ABSTRACT
Learning statistics is a perennial problem for students and research workers from non-mathematical backgrounds. The social sciences and medicine in particular rely on high quality analysis and interpretation of data. However, the teaching of statistics throughout higher education assumes a high degree of mathematical competence even when the students are from non-mathematical disciplines. This is without doubt a major reason for students’ perceived lack of statistical judgement (Jamart 1992). Clearly a different approach is called for. With imagination it is possible to convert difficult statistical problems into simpler problems of pattern recognition. Furthermore, with computerization the extra ingredient of interactivity can be added enabling the student to manipulate the raw data while observing the changing patterns and thereby build up an intuitive understanding of how statistics works. In effect statistics is turned into a game, the data game. In this paper we describe this approach to the teaching of statistics.
