Grant Wiggins recently challenged Algebra teachers to "identify four big ideas that could ground the course and make it more intellectually worthy." While I don't teach algebra, it got me thinking about AP Statistics and if I could condense the course to 4 big ideas. Here's what I came up with:
1. Summarizing data graphically and numerically allows one to decide if a helpful model applies, as well as demonstrate what "typical" and "unusual" data are.
2. Gathering data is the most important part of the statistical process. Garbage in, garbage out.
3. To be able to make any sort of decision about a population based on a sample relies on a solid understanding of randomness, whose descriptive language is probability.
4. Any inferential decision/prediction must be accompanied by a probability statement.
What are your 4 big ideas?
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