MATH 314
Introduction to Probability, Data Analysis, & Statistics for Preservice Middle School Teachers
Instructor: Peter Moon
Office: 0313 Benjamin Building
Office Hours: Mondays, 3:00 - 4:00 or by appointment
Class Times: Tuesdays & Thursdays, 2:00 - 3:15pm
Class Location: Kirwan Hall 0403
COURSE DESCRIPTION
(Prerequisite: MATH 214). This course is designed for pre-service middle school teachers and for elementary education majors who desire a certificate in mathematics. It is a different thing to learn statistics, or even to use statistics, than it is to teach statistics. This course is focused on what students need to know to be a good teacher of middle grades statistics. The primary goal of MATH 314 is for students to develop a deep understanding of the probability and statistics content taught in the middle grades, aligned with the middle school Statistics and Probability standards in the Common Core State Standards for Mathematics (CCSS-M). Emphasis will be placed on doing statistical investigations and appreciating how the key concepts of probability, data analysis, and statistics are relevant and important in real-life contexts. Additionally, the course will aim for students to gain familiarity with different models of mathematics instruction (problem- and project-based) and with finding, using, and creating appropriate tasks for facilitating this instruction on their own.