Getting to the Point in 2012

Tue, 06 Dec 2011 12:51:47 +0000

Where will you View the Olympic Torch Relay?

We have created an interactive environment for school-aged learners, ‘Getting to the Point in 2012’, to explore where they can see the Olympic Torch Relay. This brand new online mapping and data gathering project has been granted the Inspire mark by the London 2012 Inspire programme.

Topics included in this resource are; investigations using the Problem Solving Cycle, scatter graphs, correlation, box plots and percentage change. Designed for teachers, particularly of maths and science, to:

• Download free cross-curricular teaching resources;
• Involve your learners in collecting their real data;
• Integrate ICT into lessons via the online questionnaire;
• Receive your learners’ data for use in your classroom;
• Compare your school’s data with others nationally;
• Involve parents in their children’s learning.

Get Started Now - View our 'Get Started Guide' and then register to receive updates and invitations to future events.

Bringing A level Statistics to Life

Mon, 30 Jan 2012 11:38:37 +0000

On Monday 6 February 2012, the Further Mathematics Support Programme (FMSP) and the RSSCSE with Plymouth University will be running an all day workshop for Teachers of A Level Statistics.

Running from 10:00 to 3:30 with registration and coffee starting at 9.30 the day is split into 4 workshops, for the full programme download a pdf flyer here.

CERTIFICATE IN TEACHING STATISTICS (up to Pre-university Level)

Thu, 27 Nov 2008 16:30:39 +0000

CERTIFICATE IN TEACHING STATISTICS (up to Pre-university Level) 

Apply now

There are many teachers involved in the delivery of statistics in schools and colleges who lack the confidence and competence to teach the subject successfully.

This is due to their lack of opportunities to learn, either because they do not have a mathematical degree or such a degree did not include Statistics. We have devised a distance learning course that leads to a CERTIFICATE IN TEACHING STATISTICS (up to Pre-university Level).

It is an ideal way to do continuing professional development that, at the same time, leads to a recognised qualification.

Download an application form (Word)

Download the course outline (PDF)

The Importance of Statistics

Fri, 07 Jan 2011 15:25:43 +0000

Statistics are important; the video below features Liam Clothier who completed a work placement in 2011 with a government ministry. Here Liam talks about his experience and in so doing demonstrates just why statistics are so important.

Please note that although the video has multiple display options some browsers, especially older browsers, may not show it correctly or at all, it may cause these browsers to crash. Click 'Read More' to view the video.

Namibia becomes the 10th country to run CensusAtSchool

Fri, 14 Oct 2011 11:07:36 +0000

Namibia becomes the 10th country to run CensusAtSchool

At the beginning of October Kate Richards and Neville Davies spent a busy four days in Windhoek, Namibia, explaining a strategy for planning, writing and running the CensusAtSchool project in Namibian schools. The visit was hosted by Medmillian Handura, founder of Oupatje, a not-for-profit organisation that will run CensusAtSchool Namibia. Kate and Neville ran a workshop for 16 school teachers, appeared on Namibian television, met the director general of education and a senior Namibian economist and visited Acedemia Secondary School.

The Problem Solving Approach

Thu, 29 Sep 2011 13:05:19 +0000

The Problem Solving Approach

Classroom resources for teaching using a statistical problem solving approach
 
In 2005 and 2006 the Royal Statistical Society Centre for Statistical Education undertook a review of the statistics and data handling content of GCSE  to determine what should be retained as part of the core curriculum for mathematics and what may be beneficially seeded for delivery through other subjects, particularly science.

BBC NEWS School Report

Wed, 30 Mar 2011 11:18:28 +0000

Thousands of students from 800 schools reported the news for the 2011 BBC News School Report Day

On the 24 March more than 30,000 pupils from around the UK turned their classrooms into newsrooms as they made the news for real as part of the BBC NEWS School Report. Children from England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland made the news, live on BBC Television, Radio and online.

The RSSCSE worked with the BBC NEWS School Report team on the annual event that aims to interest young people in news of all sorts, by giving them the chance to make their own news.

The RSSCSE team and the BBC News School Report team worked with schoolteachers and pupils to design, write and produce an online survey comprising 29 questions that were of interest to school children aged 11 - 16. Over 320 of the BBC News School Report-registered secondary schools took part in the survey. After completing it, some of them reported on the results live as part of the BBC NEWS School Report day that was transmitted  from the new BBC studios at MediaCity, Manchester, on 24 March. Neville Davies and Kate Richards took part in the transmission at the studios by helping pupils to interpret the results from the survey.

‘Men of Rock’ Iain Stewart Presented CensusAtSchool Champion School Prizes

Fri, 21 Jan 2011 14:11:24 +0000

Dynamic BBC presenter Iain Stewart, Professor of Geosciences Communication, School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Plymouth, presented Netbook prizes to the first CensusAtSchool champion schools on 8 February 2011.

On behalf of the Office for National Statistics, the Royal Statistical Society Centre for Statistical Education (RSSCSE) is running the Census 2011 CensusAtSchool Project and the 2011 CensusAtSchool National Competition (www.censusatschool.org.uk) as an awareness raiser for the 2011 UK census on 27 March. 

The Joy of the Joy of Stats!

Fri, 03 Dec 2010 15:26:14 +0000

A programme called The Joy of Stats was previewed at the launch of the RSS 10-year statistical literacy campaign on 20 October 2010. Subsequently it was shown on BBC4 on Tuesday 7 December.

It lasted for approximately one hour and can now be viewed on the 'Whats On' page of the Open University OpenLearn web site.

It was presented by the well known Swedish Professor of Global Health, Hans Rosling.

A few days before the programme was aired the RSSCSE sent an invitation to a number of schoolteachers and other colleagues across the UK asking them to:

(i) complete an online one-question questionnaire about their perceptions of statistics;
(ii) watch the programme The Joy of Stats;
(iii) after watching provide feedback to an online five-question questionnaire about (possibly changed) perceptions of statistics, opinions about the programme and other related matters.

Some quotes from schoolteachers:

• 'An entertaining programme that made me think and will - I have no doubt - engage students and be a basis of discussion. Well done';
• 'We watched it in a GCSE Statistics lesson and loved it.  It showed my students what jobs they may be able to do in the future and was really accessible';
• 'All my class said that they enjoyed watching the video and that it changed their perception of what statistics involved and included'.

Professor Spiegelhalter OBE FRS receives an Honorary Doctorate

Fri, 07 Jan 2011 15:25:43 +0000

The links below provide access to a video of David Spiegelhalter (pictured left), the Winton Professor of the Public Understanding of Risk in the Statistical Laboratory, University of Cambridge, receiving an Honorary Doctorate of Science from The University of Plymouth on 22 September 2010. The ceremony was held on Plymouth Hoe.

He divides his work between the Statistical Laboratory (60%) and the Medical Research Council Biostatistics Unit (40%). He is a highly cited researcher worldwide, one of his papers being the third most cited in mathematical sciences in the world in the last 10 years.