RSSeNEWS to be determined...

The RSS-accredited Certificate in Teaching Statistics up to Pre-university Level was launched in March. The material for this distance learning course was developed by the Royal Statistical Society Centre for Statistical Education (RSSCSE) before being accredited by RSS Professional Affairs Committee in May 2009. It involved contributions by colleagues from the RSS CSE itself, Mathematics in Education and Industry, the University of Plymouth, Queensland University of Technology, the National Centre for the Excellence in the Teaching of Mathematics and Manchester Grammar School.

Partial funding for course development came from the Postgraduate Statistics Centre at Lancaster University and is now embedded as a pathway (60 credit module) in Lancaster’s MSc in Applied Social Statistics. See Postgraduate Statistics Centre website for more details.

Qualified teachers who embark on the course can also register for the International Masters Programme (IMP) offered by the University of Plymouth (UoP) and, subject to satisfying certain assessment conditions, may be awarded a UoP Post Graduate Certificate. See the University of Plymouth website for more details.

The RSS Certificate uniquely focuses on knowledge and pedagogic enhancement that is built on the belief that, wherever possible, statistics should be taught and learned using a problem solving approach (PSA). This is a radical departure from traditional approaches to teaching and learning that mostly focus on recipes and techniques which, in turn, are driven by end-of-course nationally-set examinations.

The Certificate course provides up to date continuing professional development for teachers and usually takes 16 months to complete, with four face to face contact days within that period. As well as being useful for many teachers of statistics in secondary education, it will provide an excellent basis for teaching the A Level in statistics being developed by QCDA for teaching from 2012. The Certificate is assessed through continuous journals of activities and the creation of a portfolio at the end of the course.

For details of the course see the RSSCSE website or email the course administrator.