Questions and answers but no reasoning...

Statistical reasoning has often been used synonymously with statistical thinking. In this paper, we focus on the reasoning part and we analyse mathematic lessons about statistics in a primary school class, using a construct from the Anthropological Theory of Didactics approach, called Study and Research Paths. By comparing the a priori tree-diagram of the course with the a posteriori tree-diagram of the observed teaching, it becomes clear that the teacher’s questions never make the students engage in statistical reasoning and the students’ questions are more concerned with practical and organizational issues than with obtaining a greater understanding of statistical reasoning.