This is a session of Topic 2: Statistics education at the school level
(Thursday 15th, 11:00-12:30)
Statistical education at the Secondary/Higher Education interface
Organizer
- Jennifer Freeman (United Kingdom)
Abstract
This session is about exploring the ways in which the higher education sector engages with secondary education. It is of interest to individuals involved in either school/university liaison, or those involved in transition activities aimed at improving the experience of students transferring from school to university.The interface between the secondary and higher education sectors is important. Many college and university departments have school liaison officers who act as a link between the two. School/university liaison can take many forms, including school-based activities and competitions sponsored by university departments, such as Pop Maths quizzes and Statistics Poster competitions. In addition many universities hold open days or activity days aimed at giving school children valuable experience of what university life is like. These are generally focussed on improving student recruitment, but they often fulfil another valuable role, that of improving community relations between the university and the area in which they are situated. They are important as they can enable students to see university as a realistic option and help them make positive choices about courses of study.
As well as the traditional school/university liaison work outlined above there are challenges in helping students make the transition from secondary level education to higher education. This is true both for students studying statistics and for those studying unrelated disciplines but which contain some level of statistics or research methods teaching. Students often struggle with the change in teaching style, from a more directed, didactic teaching approach common in schools to the more reflective, self-directed approach of university-based education.
This session will seek to address both of the areas outlined above, examining the ways in which schools and universities can interact positively to improve statistical education for school children and university students alike.
Papers
| Paper | Title | Presenter(s) / Author(s) |
| 2C1 | Approaches to extra-curricular statistics support for non-statistics UG and PG: facilitating the transition to Higher Education | Lu Zou (United Kingdom) Chetna Patel (United Kingdom) Brigitte Garcia de Jager (United Kingdom) |
| 2C2 | SPoC – Statistics Poster Challenge for schools | Brad Payne (United Kingdom) Eleanor Stillman (United Kingdom) |
| 2C3 | Creating a World population model to analyze the dynamics of change | Henry Kranendonk (United States) |