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Data Skills in Geography. January 2016. @RGS_IBGSchools www.rgs.org/Schools. Steve Brace Head of Education & Outdoor Learning. s.brace@rgs.org @RGS_IBGSchools. “Chi-square is a statistical test that is taught to geographers at school and misunderstood thereafter.”
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Data Skills in Geography January 2016 @RGS_IBGSchools www.rgs.org/Schools Steve Brace Head of Education & Outdoor Learning s.brace@rgs.org @RGS_IBGSchools
“Chi-square is a statistical test that is taught to geographers at school and misunderstood thereafter.” • Professor Michael Crawley • Three ‘guess the graphs’ coming up …
The Royal Geographical Society (with IBG) • The learned and professional body for geography • Schools, higher education, with the professions and public • 16,000 Fellows • A focus on the discipline and subject knowledge • PG Fellowship ITT students • FRGS/Cgeog tutors and mentors etc
How would you rate the data skills of your ITTs • Good, okish or bad? • (Over the last 5 years) getting better or worse? • Sufficient to teach the new GCSE & A Levels?
Who …. • Assesses the competence and confidence of their trainees in data/quantitative skills? • Provides specific coverage of this (if necessary) within the ITT programmes? • Assesses whether this is covered within school placements and mentoring support?
Quant Methods in Geog 2013 • 93% “QM are an important skill for students to learn, (only 48% enjoyed teaching them). • 88% agreed putting QM into a geog content helped students understand (but only 37% agreed that QM are well integrated into the curriculum) • Maths anxiety, confidence and ability were challenges (for students and teachers)
Significant changes at GCSE and A Level • Content & assessment • In the classroom & the field • Since 2007/08 no post 16 ‘course work’ • Teacher recruitment, (very) broad trends
Use of mathematics and statistics in geography • Cartographic skills • Graphical skills • Numerical skills • Statistical skills
Individual investigation What does individual mean …?
GIS • ESRI – Cambridge, UCL, IOE & Brighton and Sussex
Additional Support Data Skills in Geography (2016-18) • Resources • overviews and classroom resources • Teachers & A Level students (NEA) • CPD • Teacher clusters and with ITT networks • Inc DS, GIS and fieldwork • (Esri – Cambridge, IOE, UCL & Brighton & Sussex) • Contact Simon Pinfield for further details s.pinfield@rgs.org, 020 7591 3051
Further information • www.rgs.org • Steve Brace s.brace@rgs.org • @RGS_IBGSchools