9400091 Finzer This project aims to develop a computer learning environment and curriculum materials for use in teaching data analysis and statistics at the high school level. The proposed curriculum materials will be usable in a semester-long course, as substantial units within other mathematics and science courses, and as skill-focused components of other courses. This project will bring learning experiences to secondary school classrooms that intimately involve students with concepts and technologies they need to become informed and productive participants in the information age. The software, provisionally named StochasticsLab, is a conceptually unified platform for data gathering and exploration, simulation, and statistical analysis. The innovative design supports the latest understanding about how children learn stochastic ideas, including the importance of user-constructed measures, the problems and potentials associated with categorical variables, and the need to feed simulation data into data analysis tools. It is based from the ground up on net- worked collaboration, access to large datasets, and visual explanation of how things work. While the software is expected to enhance existing courses, the curriculum materials will require the presence of computers and software. In this project, the software is the major innovation. ***
