Virge Cornelius has taught AP Calculus for over 25 years, but AP Stats for 2. She is originally from New York City but has lived in Oxford Mississippi for over two decades which is why her accent is negligible. This is her 24th year teaching at Lafayette, her 34th year teaching high school, and her 57th year learning. She has won numerous awards, but her biggest reward is seeing her former students out in the community, making a difference.
When I started teaching AP Statistics in 2023, my colleagues hoped I would write stats circuits since they loved my calculus, trigonometry, and algebra circuits (and so did their students). I smiled and said, Maybe, but secretly I thought, I don’t know if I can even teach this class, let alone write a circuit for it. Fast forward a year, and after a lot of sweat on my part doing all the problems and stumbling through teaching the class with terrific students who asked all the questions, the time seemed right for me to start writing stats circuits. I wrote circuits for nearly every unit (chi-square and inference for slopes are still on my to-do list) and Luke Wilcox helped me tighten up and check every single one of them. It seemed only natural that he would ask me to write a review circuit for Stats Medic. I gladly agreed and today is the release day for the Stats Medic Ultimate Review Circuit for AP Statistics!
So, What Exactly is a Circuit?
You might know what a circuit is at a gym – a prescribed set of exercises to build strength and endurance. The great thing about a circuit is that because the routine changes every few minutes or so, the athlete does not get bored. In addition, the skilled trainer who designs the circuit tries to get the most “bang for the buck”. In other words, over the course of the entire circuit, there will be an effort to work as many muscles as possible, and in some cases, work two or three muscle groups at a time. Or, a muscle group and balance. Or, balance and cardio. You get the idea.
What is a mathematical circuit? Like a circuit at the gym, it’s a prescribed set of exercises designed for review and/or procedural fluency. Students (and teachers) start in the first cell, work the problem and then search for their answer. When they find it, they call that cell #2 and continue in this manner until they get back to the beginning (complete the circuit). It is important that the teacher works the circuit ahead of the students to decide when the best time to use it will be. Personally, I like having them work on circuits in class because I love the mathematical dialogue circuits produce. Students are engaged while working through a circuit!
Does This Circuit Cover Everything on the AP Stats exam?
Impossible. There are 16 questions on this circuit but more than 16 questions on the exam. So, Luke helped me pick the biggest “bang for the buck” problems that students will most likely see. I would use this circuit a week or two before the exam, after they have been doing some thorough review. In this way it will be more of a confidence boost instead of killing their egos. Then again, you might have a class that thinks they know everything. In this case, you might want to use this at the beginning of your review. Only the teacher can decide what is best for their students and this can only happen when you work the circuit for yourself. In fact, stop reading this blog post, download the circuit, and let us know what you think!
You can find all of my stats circuits for free here.