Arthur Benjamin gives a talk about why school should teach statistics before calculus.
In this talk, Arthur Benjamin argues that the modern mathematical education is flawed because it focuses too much on calculus instead of statistics. And he believes it is important to let students learn statistics first because statistics helps students understand numbers and graphs thus prepares them more for the digital society. He also argues that statistics is fun because it deals with numbers, games and charts, so teach kids statistics will not be boring.
It is true that statistics is essential to our daily life due to its focus on numbers. But I disagree his argument that statistics should be taught before calculus. Calculus is the foundation of modern mathematics and most mathematical formulas are derived by using techniques learned in calculus. Statistics is no exception. Statistics formula such as normal distribution formula is from complicate integrals. Without knowing calculus, it is hard to truly understand the meaning of statistics. Though understanding simple statistical terms such standard deviation as Benjamin mentions in the talk does not require calculus knowledge, someone needs to know far more than just mean, median and standard deviation if he or she wants to truly LEARN statistics. Learning means to understand how to use the knowledge. And to make this happen, one needs to learn calculus first so he or she can understand how formulas are derived thus strengthen the understanding of statistics.
Arthur Benjamin’s point that statistics is fun does not prove that it should be taught before calculus. The order of teaching subjects depends on whether one is based on the other. Statistics is based on calculus. And calculus can be fun too if taught properly. Calculus is about solving equations and digging deep into the nature of calculation. Though calculus does not relate to our daily life as much as statistics, with proper guidance, students can develop interest in calculus as well.
The article “Should We Stop Teaching Calculus In High School“ from Forbes believes the idea that statistics should be taught before calculus. The author, Steven Salzberg, even takes this idea to the extreme: he argues that high schools should get rid of calculus and teach statistics instead. In his opinion, calculus is less practical than statistics and better be taught in college instead of high school. He thinks 21st century is the era of data science and statistics prepares students more for the future. To him, calculus is more like a subject designed for exams. I do not agree with him because calculus serves as a base of many mathematical branches. Getting rid of calculus will not help students perceive other mathematical subjects better because in the process of learning these subjects calculus knowledge will show up often. Unlike statistics, calculus does not get exposed to the public often. So students will barely hear anything about calculus if they do not go to school. Schools should teach this subject in class.
Statistics is important. As a statistics major, I have to say that in the process of learning statistics, I use a lot of concepts or techniques obtained from my calculus class. Only when students are equipped with calculus knowledge can they choose to dig into other math subjects such as statistics.
A Hitchhiker's Guide to Tricky Statistics 