The Place of Video in New Styles of Teaching and Learning Statistics

Strong movements in both education research and education reform are emphasizing that teaching should encourage student activity rather than simply aim knowledge in the general direction of a student audience. Yet video, at least in its traditional technological forms, is passive. How can teachers make effective use of an apparently ineffective medium? What role can video best play in new multimedia instructional systems? This article reviews research on learning through television in order to make practical suggestions. Specific examples use two widely distributed series, Against All Odds: Inside Statistics and Statistics: Decisions Through Data.