NCTM Conference Denver - Day 1

Today was the first day of general sessions at the NCTM National Conference in Denver. I attended several worthwhile sessions.

The best was one I decided to just drop in on. The talk was on statistical inference and the use of software that aids in the inference process. I use resampling and bootstrapping in my Inferential Probability and Statistics class and one of the issues I run into is that you need lots of iterations to get good results. The software presented was freely accessible and not only provided these techniques but a wide range of graphing utilities that created comparative graphs. It was perfect and I couldn't believe I stumbled onto this session. Mad props to Core Plus Mathematics Program for making these software tools available for anyone's use.

Another session I sat in on was presented by Daren Starnes. His main message was that the first task students face on the AP Statistics exam is to correctly identify the statistical procedure that is most appropriate for the situation. This was exactly what I had started to emphasize to my class the last two sessions. I felt good about the direction I am trying to take my class. The question is how effectively am I getting the message across. I have three more weeks to cement the message.

I also some several sessions centered around giving students rich problems. I had seen many of these problems or variations of them previously. I enjoyed the discussions we had about student solutions to the problems and ways to push student thinking as they worked through the problem.

One technique that I don't use enough but should is to take more frequent breaks from students working through tasks to have them briefly discuss the strategies they use. This helps get stuck students moving and others to push their thinking even further. This should be a technique I use in Discrete Math as the students work through difficult mathematical concepts.

Tomorrow I'll be presenting the problem-based approach that I use in Discrete Math. There are also several statistics and proof sessions that I plan to attend. The day culminates with an AP Statistics panel discussion and reception in the evening. It's a big day and a long day and one that I am looking forward to.