"So easy it seemed once found, which yet unfound most would have thought impossible"
John Milton ________________________________________ Robert G. Hamilton Department of Biological Sciences Mississippi College P.O. Box 4045 200 South Capitol Street Clinton, MS 39058 Phone: (601) 925-3872 FAX (601) 925-3978 >>> RK Bangert <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> 11/4/2005 10:11 AM >>> Statistics should be a philosophical tool to help us pursue honest science. An added benefit is that is also a mechanical tool that performs calculations that we then interpret guided by a sound philosophy of science. randy This is a great point! Too often we get caught up with teaching various techniques, making science look like an arcane technological exercise. Teaching why we use statistics, with some examples for demonstration purposes would probably be a lot more useful that trying to drum in as many techniques as we can, simply for their own sake, and lamenting the subsequent hippocampal flush such instruction induces among students! If a student gets into it, they can learn a lot more in grad school, especially when they use stats to accomplish research related goals. Even undergrads will learn a lot more about stats when it is part of student initiated independent research than through any other method. ------------------------------------------------------------ This message has been scanned by GWGuardian on GWGuardian.mc.edu and found to be virus free. ------------------------------------------------------------
