Teaching Bits has been a part of the Journal of Statistics Education since the journal began in 1993. Traditionally it included parts. From the original column description, “This column features “bits” of information sampled from a variety of sources that may be of interest to teachers of statistics. [One columnist] abstracts information from the literature on teaching and learning statistics, while [the other columnist] summarizes articles from the news and other media that may be used with students to provoke discussions or serve as a basis for classroom activities or student projects.”
J. Laurie Snell and Joan B. Garfield wrote the very first column of Teaching Bits (1993, v.1, n.1). The columnists who summarized information from the literature have been Joan B. Garfield (1993 v.1, n.1 to 1997 v.5, n.1), Robert C. delMas (1997 v.5, n.2 to 2000 v.8, n.3) and Deborah Rumsey (2001 v.9, n.1 to 2003 v.11, n.2). The columnists who presented information from the news and other media have been J. Laurie Snell (1993 v.1, n.1 to 1996 v.4, n.3) and William P. Peterson (1996 v.4 to 2003 v.11, n.3). Marjorie E. Bond also presented a column in 2005 (v.13, n.3). Teaching Bits has essentially been on a hiatus since 2004.
Deborah Rumsey and Marjorie Bond are happy to be renewing and continuing the Teaching Bits column of JSE. We will present one single collaborative section for each issue. Our focus is on giving you not only the big picture of the latest happenings in Statistics Education, but to also broaden the scope to include other disciplines. The goal is to shed light on emerging innovations in teaching and learning and give you ideas on how they might be applied to your own courses and programs.
The spotlight of this column will be on topics that you are interested in learning more about. Please send your ideas to either of us so that we can pursue them and present you with the latest information and updates regarding those topics. We are proud to continue the tradition of the Teaching Bits section of JSE and look forward to beginning its new chapter with you.