MPI - Day 7: Statistics and Probability

Today's focus was understanding Statistics and Probability. We looked at the following areas:

1. Data Talks
2. What is Statistics?
3. Statistical Investigations
4. Lies, Lies and Statistics - Statistical Literacy
5. Census at School
6. Take a Chance - Probability

Today's session has got me thinking about how I can make teaching statistics more engaging and meaningful for our learners. Today really highlighted the importance of understanding variability and using statistical enquiry to explore real-world problems—and I want my learners to feel that statistics isn't just about numbers, but about making sense of the world around them. One idea is to get the kids more involved in collecting and interpreting data that matters to them. Maybe they could do investigations on topics they care about, like tracking how much recycling we do at school or comparing their favourite sporting events. 

I also want to help them get comfortable with different types of data—categorical, numerical, multivariate, and time-series—in a hands-on way. I’m thinking about activities where they can sort and compare data from the class or observe changes over time, like in a science experiment. Making it practical and connected to their everyday lives could really make these concepts stick.

I really enjoyed the Lies, Lies, and Statistics session. It is so true that data can be misused to mislead the intended audience. As teachers we need to lead learners to develop a healthy skepticism when it comes to interpreting data. We talked about evaluating data, spotting errors, and understanding how different visualisations can sometimes be misleading—skills that I think are crucial for our learners, especially in today’s information-heavy world - especially when viewing this type (or any data for that matter) on social media!

I want to bring more opportunities for critical thinking into our statistics lessons. We could look at some real-life graphs and discuss whether they’re accurate or if they might be misleading. Questions like, "What is the graphic trying to show?" and "Is there anything about the graph that could mislead someone?" could be great prompts for group discussions. Or even have the kids create misleading data and see if their friends can pick it?

I'm looking forward to diving deeply into Stats in the next few weeks!