Daniel Showalter serves as Associate Professor of Mathematics and Program Director of Mathematics and Computer Science at Eastern Mennonite University in Harrisonburg, VA. Showalter’s data analysis work for the Why Rural Matters series of national policy reports is used widely by policymakers, researchers, and educators. His publications include a focus on making introductory statistics more relevant and less anxiety-provoking for all students. He is coauthor of the textbook Advanced Quantitative Reasoning: Mathematics for the World Around Us.
Why did you decide to go into Statistics/Statistics Education?
My decision to pursue a career in teaching statistics was born during a five-year journey around the world that included cobras, the Russian underground, typhoid fever, and several other narrow escapes. During a 6-month stay with a family in the mountains of East India, I was disturbed by the way in which quantitatively illiterate groups were being taken advantage of by moneylenders. This inspired me to receive my master's in mathematics and PhD in mathematics education with the goal of raising quantitative literacy.
What's a class/workshop at your workplace/university that you wish you could take and why?
Geospatial Mapping. Maps are both information-rich and widely accepted by the general public; I'm eager to take my basic skills to a higher level.
What Statistics Topic do you think is the most difficult to teach well?
Sampling distributions within a general education stats class
What advice would you give to someone who is new to teaching statistics?
Find a friend or relative who gives a puckered lemon face when you mention the word "statistics" and then design a course that they would enjoy taking.
What is your go-to source for data?
My most used are probably the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) datasets.
What statistics class(es) are you currently teaching? What statistics classes do you enjoy teaching the most?
Descriptive Statistics, Data Visualization, Biostatistics for Nurses. Tough question, but I'd have to say any stats class for non-majors. Mostly because in every course, I get to witness the process of a handful of students falling in love with stats for the first time.
What do you enjoy doing when you’re not working?
Goofing around with my wife and daughters, running, one-on-one conversations, long walks, sipping coffee, eating popcorn, journaling, and traveling!