>
> But to me, the most important key to teaching statistics is allowing
> students to discover what's in their data by massaging it - by hand. I've
> had many courses in statistics, and I've taught many courses in statistics
> to a variety of audiences composed of people from different subject
> matter areas. Nothing can substitute, in early stages of learning, for
> massaging data by hand and hand-calculating statistics. I had one
> course on analysis of variance in which we were required to
> hand-calculate everything. I probably generated a ream of paper in the
> course of that class, but I learned more about statistics in that one class
> than in any of the others I took in which theories and models were
> presented and assignments were carried out strictly via computer
> packages.
I would agree with this there is also the additional problem with
Computer packages that students unfamiliar or even phobic about
computers have to deal with two frightening experiences. I was in a
class with a group of masters students and I'm not sure which was
scaring them most the stats or the computer keyboard, chances of them
learning anything was zero.
>
> Students don't always understand what working things out by hand is
> worth.....at the time....but for anyone who continues on in their education
> and uses statistics down the line, I'd venture to say that the light bulb
> eventually turns on.
Agree, also I've taught stats at an introductory level and find that
taking time to explain the meaning of what they are doing in relation
to their lives and work is time well spent.
Anne Gill
> Daryle Gardner-Bonneau
>
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>
>
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