CEDO 540 What are Statistics to me?

For me the very word “statistics” conjures up memories of math classes gone wrong. A twist of complicated formulas to figure out things I didn’t necessarily think I needed to know. This week in class helped to put a friendlier face on the word. It helped me to understand that statistics is just another way identifying data, something I deal with almost every day.

How do I use data in my classroom? I use it to measure the learning trends of the students in my classroom after quarterly district assessments. I use the data provided from the WKCE assessment to plan for instruction for the upcoming school year. Do I always understand the other data or statistics I am confronted with in the course of my daily work or personal life? Of course not, but it is my hope that this class will help me not fear working with statistics as much as I do now.

Facing the reality of how important understanding and using statistics can be for an educator is something that I know I will have to do. The very first video we watched in our class about statistics did a great job of demonstrating their real world application and making the study of them seem more manageable. It gave me a view of how and why data is collected for use in many walks of life and put a face and real purpose to the term. Scary or not, statistics are useful and many times needed to make sense of what is happening in the world.