Getting a Grip on Variability

Area of Science:

• Science Education
• Mathematics Education
• Statistical Reasoning

Background:

• Science is fundamentally a modeling enterprise.
• Educators seek effective methods to teach students scientific modeling practices.
• Developing a repertoire for generating, revising, and critiquing models is crucial for scientific inquiry.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify a key concept that bridges mathematics and science for scientific modeling.
• To propose variability as a foundational idea for equipping students with modeling skills.
• To describe a pedagogical sequence for teaching young students to reason about variability.

Main Methods:

• Engaging students in random processes with discernible sources of variability.
• Students generate variable outcomes through repeated measurements.
• Developing and critiquing visualizations and measures of outcome distributions.

Main Results:

• Students learn to connect process alterations to changes in outcome collections.
• Visualization and measurement of variability support modeling of chance variation.
• Students develop new understandings of samples and inference for natural systems.

Conclusions:

• Variability is a fundamental concept linking mathematics and science for modeling.
• A structured pedagogical approach can help young students reason productively about variability.
• This approach enhances students' ability to pose and pursue scientific questions through modeling.