Asking Good Questions (Part 2)

Hi everyone! We've had three classes since my last post: for one of them I led a station for students to learn about misrepresentation of statistics; another I participated in stations (so easy), and I missed the third to remain at home during a wintry Armageddon.

Last post I wrote about how asking good questions is important to engage students and keep them focused on a task. This week I want to discuss the mathematical questions we ask.

Also in these last three weeks, I submitted a math problem for other students in my class to dissect. Not going to lie, I think I killed it. Apparently my teacher did too, since I got a shoutout during the Armageddon class:

Look mom, I'm famous!

Part of what made this question fun for me is that this is something people will actually ask themselves when driving! People want to know if they will be late, and using a little bit of math they have the tools to figure it out. 

When Chari (my teacher-student friend) and I ran a station on misinterpreting statistics, we asked (in my opinion) two really good questions. First, we asked them to research the town they are living in and find statistics on their town based on stereotypes or misconceptions of the town. Next, we asked them to argue against those stereotypes/misconceptions to show that data can be skewed based on bias. You can find demographic information about your own town here.

Next, we provided them with a food product and it's nutritional information compared to a "leading competitor" and asked them to come up with statistics that would make their brand sound better. 

I think that these are good questions because I asked them so they must be great.

Just kidding.

I think that these are good questions because they provide students with some interest and relation to things they experience in the world around them. People are rushing to work/school/home; people want to know information about their hometown; and people encounter seemingly too-good-to-be-true ads everyday! By bringing in these factors, I think this helps with students' desire to learn and helps them to remain engaged. I hope to bring questions like these to my classroom in the future!

Proof of Snowmageddon.

Play time is over for the rest of this term; time to dig into the real stuff.

Stay Tuned,

KJ