Exploring Simulation-Based Inference in a High School Course

Abstract

Although inferential concepts are typically introduced in courses at high school, the approaches taught are usually the methodologies in introductory classes at university level. There is much research to support that learners have difficulty with classical frequentist inference and that a better understanding of inferential concepts can be obtained via an introduction using simulation-based methods. A new course available to high schools in British Columbia, Canada, incorporates several novel aspects, a key feature being the reliance on “intuitive,” simulation-based inference. We describe the pedagogical approaches adopted in this course and how students appeared to have learned from their experiences.