OVERCOMING OBSTACLES TO SUPPORTING SECONDARY TEACHERS' STATISTICAL CONTENT KNOWLEDGE FOR TEACHING

摘要

Supporting teachers' statistical content knowledge for teaching poses a number of challenges. Many grades 6-12 mathematics teachers' prior experiences with statistics insufficiently prepared them to support students grappling with big ideas of statistics. Teachers' view of statistics tends to be procedural and cookbook-oriented. Many mathematics teachers feel that statistics has little place in their instruction, thus professional development is unnecessary. Finally, many teachers have not experienced learning statistics in an environment in which student-centered discourse, learner-centered technology, and worthwhile statistical tasks has been the norm. Research from two professional development projects in which significant changes in teachers' understanding of statistical big ideas occurred is presented. Potential solutions to obstacles, tasks with potential for engaging and challenging teachers, and lessons learned are discussed.