspired by the use of modern pedagogically
correct and effective methods of integrating statistics into the
mainstream mathematics curriculum. This will result in increased student
interest in mathematics, the pursuing of careers requiring mathematics
and science, improved problem solving skills, and a familiarity with uses
of statistics in industry and the real world.
The institute will meet daily from 7:00 am until 8:00 pm. The
goals of the institute are (i) to teach new statistical techniques,
and (ii) to provide pedagogical experiences that will prepare
participants to teach these statistical and probabilistic concepts
accurately and effectively in the classroom. No previous
knowledge of statistics is required of the workshop participants.
Such concepts and techniques are introduced to the
participants in a threefold manner: (1) content, (2) theory, and (3)
practice. The teachers are given the opportunity to explore,
to develop, and to adapt technology (computer and calculator) and
other teaching tools to enhance their instruction. The typical
institute schedule includes team instruction from 8:30 am to 3:00 pm
(with appropriate breaks) followed by project and group work in
the late afternoon and early evenings.
Instructor: Calvin L. Williams
Dr. Williams has worked as a team statistician in the state funded
and nationally sanctioned, by the American Statistical Association,
Quantitative Literacy Project. He is currently the Statistician on
the federally funded and state sanctioned project `` Statistical
Leaders in the Palmetto State''. He continues to conduct visits to
several of the high schools in the state where these AP courses are
taught and is in communication with those teachers that will be
teaching the AP course in Statistics. Dr. Williams is trained in
Statistics with a degree in Biostatistics from the Medical University
of South Carolina. He also has a baccalaureate degree in Mathematics
from the College of Charleston. He has served as President, Vice
President, and Secretary/Treasurer of the state chapter of the American Statistical
Association. He has also served and continues to serve on several
committees of the American Statistical Association. He has published
in both theoretical and applied areas of statistics.
The Road to AP Statistics
goes through Clemson
Institute Classroom Conferences - Dates and Topics
- [Monday-June 17th] Introduction - Exploratory Data Analysis
Emphasis will be placed on descriptive techniques including numerical
measures of central tendency and dispersion as well as graphical
methods.
- [Tuesday-June 18th] Understanding Probability -
Simulation and Experimentation
- [Wednesday-June 19th] Discrete and Continuous
Distributions
- [Thursday-June 20th] Estimation Techniques: Tag-and
Recapture, Estimation of Population characteristics (parameters)
- [Friday-June 21st] Making Inferences - Hypothesis and
Significance Testing Comparing Samples from Known and Unknown
Populations
- [Monday-June 24th] Hypothesis and
Significance Testing - Paired and Unpaired Samples
- [Tuesday-June 25th] Enumerative and Count data,
Chi-Square test of hypothesis
- [Wednesday-June 26th] Correlation and Regression
- [Thursday-June 27th] Linear and multiple linear Regression
- [Friday-June 28th] Linearizing non-linear data.
Institute Materials
Being that the AP Statistics course is designed to prepare students
who are college bound for intermediate college mathematics and
statistics courses, it is imperative that they are exposed to the
types of materials that will give them this enrichment. In the same
light, the teachers of the AP Statistics course should be exposed to
those tools that will ensure their capability to prepare the students.
The following materials list comprises those tools necessary for the
success of each instructor in meeting the needs of their students.
- Exploring Data (1995). James M. Landwehr and Ann E. Watkins
- Data Analysis and Statistics. Curriculum and Evaluations STANDARDS for School Mathematics
- Exploring Measurements Peter Barbella, James Kepner, and Richard L. Scheaffer
- A Data-Based Approach to Statistics Ron L. Iman
- Minitab. Minitab, Inc.
- TI-85 Graphics and Statistical Calculator
Technology used in the Institute
The institute will strive to enhance each teacher's computer literacy
in the implementation of statistical techniques readily accessible by
statistical computer software on several platforms. It is our belief
that it is of practical importance to include statistical software on
several different platforms. The most widely available computer
architecture in today's classroom are the IBM DOS/Windows operating
systems. We believe that exposition of statistical software on other
architectures such are the Apple Macintosh series is also important.
Both of these architectures and statistical software that run on them
are readily available and are in current use at Clemson University.
The software of choice for this institute will be Minitab. Although
there are several other packages with more advanced statistical
techniques, we feel that Minitab will have a shorter learning curve
for both the teachers of the institute as well as the students in the
AP Statistics course. Furthermore, since Minitab is available for the
two main computing architectures of choice, it use is warranted.
The AP Statistics course depends heavily on the availability of
technology suitable for the interactive, investigative aspects of
data analysis. Therefore, to facilitate the teaching and learning of
statistics, each instructor will be given an TI-85 calculator to
enhance there knowledge of technology in the classroom. They will also
be trained in the used of a statistical analysis computer package.
Also existing TI-85 linking software (TI-GRAPH LINKŠ(85))
will be used to link data analyses to the existing computer
workstations in order to make connection across both architectures.
Institute Participant Evaluation
Participants will be evaluated by the quality of their work on
an hour midterm exam (25\%), an interim project (25\%), and a three-hour final
examination (50\%). The final examination will be structured like the national AP examination with
a multiple choice and a free response section. The interim project will be assigned at the
end of the Clemson residence period and will be due within three weeks. It will require
the construction of a detailed syllabus for the participant's future AP Statistics course,
including a listing of the topics, a detailed schedule for class periods. And the construction
of cross references for specific problems to be assigned in each section.
Course grades will be assigned on the basis of 90\% or
higher for an A, 80\%-89\% for
a B, 70\%-79\% for a C and below 70\% will receive an F.
Institute Evaluation
The project will be evaluated in two-stages:
- At the conclusion of the Institute, participants will be asked
to complete an in-depth questionnaire designed to assess their
subjective
impressions regarding the conduct and value of the workshop and its
impact on
their preparation and readiness to teach an AP Statistics course.
- In January 1997, approximately six months after the institute,
the participants will again be surveyed, this time to assess the
extent to
which they have implemented or plan to implement, an AP statistics
course in
their school, and their assessment of progress if implementation is
already a
reality. We will be especially interested in how their efforts are
being
received by their colleagues
Author:
Calvin L. Williams,
Mathematical Sciences-Clemson University,
Clemson University
Last updated:
March 29, 1996
Send Comments to :
calvinw@math.clemson.edu