TOPIC 1: Working cooperatively in Statistics education


Nowadays, with the huge amount of information in all areas of knowledge, an inter/multidisciplinary approach is more and more critical as Statistics has become crucial in decision-making in all areas of life. It is therefore more important than ever that Statistics educators incorporate examples of data and statistics from a variety of contexts, and initiate co-operative partnerships with other disciplines in the education of their students.

Working co-operatively with other disciplines means contributing to improve knowledge in the discipline, establish common goals, and share in data-driven decisions in order to better educate our citizens. Statistical education should help to establish inter/multidisciplinary teams to work cooperatively in order to facilitate the understanding of statistical reasoning.

SESSION 1A: Working cooperatively to promote Statistical literacy


1A1: THE WORTH OF DATA: THE TALE OF AN EXPERIENCE FOR PROMOTING AND IMPROVING STATISTICAL LITERACY

Giovanni A. Barbieri, Paola Giacché
Istat (Statistics Italy), Italy

Istat, the Italian national statistical institute, in co-operation with professors of statistics, scientific societies and experts in web communication, produced The Worth of Data, hypertext materials for promoting and improving statistical literacy. We present the experience from two viewpoints: (i) the process for designing and implementing hypertext; (ii) and the ways selected for improving statistical literacy. The first aspect involved the decision to focus on the concept of awareness: not only as to when and how to use statistical data, but also on how to be discerning about sources, their quality and reliability … The second aspect concerned the language and confirmed that to deliver content in plain language, without losing scientific precision, is indeed a difficult task. To achieve good results, it is necessary to make use of the various skills within a good team. Each expert should give up a little turf and contribute knowledge to attain a common outcome worth communicating.
Paper


1A2: COMMUNICATING STATISTICS TO THE MEDIA: TELLING THE STORY BEHIND THE NUMBERS

Vicki Crompton, John Flanders
Statistics Canada, Canada

Statistics Canada, like most statistical agencies, places great importance on communicating with the media, because the media provide a gateway to the general public. Our challenge is twofold: to engage the interest of journalists in our data, surreptitiously raising the level of their statistical literacy and to sensitize our statisticians to the value of presenting statistics in a manner which the journalist, as a layperson, can understand. The paper will outline the various approaches that Statistics Canada has taken to meet this twofold challenge and will discuss our experiences in training both journalists and statisticians to tell the story behind the numbers.
Paper


1A3: INTRODUCING DATA INTO CANADIAN ACADEMIC LIBRARIES: THE STRAW THAT DIDN’T BREAK THE CAMEL’S BACK

Wendy Watkins
Carleton University, Canada
Charles Humphrey
University of Alberta, Canada

A decade ago, Canadian universities and Statistics Canada embarked on a joint adventure called the Data Liberation Initiative. While this initiative greatly increased the availability of data for academic research and instruction, it also created new challenges for the librarians and information professionals who were confronted with the task of organizing and supporting access to these resources. This paper will examine the challenges involved in the introduction of data into the traditional academic library. The experience of Canada’s Data Liberation Initiative (DLI) will be used to illustrate the types of issues involved and the approaches used in the Canadian context to address them. The paper will conclude by identifying the best practices that have emerged after a decade of experience in developing, refining and promoting the use of data as a means of strengthening the underpinnings for teaching and research.
Paper

SESSION 1B: Co-operative efforts involving Statistics, local culture and consumers


1B1: A FIRST YEAR STATISTICS PROGRAMME FOR INDIGENOUS AND MIGRANT STUDENTS ARRIVED AT BY CO-OPERATING WITH LOCAL COMMUNITIES AND THE STUDENTS THEMSELVES

Megan Clark
Victoria University, New Zealand

A well known dilemma for statistics educators is that while different groups of students learn best in different ways (see for example Cotts, 1994), usually there are only a few instructors for a course operating within tight time and content constraints, especially at first year university level. I will outline a way of partially accommodating the needs of indigenous and migrant students of first year statistics, arrived at by co-operation with the local community and taking their aspirations into account. We also kept in mind what the students themselves wanted from the course and how they planned to use statistics in their lives. Our programme has achieved successful outcomes for many of these students and while we work within a New Zealand framework there are many aspects of our programme that can be adapted in other countries.
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1B2: THE FIRST INTERNSHIP PROGRAM ORGANIZED BY THE STATISTICS DIVISION IN THE HISTORY OF PAKISTAN

Saleha Naghmi Habibullah
Kinnaird College for Women – Lahore, Pakistan

The educational system in Pakistan is pre-dominantly textbook-oriented, and as far as the Master of Science (MSc) level programs in Statistics are concerned, by and large, connections with the government or industry are not cultivated. In view of the importance of exposing Masters-level students to professional settings, the Department of Statistics at Kinnaird College for Women, Lahore approached the Statistics Division, Government of Pakistan requesting an Internship Program for the very first batch of the MSc Statistics students at Kinnaird College. This paper presents the salient features of the program which exposed students to three largest data-collecting organizations of the country, i.e., the Federal Bureau of Statistics, the Agriculture Census Organization, and the Population Census Organization. Feedback received from the students as well as from the Statistics Division testifies to the usefulness and significance of the Program, the very first of its kind in the history of Pakistan.
Paper


1B3: CALLS FOR 911 SERVICE: A COLLABORATION BETWEEN CLEVELAND STATE UNIVERSITY AND THE CLEVELAND CITY POLICE DEPARTMENT

John P. Holcomb, Jr.
Cleveland State University, United States
Norean Radke Sharpe
Babson College, United States

For a period of time, professors from the Cleveland State University Department of Mathematics and Department of Sociology have been working closely with the City of Cleveland Police Department. This partnership has resulted in access to police records cataloging all emergency 911 calls for the city since 1995. Here, we share summary graphs and statistics as they relate to calls for service in the years 2001 – 2003 throughout the city, by district, and priority. We also discuss modeling approaches that can be used with students in second, or more advanced, courses in statistics to explore predicting the number of calls for service.
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SESSION 1C: Co-operative efforts involving Statistics and Mathematics education


1C1: MATHEMATICS EDUCATION AND STATISTICS EDUCATION: MEETING POINTS AND PERSPECTIVES

Tânia Maria Mendonça Campos, Cileda de Queiroz e Silva Coutinho, Saddo Ag Almouloud
PUC-SP, Brazil

This article will discuss the research currently underway at PUC-São Paulo that represents links between Mathematics Education and Statistics Education. We shall discuss how these two areas of knowledge are entwined, verifying the advantages and consequences of these inter-relationships. The National Curriculum Parameters, which specify the Mathematics curriculum for the Brazilian school system, require one block of study involving the discussion of the themes Statistics, Probability, and Discrete Mathematics. These themes are considered throughout the entire 11-year period of basic education (students begin school at age 7) and also in the University. Research related to this problem is beginning to emerge, focusing not only on pre-service or in-service education of teachers, but also related to the learning processes of students, or to research interventions involving both teachers and students.
Paper


1C2: STATISTICS AND MATHEMATICS: IS IT POSSIBLE TO CREATE FRUITFUL LINKS?

Linda Gattuso
Université du Québec à Montréal, Canada

Statistics is generally taught in schools as part of the mathematical curriculum and, as a result, statistics is perceived as a mathematical concept. Moreover, the teaching emphasis is often placed on the computation of statistical information instead of the development of an “ authentic data analysis point of view” (Cobb, 1999). In this paper we consider whether a constructive relationship between statistics and mathematics is possible? We examine examples of statistical teaching situations and analyze them both from a mathematical content point of view and from a statistical perspective, to point out that the interaction between mathematics and statistics is in fact feasible/(practicable). To achieve this, it is necessary to complete a mathematical conceptual analysis of statistical concepts. It is essential to highlight the mathematical concepts beneath the statistical concepts in order to link both of them in creating classroom activities.
Paper


1C3: A WEB ENVIRONMENT TO IMPROVE CONNECTIONS BETWEEN MATHEMATICS AND STATISTICS LEARNING

S. Mignani, P. Monari, R. Ricci
University of Bologna, Italy
A. Orlandoni
I.R.R.E – E.R., Italy

The paper describes a project involving cooperative learning of statistical topics implemented in a web environment. The project is the result of a fruitful partnership between the Faculty of Statistics of the University of Bologna and the Institute of Educational Research of the Emilia Romagna Region. The synergy between mathematics and statistics offers a concrete example of theoretical method application in order to investigate the real world. The positive effects of cooperative learning can be broadened to a larger learning-teaching community. It makes it possible to create a virtual place where it is possible to realize a cooperative learning milieu. This methodology is particularly useful for statistics, given both the specificity of the discipline and the fact that teaching of the subject often represents a novelty for mathematics teachers. Problems connected with real life are presented on the web and project participants may communicate through the network.
Paper

SESSION 1D: Co-operative efforts involving Statistics teachers & researchers


1D1: HOW STATISTICAL SOCIETIES, SUCH AS THE ROYAL STATISTICAL SOCIETY, CAN HELP STATISTICAL EDUCATION

Susan Starkings
London South Bank University, United Kingdom

Statistical Societies (SS) have been around for many years in several countries. The amount of help and support they give to statistical education varies. For example the Royal Statistical Society (RSS) is a SS which supports statistical education in a variety of ways, which will be discussed in this paper. It has its own Education Strategy Group (ESG), which has developed a vision for education and is responsible for driving forward the education strategy. A range of the RSS members are also actively involved in supporting the Group’s programme of activities by running education workshops or giving presentations at student events. The RSS ESG has developed a strategic forward plan for its activities in this sector and keeps up to date with all new developments in the field of statistics education.
Paper


1D2: TEACHING STATISTICS TO UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS OF THE SOCIAL SCIENCES

Oscar Hernández
University of Costa Rica, Costa Rica

This paper highlights the need for teaching statistics with real data in order to make statistics attractive and meaningful to social sciences students. Data coming from current research work are ideal for teaching. Students become interested in statistics and keep their interest as long as statistics is applied to data related to their own fields. Promoting discussion in class around current social issues also emphasizes the value of data to public policy, and the need for social theories to explain and interpret social data. This paper also stresses the need for a textbook concentrating on statistical concepts and thinking, with many real-life examples illustrating the relevance of statistics to understand social issues and making the introductory statistics course an attractive and enlightening course for social sciences students.
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1D3: STATISTICAL RESEARCH–TRAINING–CONSULTING AT A MATHEMATICS RESEARCH CENTER (CIMAT, MEXICO)

Fernando Avila, Miguel Nakamura
Centro de Investigación en Matemáticas, Mexico

Centro de Investigación en Matemáticas (CIMAT) is a federally funded mathematics research center in Mexico, founded in 1980. It is organized into three academic departments: mathematics, computer science, and probability/statistics. With research as a backbone, its mission also includes training at the master’s and doctoral levels in probability and statistics, and—much more recently—providing statistical consulting services to external clients. Provisions were taken to incorporate consulting as an essential activity at CIMAT, including a new office to serve as liaison between clients and researchers. Statement of missions, guidelines for academic faculty, and bylaws were also revised. To foster interaction between researchers, students and consulting project leaders, a virtual internal organization—the Statistics Lab—was conceived. We will review our notion of the Stat Lab, and summarize our experiences in exposing graduate students to consulting problems and in bringing together students and researchers. Lessons learned regarding an academic institution involved with professional consulting will be discussed.
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SESSION 1E: Cooperation in Statistics education in Latin America


1E1: THE AMERICAN STATISTICAL ASSOCIATION (ASA) VISION TO ADVANCE THE STATISTICAL PROFESSION THROUGH EDUCATIONAL AMBASSADORS BETWEEN THE US AND OTHER NATIONS

Martha Aliaga
American Statistical Association, United States

For the purpose of advancing the statistical profession and statistical knowledge on an international level, the American Statistical Association is proposing to recruit qualified Education Ambassadors from foreign countries to work for the improvement of statistical education at all levels and support excellence in statistical practice, research, journals, and meetings. Results of a preliminary pilot effort will be presented.
No paper available


1E2: INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION IN STATISTICS EDUCATION IN LATIN AMERICA: THE CHILEAN EXPERIENCE

Guido E. del Pino
Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile

In Latin America the field of statistics education is still at an early stage, with initial progress being made mostly by the action of particular individuals. To sustain the achievements and to obtain higher goals, cooperative work has proven to be essential and this has been the responsibility of statistics departments and national statistical associations. Globalisation offers new opportunities to promote the cause of statistical education at all levels. This paper reviews the situation in Chile, providing a brief description of some projects, with an emphasis on the role played by international cooperation. Future goals for statistical education in Chile, which are likely to be shared by other countries in the region, are mentioned and some general recommendations are given. These are virtually unattainable without appealing to the cooperation of international statistical associations or that of large national ones.
Paper


1E3: COOPERATION IN RESEARCH AND IN TEACHING STATISTICS IN ARGENTINA

Ana Silvia Haedo
Universidad de Buenos Aires, Argentina

The return to democracy in the countries of South America has favored cooperation in education, science and culture. Many scientists emigrated because of military governments, but many of them returned, either temporarily or with the purpose of being reinstalled in their respective countries. This fact contributed to the strengthening of inter-country cooperation that began informally and slowly has become institutionalized. Different activities of Scientific Societies, personal relationships among their members and, occasionally, cooperative programs at state level promoting regional meetings, have supported that inter-country cooperation. These activities are very important for developing human resources. This is the main reason to encourage countries to organize meetings and research programs bringing together their statisticians.
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SESSION 1F: PANEL DISCUSSION


1F1: STATISTICS EDUCATION JOURNALS: COOPERATING NOT COMPETING

Flavia Rosamund Jolliffe ~ University of Kent, United Kingdom
Neville Davies ~ Nottingham Trent University, United Kingdom
E. Jacquelin Dietz ~ Meredith College, United States
W. Robert Stephenson (Organizer) ~ Iowa State University, United States

Until recently individuals interested in statistics education had very limited options for publishing their work. Today there are several journals devoted exclusively to the teaching and learning of statistics. This session will highlight three journals that publish statistics education articles exclusively. Each of the journals has a different focus and intended audience but parts of each journal’s mission overlaps with the missions of the others. Teaching Statistics’ focus is on younger students, up to age 19, and their teachers. The Journal of Statistics Education (JSE) has a broader focus of statistics education at all levels from elementary school to post-graduate, continuing and workplace education. The Statistics Education Research Journal (SERJ) has its focus on scholarly research in statistics education. Although there are clearly overlaps among the missions of these three journals, cooperation rather than competition is the theme. The speakers in this session will describe more fully the mission of the journals and discuss how the journals can further cooperate.