- Library Home /
- Search Collections /
- Open Collections /
- Browse Collections /
- UBC Theses and Dissertations /
- Probabilistic thinking in a grade four/five class
Open Collections
UBC Theses and Dissertations
UBC Theses and Dissertations
Probabilistic thinking in a grade four/five class Nicolson, Cynthia Pratt
Abstract
In this case study, a class of 28 grade four and five students participated in a three-week instructional unit on probability. As a teacher/researcher, I conducted six sessions during which students investigated probability through games and experiments using spinners and dice. As demonstrated in their spoken and written comments before, during and after the instructional unit, many of these children held deep misconceptions about randomness and chance that affected their ability to grasp the concepts being presented. Several students expressed the belief that one number on a single die was harder to roll than others, and approximately half the class indicated that the arrangement (contiguous or non-contiguous) of shaded segments on spinners alters their probable outcomes. In some cases, concrete experimentation seemed to confirm intuitions that contradicted probability theory, or even seemed to undermine developing concepts. Common misconceptions, fragile student knowledge, student-caused bias in trials, time constraints and gaps in teacher knowledge are described as major challenges to the successful learning and teaching of probability at this grade level. This thesis questions current thinking about appropriate timing and pedagogy for probability instruction, addresses ideas for further research, and suggests an alternative approach to early probability instruction. Personal reflections highlight the challenges faced by teachers as they tackle probability theory.
Item Metadata
Title |
Probabilistic thinking in a grade four/five class
|
Creator | |
Publisher |
University of British Columbia
|
Date Issued |
2004
|
Description |
In this case study, a class of 28 grade four and five students participated in a three-week
instructional unit on probability. As a teacher/researcher, I conducted six
sessions during which students investigated probability through games and
experiments using spinners and dice. As demonstrated in their spoken and written
comments before, during and after the instructional unit, many of these children held
deep misconceptions about randomness and chance that affected their ability to grasp
the concepts being presented. Several students expressed the belief that one number
on a single die was harder to roll than others, and approximately half the class
indicated that the arrangement (contiguous or non-contiguous) of shaded segments on
spinners alters their probable outcomes. In some cases, concrete experimentation
seemed to confirm intuitions that contradicted probability theory, or even seemed to
undermine developing concepts. Common misconceptions, fragile student
knowledge, student-caused bias in trials, time constraints and gaps in teacher
knowledge are described as major challenges to the successful learning and teaching
of probability at this grade level. This thesis questions current thinking about
appropriate timing and pedagogy for probability instruction, addresses ideas for
further research, and suggests an alternative approach to early probability instruction.
Personal reflections highlight the challenges faced by teachers as they tackle
probability theory.
|
Extent |
9133696 bytes
|
Genre | |
Type | |
File Format |
application/pdf
|
Language |
eng
|
Date Available |
2009-11-17
|
Provider |
Vancouver : University of British Columbia Library
|
Rights |
For non-commercial purposes only, such as research, private study and education. Additional conditions apply, see Terms of Use https://open.library.ubc.ca/terms_of_use.
|
DOI |
10.14288/1.0055167
|
URI | |
Degree | |
Program | |
Affiliation | |
Degree Grantor |
University of British Columbia
|
Graduation Date |
2004-05
|
Campus | |
Scholarly Level |
Graduate
|
Aggregated Source Repository |
DSpace
|
Item Media
Item Citations and Data
Rights
For non-commercial purposes only, such as research, private study and education. Additional conditions apply, see Terms of Use https://open.library.ubc.ca/terms_of_use.