No maths teacher can have lived through the last six months without being struck by the elevation of statistical analysis to the forefront of the national consciousness – publicly affecting our leader’s decisions, and intimately affecting our day-to-day lives. It has been difficult to use these in the classroom because the data is ever-changing, they are potentially highly sensitive, and it is difficult to access the source data for analysis.
Many of these worries are solved by the brilliant website, Our World in Data, which offers interactive presentations of the data updated daily, aimed at a statistically-literate audience, as well as downloadable source data which can be analysed using KS4 and KS5 maths tools.
The interactive timeline is a rich source for questions regarding diverse statistical concepts:
It is hoped that we can run workshops on how to run a series of lessons (for KS4 and KS5) based on this data, as presented by Our World in Data, before the end of this term.
Another great infographic, showing the conditional probability behind COVID-19 testing, is available on the British Medical Journal website.
If you know of other sources of great interactive statistical websites which are relevant to the recent pandemic, please email me.