Curriculum project: counting principles

Abstract

The purpose of this project is to provide mathematics teachers with a ready-to-use-activity-based probability and counting principles component of the statistics curriculum, which will help students better understand the mathematical concepts and ideas of probability and counting principles. Unlike traditional problems, most of which are designed to assess and review content mastery and tend to be passive activities, these activities actively engage students in learning. This curriculum invites students to explore counting principles through their own self-discovery, with real-life activities and without having to know or understand the mathematical rules and formulas first. Students will feel connected to their mathematics and be able to formulate the mathematics for themselves with a more nontraditional environment, in particular, the counting formulas that are a part of the statistics curriculum.