I-Use Statistics in Education

for a proactive and interactive worldview

Funded by Lifelong Learning of the European Union

www.i-use.eu
Whats available on the website ?
Readymade tables (EU and World statistics) Databases (Eurostat, World Bank, Google data, Gapminder) Tools (Collecting your own data, using statistical tools with video guides) Use (How to use statistics in different subjects, Quantitative and qualitative data, Examples of misuse) Resources (Best practice and Course materials) Quizzes

Statistics in the curriculum of secondary schools in Europe

There is an increasing importance for the development of statistical literacy for everyday life. To be an intelligent active and participative citizen, it is necessary to develop ones statistical literacy. Virtually all everyday activities rely on statistics in one way or another. It plays a prominent role in business and industry, aspects of government and in scientific and economic progress. While the world is changing rapidly and the open availability of data is increasing, the curriculum in schools, and the approaches teachers adopt need to respond to such changes. Therefore creating meaningful, innovative teacher training is crucial in developing statistical thought processes. Students are now living in a society that demands evidencebased arguments and decisions. The use of statistics helps provide more critical analyses of information. Statistics also support the development of social reforms that would help benefit the standard of living of many people. It also helps decision-makers know which problems or matters should be prioritised.

Approaches for innovative teaching of statistics in secondary schools

Student-centred (meaningful and relevant to everyday life) Interdisciplinary Real-world examples with real data/metadata Use of media and news Problem-based learning Statistics as evidence for decisions and policymaking Collaborative learning in groups Active learning by collecting own data and/or find solutions Discussion of misconceptions and manipulation of statistics Present and explain statistics graphically Examples of interdisciplinary units Migration and refugees (Geography, Social science, Literature) PISA and the measurement of educational performance (Maths, and Social science) Air and water quality at local and regional levels using crowd-sourcing website Eye on Earth (Natural science and Geography) (Over)-population? (Geography, Literature, History)

Photographs taken at the International School of Stockholm by Yanna van der Vlugt, University of Stockholm

The key competences gained from the use of statistics in education

Statistical literacy Intelligent, active and participative citizens Effective use of numbers Critical analysis of information Reasoning and thinking with data Understanding of time and space Interdisciplinary and interactive worldviews Decision-making and advocacy

Model of statistical research

The web and teacher training course

The I-Use project will result in materials and courses for both in-service and pre-service teacher education, which can be adapted to suit different needs and demands. The project uses the potential of visualisation through information technology to enhance statistics education both in and beyond the classroom. It offers a face-to-face (Erasmus+ funded) course and an online mode of delivery through Moodle. These products enable teacher trainers to integrate the results of the European open data movement into school education and encourages exploration of information and the critical consideration of its meaning, to promote active citizenship and participation in debates. The project is funded by the EU and runs for three years: from November 2012 to the end of 2015. Contact information
Luc Zwartjes, Geography Department Ghent University, Krijgslaan 281, S8 9000 Gent Belgium luc.zwartjes@ugent.be