|
Exemplary Lectures on Pedagogy, and
Pedagogy Exemplified through Lectures Stat 303, The Art and Practice of Teaching Statistics, was introduced by the Statistics Department in 2005. This course is required for all first year PhD students in the department, and each year has been co-taught by Xiao-Li Meng (Department Chair) and a junior faculty member, with active involvement and support from the Bok Center. [Exception: in 2010-2011, the course was taught by Joseph Blitzstein (Professor of the Practise), who co-taught the course with Xiao-Li Meng twice in previous years.] The first goal of Stat 303 is to prepare students to be effective teaching fellows, particularly for the department's introductory courses (taken by over 800 students per year in recent years). But Stat 303 also serves a much broader purpose: teaching students how to communicate clearly and effectively, and that a deep understanding of statistical thinking -- how to "connect the dots" rather than just memorizing formulas and procedures -- is crucial both in becoming successful teachers and in becoming successful researchers. Students also learn that teaching can be fun and rewarding; click here for a creative video recap! Each year, Stat 303 has a special Grand Finale Lecture to conclude the
year. The topics have spanned a very wide range, as seen in the
abstracts below, but all have been linked by showing how to engage an
audience, and by demonstrating passionate, persuasive pedagogical and
intellectual insights.
Additional Notes
|
