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Learning and Teaching

Beliefs about Learning and Teaching

If you are a student, I hope that you will come to see statistics as an investigative process, focused on using data to make and defend decisions. Learning how to reason with data is far more important (and more exciting!) than memorizing and/or plugging into formulas. It is important for us to work together to create an environment where you feel comfortable enough to take the risks that lead to learning.

My teaching philosophy is shaped by the following core beliefs about learning:

  1. Emotion plays a critical role in the learning process. We learn best when working with topics that we are excited about. In statistics courses, you will have opportunities to choose datasets to work with. I hope that you will see statistics as a vehicle for exploring topics and issues that you care about.

  2. Learning is a social process. As teachers can attest, we know that we understand something when we are able to explain it to others. We all share the responsibility of helping each other learn from our own experiences and strengths. For me, one of the best parts of teaching is having the opportunity to learn from my students.

  3. Learning results from engaging the brain in thought, and then reflecting on that thinking. Learning truly sets in when we pause to think about how new experiences have changed the way we understand the world around us. After class activities, you will frequently have opportunities to reflect on the ways that your thinking has changed, and to ask questions that might surface as a result of that thinking.

The following references were especially influential in formulating these thoughts on learning and teaching:

  • Carver, R., Everson, M., Gabrosek, J., Horton, N., Lock, R., Mocko, M., ... & Wood, B. (2016). Guidelines for assessment and instruction in statistics education (GAISE) college report 2016. Alexandria, VA: American Statistical Association.[Online: www. amstat.org/education/gaise].
  • Cavanagh, S. R. (2016). The Spark of Learning: Energizing the College Classroom with the Science of Emotion. West Virginia University Press.
  • Cobb, G. W. (1992), "Teaching Statistics" in Heeding the Call for Change, ed. Lynn Steen, MAA Notes No. 22, Washington: Mathematical Association of America.
  • Johnson, D. W., Johnson, R. T., & Smith, K. A. (1998). Active learning: Cooperation in the college classroom. Interaction Book Company, 7208 Cornelia Drive, Edina, MN 55435.
  • Leamnson, R. (2000). Learning as biological brain change. Change: The magazine of higher learning, 32(6), 34-40.
  • Michaelsen, L. K., Knight, A. B., & Fink, L. D. (Eds.). (2002). Team-based learning: A transformative use of small groups. Greenwood publishing group.
  • Sibley, J., & Ostafichuk, P. (2015). Getting started with team-based learning. Stylus Publishing, LLC.

Courses Taught

My 2018-19 teaching schedule includes the following Lawrence courses:

  • MATH 107: Elementary Statistics (Fall 2018, Winter 2019, Spring 2019)

  • MATH 240: Probability (Fall 2018)

  • MATH 430: Statistical Modeling (Winter 2019)

My prior collegiate teaching experience includes:

Iowa State University:

  • STAT 231: Probability and Statistical Inference for Engineers (Spring & Fall 2017, Spring 2018)

  • STAT 330: Probability and Statistics for Computer Science (Fall 2016)

  • STAT 104: Introduction to Statistics (Fall 2014)

Miami University

  • MATH 151: Calculus I (Spring 2013)

  • MATH 123: Precalculus (Fall 2012, Spring 2013, Fall 2013)