Watch this short talk with your class about how data science skills are a superpower.
This first term newsletter is important reading for all secondary mathematics and statistics teachers.
Upcoming workshops for current PLD are advertised and useful links and tips are provided by Derek Smith and the national facilitation team.
Secondary Mathematics and Statistics Newsletter Term 1 2016
Derek has also sent through some other interesting links that didn’t make it into the newsletter:
Some reminders:
NZAMT14 Conference workshop resources
2015 Ernest Duncan Award Winner Ricky Pedersen has offered to make his Critical Thinking Booklet available for download.
http://www.nzamt.org.nz/index.
Interesting bits and pieces
Some research on happiness in schools for your interest. It would be interesting to ask your faculty members, and yourself, “What makes you happy during the school day or during a lesson?”
https://www.ted.com/talks/
Some interesting data sets from a NZ long term study:
TED Talks links to videos
https://www.ted.com/talks/
https://www.ted.com/talks/
An ERO publication
http://ero.govt.nz/content/
Learning geometry via Origami
http://www.scholastic.com/
Why is learning fraction arithmetic so difficult? From STEM Learning
A look at the methods of teaching fraction arithmetic in Shanghai
Learning maths through song and dance
https://www.facebook.com/
Hope that your athletics and Swimming sports day are progessing well while the country enjoys the settled weather we are enjoying.
Our hearts go out to the people in Canterbury as they wrestle with nature.
Näku i roto i ngä mihi, nä
Derek
Derek Smith|Mathematics National Co-ordinator/Central South Facilitator (Secondary)|Education Support Services|
Te Tapuae o Rehua Consortium Mau ki te ako|University of Otago College of Education|021 913 150|
Christine (Chris) Franklin University of Georgia Athens, GA USA presented to Mathematics associations around New Zealand. She is a 2014-15 Fulbright Scholar and is spending five months at the University of Auckland, New Zealand working with statistics educators on the project, “Implementing K-12 Statistics Standards: Comparing Practices in New Zealand and the United States”.
Below is an audio recording of her presentation to the Wellington Mathematics Association, May 2015:
Abstract:
The United States is realizing the need to achieve a level of quantitative literacy for its high school graduates to prepare them to thrive in the modern world. Given the prevalence of statistics in the media and workplace, individuals who aspire to a wide range of positions and careers require a certain level of statistical literacy. Because of the emphasis on data and statistical understanding, it is crucial for us as educators to consider how we can prepare a statistically literate population. Students must acquire an adequate level of statistical literacy through their education beginning in the first grade of education.
The Common Core State Standards for mathematics (that include statistics) in grades Kindergarten – 12 have been adopted by the most states and the District of Columbia. These national standards for the teaching of statistics and probability range from counting the number in each category to determining statistical significance through the use of simulation and randomization tests.
This presentation will provide a brief history of statistics at K-12 in the U.S., an overview of the statistics and probability content of these common core standards, resources that support the K-12 standards in statistics, describe the knowledge and preparation needed by the future and current K–12 teachers who will be teaching using these standards, and the desired assessment of statistics at K-12 on the high stakes national tests will be explored.
Chris is the Lothar Tresp Honoratus Honors Professor and Undergraduate Coordinator in Statistics at the University of Georgia and a Fellow of the American Statistical Association. She has been recognized with numerous teaching and advising awards at UGA. She is the co-author of an Introductory Statistics textbook with Alan Agresti (Pearson 2012), co-author of the textbook Statistics Reasoning in Sports with Josh Tabor (Freeman 2012) and has published more than 50 journal articles. Chris was the lead writer for the American Statistical Association Pre-K-12 Guidelines for the Assessment and Instruction in Statistics Education (GAISE) Framework. She chaired the writing team of the recent ASA Statistical Education of Teachers (SET) report.
CensusAtSchool videos may now be downloaded so you can play them offline.
Look for the download button up the top left when playing a video:
Clicking on the download button will either download the file to your computer, or open the video file in a new window which you can then save.
A number of data sets are now available in csv format for you to use with your class when investigating time series data at NZ Curriculum Level 8 (or AS 3.8).
Data sets include: NZ Alcohol consumption, Births, Rainfall, Travel and Tourism, Accomodation, Air Passengers and temperatures around the world.
Click here to go to the resource: Time series data sets 2013, Time series data sets 2012, and iNZight instructions for time series.
We wanted to let you know about a fantastic new Level 4 resource on our site:
This resource focuses on the planning part of the enquiry cycle: collecting good, reliable data from surveys.
CensusAtSchool update:
Remember to register and book a computer lab for your class to take part in May.
Can you help spread the word and let other teachers know?
We’d love to get the biggest participation ever this year!
Statistics NZ have a number of curriculum based activities and information that can be used in the classroom on their Schools Corner.
Please visit: http://www.statistics.govt.nz/methods_and_services/schools_corner.aspx
Statistics NZ provides advice and funding to the CensusAtSchool project.
The first international statistical literacy competition is now open for students aged 10-18. Teachers may register their students now and find out more information at the competition’s website:
Today six new activities, suitable to be used immediately in class, have been released on the CensusAtSchool New Zealand website.
These activities, some developed by internationally renowned statistics education researcher Maxine Pfannkuch, have already been trialled in classrooms.
They are:
All resources clearly follow the Statistical Investigation cycle which is part of the new Mathematics and Statistics curriculum and illustrated on the Data Detective Poster.
