We don't have AP Statistics at my school, just a non-AP course, because our students who want AP will take Calculus (so say our calculus teachers!). As a result, most of my stats students will be "poets and journalists" in college, not mathematicians and scientists. Teaching to my audience, I've decided to de-emphasize graphing calculator usage in the course and to emphasize the use of spreadsheets, something these students will more than likely have and be able to use in college.
Last week our first Excel project was due. As I expected, I had about a half-dozen students in each class who had never before used a spreadsheet at all, so I made this project the world's simplest introduction to spreadsheets and their ability to generate graphs for us. Most students who have already turned it in have scored A's on it. It's due no later than close of business on Monday, the day after tomorrow.
Two days after we went into the computer lab to get started on it, one girl said to me, "Look, Mr. RotLC, I'm using a spreadsheet to organize tasks for the next dance!" She was one who had never used a spreadsheet before.
Music to my ears....
1 comment:
I had the same reaction after requiring students to use MSPublisher to organize a research project on an artist into an ad campaign. One student wrote to tell me she wowed her Marketing professor with her junion level presentation based on just what she learned in my class. Sometimes, it comes back in good ways that karma.
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