Growing with Data: Statistics from Kindergarten to School

STA 1132 Descriptive Statistics

Dr. Thiyanga S. Talagala
Department of Statistics, Faculty of Applied Sciences
University of Sri Jayewardenepura, Sri Lanka

My current work

Machine Learning to Kingdom Learning

The word “statistics” has multiple meanings depending on the context.

1. Statistics as a field of study (discipline)

  • Definition: A branch of mathematics dealing with data collection, analysis, interpretation, presentation, and organization.

  • Example:

    She is studying statistics at the university.

2. Statistics as summary measures/ Statistics as numerical data

Definition: Quantitative data or information represented in numbers.

Example:

  • The latest employment statistics show a rise in job openings.

  • The mean and standard deviation are important statistics in this report.

Kindergarten

Favorite Color Chart: Each child puts a sticker under their favorite color; the class sees which color is most popular.

Weather Chart: Record sunny, rainy, and cloudy days on a calendar using smiley faces or symbols.

Toy Sorting: Group toys by shape, color, or size, and count how many are in each group.

Primary School

Class Survey: “What’s your favorite fruit?” — collect responses and draw a bar chart.

Concept of mean: A pack of toffees is shared equally among a group of children.

Tally Chart of Pets: Count how many students have each type of pet and display using tally marks.

O/L (Grade 6 - Grade 11)

  • Who scored the highest?

  • Who scored the lowest?

  • What is the class mean?

  • What mark did most students obtain?

  • Rank the students based on their mathematics marks from highest to lowest.

  • How far are your marks from the average compared to your classmates?

  • Are most students close to the average or spread out?

How long does it take each student to come to the university from their current residence?

In-class discussion

Advanced Level

  • Measures of central tendancy

  • Measures of dispersion

  • Measures of skewness

  • Measures of correlation