Teaching Statistical Thinking:
Statistical Investigation Process, Multivariable Thinking, and Simulation-Based Inference
California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, CA
Saturday, April 26, 2025
Presenters: Beth Chance, Karen McGaughey, and Soma Roy, Cal Poly, SLO
Workshop goals are to help faculty participants to teach introductory statistics effectively in accordance with the American Statistical Association’s GAISE recommendations by:
Immersing participants in hands-on activities for introducing students to statistical concepts, particularly with regard to:
a. Statistical investigation process
b. Multivariable thinking
c. Simulation-based inference
Providing considerable experience with freely available technology tools for exploring statistical concepts and analyzing real data
Discussing assessment items and techniques, along with common student misconceptions
Forming a community of statistics teachers to offer on-going mutual support, sharing of resources and ideas
Workshop Schedule
8:30 - 9:15 am Introductions, Overview of GAISE
Activity 1: Starting the course
9:15 - 10:00 am Statistical investigation process, simulation-based inference
Activity 2: Can chimpanzees solve problems? (Coin-flipping model)
Activity 3: Facial prototyping (Application of six-step process to student-collected data)
10:00 - 10:15 am Break
10:15 - 11:00 am Sampling
Activity 4: Sampling words (Sampling bias vs. random sampling)
Sampling words applet
Activity 5: Body Temperature (Inference for population mean)
Stanford study about body temperature
11:00 - 11:30 am Estimating a population proportion
Activity 6: Kissing Right? (One proportion confidence interval)
11:30 - 12:30 pm Lunch & Discussion
12:30 - 1:00 pm Multivariable Thinking
Activity 7: Sources of variation diagrams
1:00 – 2:15 pm Random assignment, Causation, Comparing two means
Activity 8: Memory Study (Inference for 2 population means, 6-step process)
Activity 9: Organ Donation
2:15 – 2:30 pm Break
2:30 – 3:15 pm Inference for two quantitative variables
Activity 10: Draft lottery (Inference for correlation coefficient)
Two quantitative variables applet
Activity 11: Predicting Height (Regression, Prediction errors)
Handout (modified ESTARS handout)
3:15 - 3:45 pm More complicated models
Activity 12: Smoking and lung capacity
Activity 13: Effects of food and temperature on birth weight
3:45 – 4:00 pm Working with larger data sets
Activity 14: Current Population Survey
4:00 - 4:30 pm Q&A
Some resources:
Join our Google group for updates and info about workshops, resources, and other opportunities
RossmanChance Applet collection
Simulation-Based Inference blog
Statistics TLC (Teaching and Learning Corner) blog