KNOW WHEN TO HOLD 'EM
Can you think of a really fun way to test theories presented in statistics class? Here's a hint: "Weekend in Vegas!" And that's really not such a bad idea-just ask our math teachers. To test what they have learned and put their knowledge to good use, the Metro students experienced "Casino Royale" one recent Friday afternoon.
While Principal Marcy Raymond grilled burgers for lunch, students took turns as hosts and contestants in their own games of chance. Each had designed a game for classmates to play so they could try their luck. The question: Can the chances of winning be predicted statistically? We opened our own non-gambling casino to find out. I bet Marcy $20 that the students couldn't do it. (Not really … just seeing if you're paying attention.)
Tori, another of my student bloggers, described it this way:
The Casino Royale experience was exciting because we got to play each other's games. Some games were very interesting and you could tell there was a lot of thought put into them. Our assignment was to play 5-10 different games and write a description of each and the theoretical probability of the outcomes.
The game I designed had a board with prizes listed in colored squares in columns. There were two spinners that determined which column and color of square your prize was in. Some squares had prizes like "new car!" Others were not prizes at all, and might say "$50 fine!" I made sure to add at the end that the prizes wouldn't actually be given to you, but you would win the satisfaction of succeeding." -Tori B.
That feeling of satisfaction might not work for casinos in Vegas, but the students had a great time playing the slots, rolling the dice and flipping coins to solidify their understanding of statistics and probabilities.
By the way, I heard the idea was born when Mrs. Floyd-Jefferson was winning in a real casino and triumphantly exclaimed, "You all should know better than to play cards with a math teacher!"
--- Posted June 22, 2007---