Drawing a Regression Line between Spaghetti & Basketball

"I liked to grab things on the graphics and see it first hand, see what we were doing on the problem. It makes more sense." These words were from a student who completed a series of lessons on lines of best fit. She made this comment after comparing a hands-on approach using a strand of spaghetti with a high-tech approach using a calculator. To give students meaningful experiences while studying regression lines, the authors designed a learning environment that accommodates "Bruner's three forms of representation." Bruner advocated a sequence of learning that runs the gamut from using physical materials to using symbols to teach mathematical ideas effectively. This article presents a regression activity using the TI-Nspire[TM] calculator and spaghetti. (Contains 4 figures.)