On Wednesday 4 March 2020, we welcomed Stella Dudzic (@StellaDudzic) to the University of Nottingham to deliver our Quantitative Skills course.
Quantitative Skills is a day course for teachers of A level Psychology, Geography, Biology and Chemistry, who will be teaching the mathematical components of their courses. The course focuses on the statistical methods and tools that now make up a significant part of these A Levels.
The day started by considering averages and spread, and how teachers can best help their students to understand these concepts. Participants then spent some time looking at how Spearman’s Rank Coefficient can be used, partly by deciding whether Jaws really is a better film than Toy Story!
After lunch, Stella helped participants better understand chi-squared tests and t-tests, using real-world data and A Level examination questions from a variety of subjects. Throughout the day, participants had lots of opportunities to reflect on how these statistics are presented and used in their own subject areas, and across examination boards.
All sessions drew on real-world data, much as how statistics are taught through the level 3 Core Maths qualification. The sessions highlighted how studying Core Maths can help students who wish to deepen their understanding of the research included in Psychology, Geography and science subjects. It was great to hear many of the participants sharing their positive experiences of teaching students who are also studying Core Maths. It seems clear that Core Maths does help students understand the statistical components of their other A Level subjects.
To find out more information about Core Maths and how we can support you with delivering this qualification, please visit the AMSP website.