Applying Variation Theory in teaching statistics and mathematics

By Nicola Petty (Dr Nic)

As teachers we often make up examples on the fly. Sometimes this is successful but too often we get unintended consequences. We may also be missing out on opportunities for learning. Researchers claim “tasks that carefully display constrained variation are generally likely to result in progress in ways that unstructured sets of tasks do not, as long as learners are working within mathematically supportive learning environments.”

In this workshop Dr Nic introduced the ideas of variation theory with a compelling exercise. Then participants used the theory to create and explore sequences of examples in teaching mathematics and statistics, that provide opportunities for deeper learning while undertaking purposeful practice.