Promoting civic engagement via exploration of evidence: Challenges for Statistics Education

Promoting civic engagement via exploration of evidence: Challenges for Statistics Education

ProCivicStat’s central goal has been to develop approaches for enabling (young) people to understand statistics and quantitative evidence relevant to burning social issues, such as global warming, migration, health, crime, poverty, access to services, education, human rights, and many more. The broader aspiration is to empower (young) citizens for evidence-based decision-making and informed participation in public debate.
As a first step we analysed the characteristic and cognitive demands of data and statistical messages about society as provided by official statistics agencies (UN, Eurostat, national statistics offices), the media and NGOs. We developed new conceptual models of skills and knowledge bases needed for making sense of such data, and contrasted them to current curricula and how statistics is actually taught in “traditional” classrooms at the high school and college/university level, enabling us to identify key gaps in current approaches.
Our tangible objectives were to create an integrated set of resources and instructional sequences that are coordinated with an overarching conceptual framework of the knowledge bases and skills associated with Civic Statistics, i.e. statistics about important societal trends and about topics that matter to the social and economic well-being of citizens. E.g., we developed activities about topics such as migration, demographic changes, or equality, that are suitable for teaching/learning from the perspective of (and with data from) different European countries.
The six project partners have a leading expertise in the area of statistical literacy. Coming from diverse backgrounds and home departments their experiences complement each other in unique ways: providing internet platforms with interactive data displays of societal information (Durham), enriching university education of future math teachers and providing and evaluating learning material for college and school education (Ludwigsburg, Durham, Paderborn, Haifa), teacher training (Paderborn), teaching statistics at university (Szeged, Porto, Haifa), consulting data providers and National and International Statistics Offices (Porto) and expertise in conceptualization and assessment of numeracy and statistical literacy from a cognitive science perspective (Haifa and Durham).
The global topics addressed by the project led to transnational synergies and joint learning for all partners. The project partners are connected through past cooperation within the International Association of Statistics Education (IASE) and through the International Statistical Literacy Project (ISLP) which is co-sponsored by IASE.
Main outreach activities of the project were seven multiplier events: three events were organized as conferences where we presented PCS resources via lectures, demonstrations and workshop activities to engage participants with concrete materials. (Two of these events involved unique “roundtable” activities to promote dialogue among diverse stakeholders). We conducted two workshops for school teachers (within larger teacher conventions) and two different webinars. Moreover, thanks to our international network, we presented PCS ideas and resources at several international conferences via workshops, plenaries and talks.
Evaluation and monitoring of project progress were achieved via semi-annual transnational meetings, monthly online-conferences among all partners, many emails, and several face-to-face and virtual meetings on a bi- or trilateral basis.
The project’s main impact is the creation of an integrated set of new models and resources (freely accessed via the IASE website) which enrich the possibilities for statistics instruction at the secondary and tertiary levels and the provision of innovative open online learning materials, all focused directly on the gaps and needs in Civic Statistics. These apply immediately to our home universities, enabled us to implement innovative seminars, and stirred up intense interdepartmental contacts between colleagues from education, mathematics/ statistics and social sciences.
Our workshops and multiplier events reached thousands of colleagues, and extended into Eastern Europe. Evaluations showed that participants expressed a strong interest and support for PCS ideas. Our final multiplier event (Aug 26-27, 2018) attracted stakeholders and researchers from very different fields (presidents of statistical societies, media experts, teachers, educators, EuroStat, UNCTAD; Eastern Europe & Russia, USA), who discussed and enriched our concluding Call for Action and recommendations.
Overall, the project has received a lot of attention from statistics educators and social studies teachers, official statistics providers, data scientists, and curriculum planners. All ProCivicStat partners are committed to jointly continue to promote Civic Statistics, disseminate our materials, to work for curricular changes as outlined in our final Call.

The Partners:

PADAGOGISCHE HOCHSCHULE LUDWIGSBURG, Germany - Coordinator

SZEGEDI TUDOMANYEGYETEM, Hungary
UNIVERSIDADE DO PORTO, Portugal
UNIVERSITAET PADERBORN, Germany
UNIVERSITY OF DURHAM, United Kingdom
UNIVERSITY OF HAIFA, Israel