As every teacher knows, teaching is very rewarding. We can interact with and connect with colleagues and students while exploring a subject we love. We can experiment with different styles or methods to see what is most effective and continually improve. And the most rewarding experience is to see the light come on in a student’s eyes as s/he finally understands. We succeed when our students succeed. But as every teacher also knows, there are challenges. Some, like never having enough time, are common to all fields. Others may be unique to certain disciplines.
I’m attracted to this field because statistics, like an onion, has many layers. I’m confident that my colleagues would agree that, even after many years of courses, research, and practical applications, statistics still has additional layers to be explored and appreciated. However, a common obstacle in teaching this subject is the fear of statistics many students bring to the course. As a discipline, statistics has a particularly bad reputation. Many view statistics as an incomprehensible collection of equations created specifically to torture every student who has the misfortune to wander into its path. When I meet people and tell them that I teach statistics, I almost never hear that they enjoyed their statistics course. Instead, I often get a strange look and hear that they barely survived it, that it was a very unpleasant experience, and that they don’t remember much of anything from it. But statistics is widely used in almost every discipline and is a required course for many majors. Students seem apprehensive about statistics, but it is prevalent so they must learn it.
The introductory courses in statistics have evolved over the years. They now cover less probability and more applied methods. A practitioner doesn’t need to fully understand the theory underlying the basic statistical procedures to use them correctly. Another change is the increased use of technology to perform many tedious calculations, allowing the student to focus on the big picture—which method to apply and how to interpret the results.
I try to negate any inherent aversion to statistics by creating positive experiences for the students, especially early in the semester. Because the first few topics (data collection techniques and graphical and numerical methods to summarize data) are familiar to and relatively easy for many students, their confidence increases. As our journey continues and the path becomes steeper, I tell students which sections will require additional time and effort. And, after seeing common themes of statistical inference repeated for different scenarios and various quantities of interest, students gain an understanding of the basic methods of applied statistics. At the end of the term, they can look at their progress and feel a sense of pride in conquering (or at least surviving) the fearsome dragon of statistics.
I generally bring a smile and a positive attitude to every class. Students have commented that they appreciate this positive atmosphere. It is obvious to them that I enjoy teaching, that effective teaching is a priority for me, that I respect them, and that I’m committed to their success. I can’t learn the material for them, but I’ll do all I can to help, both in class and outside of class.
Another challenge is the widely varying backgrounds and skill levels of students. Some have completed an AP statistics course in high school or a different college-level introductory statistics course. Others have weak math skills and aren’t quantitatively oriented. Interestingly, these differences often conflict with the students’ self-perception of their ability. But as teachers, we must design our courses so that everyone can advance and improve, no matter where they start. It is incredibly rewarding to see students who initially struggle with complex ideas in probability and statistics work hard, peel back some layers of the onion, and enjoy their success.
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