Comments on: The perils of playing cards and probability. What do you assume your students know?

By: Mary

Mary — Fri, 22 Jun 2012 04:04:08 +0000

I love cards now, but I actually did fail a math test (in 6th grade) because I didn’t know anything about a deck of cards and so couldn’t answer anything correctly despite knowing the probability content just fine.

I really struggle with how to teach probability in a way that doesn’t oversimplify it. I teach AP Stats as well and my students are convinced they know probability because they’ve been answering questions about marbles in bags or dice for years. They assume they’ve got it and it takes them awhile to realize we’ve moved past that and they’ll need to start looking at things in a deeper way.

By: MrHonner

MrHonner — Sat, 16 Jun 2012 14:31:36 +0000

I have this same realization about cards myself every few years, as I regularly forget that not everyone is a card-lover like I am. I think these kinds of experiences are valuable for a few reasons.

First, this is a great opportunity for student-to-student teaching. Chances are many students understand the card system, and you can use that to help advance the collaborative culture of your classroom.

Second, it’s a great opportunity to reiterate the importance of asking questions. People are afraid to admit they don’t know things, but when students know the teacher can make mistakes (like forgetting to explain what certain things mean), it can make it easier for them to speak up.