FOCI Series 7: Strengthening Conceptual Understanding in Introductory Statistics

Participants will:

• Establish a safe, supportive, participant-centered learning environment for the cohort and set goals for participation and growth.
• Explore types of statistical studies.
• Engage in activities that illustrate various types of biases and potential confounding variables in the context of a statistical study.
• Consider how to develop understanding of the relationship between study design and the types of conclusions that are appropriate.

Participants will:

• Use simulation to explore sampling variability.
• Consider ways to motivate understanding of sampling distributions and how a sampling distribution provides information about the long-run behavior of a sample statistic.
• Reflect on ways to develop conceptual understanding of statistical inference.

Participants will:

• See how an activity can be used to develop a conceptual understanding of hypothesis testing and p-values.
• Engage in an activity that develops understanding of “statistically significantly different.”
• Explore the meaning of statistical significance and of practical significance, and understand the difference between them.

Participants will:

• Consider how an understanding of basic statistical terms, including population, parameter, sample, statistics, and variable types, provides a foundation for data analysis methods.
• Engage in activities that allow students to focus on selecting methods of analysis appropriate for a given research question.
• Explore how understanding of variable types in a dataset equips students for choosing suitable graphical displays.

Participants will:

• Experience activities that use applets to develop an understanding of correlation and least squares regression.
• Build linear regression models and assess their usefulness for making predictions.
• Explore the difference between a statistical relationship and a cause-and-effect relationship.

Participants will:

• Consider ways to help students develop the ability to communicate effectively using probabilities.
• Explore common student probability misconceptions and discuss ways to address them.
• Plan for next steps.

FOCI costs $600 per person to participate.

Teams of 3 or more from the same institution will receive a $100 discount ($500 per person). To receive the discount, please register all members of your team at once and as soon as possible. Cohorts are filling quickly.

Institutions, systems, or states may also reserve entire cohorts. Complete the form above for more information.

Although prior knowledge is helpful, the strategies that will be explored to deepen students’ conceptual understanding will also support those new to statistics instruction or to statistics corequisite support courses.

Actively participating in the full series of 6 sessions (12 total hours)
Each session is 2 hours long. During each session we will use authentic situations to explore, struggle with, and make sense of pedagogical and content challenges. Session delivery uses the video and audio features of Zoom. This technology enables us to converse “face-to-face” in real time, in large and small groups, without the expense and hassle of traveling to a central location.

Preparing for each session and trying new ideas in your own classroom after each session
Prior to each session, you are expected to do a limited amount of preparation work, often a short reading, video viewing, document analysis, and/or personal reflection. After each session, you commit to trying a technique or approach we discussed during the session.

Contributing to the large and small group discussions; supporting your peers
Contribute in the large and small group discussions, bringing your own perspectives and prior experiences into the conversations. Collegially engage in conversations and application activities focused on deepening student understanding through effective student discourse and collaboration.

FOCI materials
You will receive high quality, well-researched, and thoughtful materials for the entire series. All session materials – readings, reflections, handouts, and slide decks - will be provided. You will also have access to recordings of the sessions so that you can review the content on your own.

Support from trained facilitators
Dana Center curriculum and professional learning specialists will lead the sessions. These individuals are available to answer questions and provide support during and between the sessions. They can address content and application questions as well as technology issues (e.g. the video conferencing platform).

Certificate of completion
You will receive a certificate of completion at the end of the series that may be submitted with tenure or promotional materials for your department. The topics and number of hours of professional learning you completed will be listed on the certificate.

Yes! This series will address in-person, completely online, and hybrid instruction. Strategies for adjusting activities will be explored.