Statistical literacy is important. I love examples of folks using statistical concepts without being snobby statistical gatekeepers. For instance, see jargon-free statistical literacy that helps people make important decisions about their children's health or informs the immigration debate . As stats teachers, I think we are remiss if we don't talk about political polling in our classes. At least a little bit. Here is a brief, nonpartisan interview about political polling you can use in class to see whether students can identify the concepts they've learned. Here is a short NPR i nterview o n how to think properly about political polling. If you use the interview in class, you could ask your students to identify the statistics and research methods mentioned. I clocked margin of error, sampling error, and research methodology evaluation. If using an audio interview isn't your thing, check out t his summary piece from NPR, based on the...
1) I disagree with Marc Stein's title for this article. I don't think NBA great Steven Curry's devotion to his favorite snack is a problem. I think it is a very, very endearing example of someone who knows themselves, knows what works for them, and embraces it. A quote from the article describing Curry's popcorn devotion: 2) Curry loves popcorn so much that at the behest of the New York Times, Curry rated popcorn served at all of the pro-basketball arenas: Here is an example of the assessment form: And here are the results of the NYT's n=1 study. In addition to a statistics class example, I think this could also be used in an I/O class to explain Subject Matter Experts ;)