In the author's experience with this activity, students struggle with the idea of representativeness in probability. Therefore, this student misconception is part of the classroom discussion about the activities in this lesson. Representativeness is related to the (incorrect) idea that outcomes that seem more random are more likely to happen. This…

Multiple-choice testing is an educational reality. Rather than complain about the negative impact these tests may have on teaching and learning, why not use them to better understand your students' true mathematical knowledge and comprehension? Maryann Wickett and Eunice Hendrix-Martin show teachers how to move beyond the student's answer--right…

Discusses a commonly held misconception that in the throwing of two dice, if a total of seven does not come up for a period of time then its appearance is imminent. Describes an experiment to disprove the misconception and includes a discussion of the theory that frames the results. (DDR)

Describes ways of thinking about probability and some common student misconceptions. Suggests ways of addressing students' misconceptions and illustrates these ideas with an example. (ASK)