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...
Use spicy, spicy peppers to explain scales of measurement and/or the difference between categorical and continuous data.
This spicy example explains scales of measurement, continuous vs. categorical variables, and how you can measure and quantify anything. Uncommon Goods sells quirky gifts. While I was looking for Christmas gifts last year, I came across this kit https://www.uncommongoods.com/product/scoville-scale-chili-pepper-tasting-kit#618780000000 I have a teenage son, and teen boys love this sort of stuff. Actually, I think spicy peppers are enjoying increased popularity due to the Hot Ones show (The show where celebrities eat increasingly hot chicken wings while being interviewed, like Jennifer Lawrence and her famous GIF from the show). Maybe you could link this example back to that show? Welcome to how my brain works. Anyway, among the information Uncommon Goods shared about this kit was an image of the packaging for the kit, detailing the Scoville scale rating for each pepper: And my stats teacher brain translated this packaging into this, since the same data (hottness) is presented ...