Day 130 Introduction to Median and Mode

6th Grade Math Standards: 6.SP.3 Recognize that a measure of center for a numerical data set summarizes all of its values with a single number, while a measure of variation describes how its values vary with a single number.

The Learning Objective: Find the median; find the mode of a data set

Quote of the Day: "Don't give up just because you've been turned down. Successful people usually admire persistence. You might get a yes on the third try." - Andrew Sobel & Jerold Panas

Question from Yesterday (as always from a student): "If the question is asking for us to find a mean of six using four different data values, can we just write 6, 6, 6, 6?"

Assessment: March Madness was assessed using clickers, the mean, median, and mode were all found by the students in groups as I circumvented the room as well as the co-teachers.

Agenda:

1. QSSQ
2. March Madness (1st question was on finding the mean [2 students scored 40 points, 2 scored 50 points, and 1 scored 90 points], 2nd question on finding the whole given the part of a proportion, third question on volume, fourth question on equivalent fractions)
3. Reviewing the finding the mean practice from the weekend
4. Median of the ages of the students in the room
5. Median and mode practice using notes

Glass-Half Full: The emphasis on crossing out numbers was well received by students.

Regrets: I ignored the possibility of having two modes until a co-teacher brought it to my attention in the last group that I had.

Another thing to consider, though not necessarily a regret, is how much students struggled with the concept of how the mean changes when data values are taken away. When asked what would happen to a data set that described the square footage of celebrity homes if we took the smallest home out of the problem, about 7/8 of the students thought that the average would decrease. When I used the analogy of taking out your worst grade bringing the average up, the students seemed to acknowledge that they were wrong in the first place.

Link of the Day: "We actually expect math to be memorization of disjointed facts, Dan Finkle on his TedX Talk. 92% of people are more likely to accept your assertion if you have a statistic to back it up. Not really, but watch the video because it's funny when he says it.

I really like his 5 talking points:

1. Start with a question rather than answers. 
2. Thinking only happens when we have time to struggle. 
3. You are not the answer key. 
4. Say yes to your students ideas. 
5. Play. Einstein called it the highest form of research.