News February 2010
21 February 2010
Census at School: Resource 2.
Statistics Statements - True Or False?
This resource is based on key concepts needed by pupils to understand basic Statistics. Pairs are asked to discuss statements on cards and decide, with justifications, if the statement is True, False or Sometimes true. Solutions are provided in a separate file. (Questions H and I involve box and whisker plots which are not on the project maths syllabus.)
To go directly to this resource, click here.
Coming Soon
10 February 2010
Training on ICT for Maths and Strand 1 Statistics and Probability course.
The PMDT is pleased to inform you that a course of evening workshops on using ICT to teach Strands 1 and 2 will be available soon.
The PMDT is collaborating with the NCTE to provide this course which will show you how you can use readily available software in your classroom to teach geometry, trigonometry and statistics for both Junior and Leaving Certificate. Local facilitators are currently being trained and it is expected that the courses will begin in March 2010.
In parallel with this exciting news, and in collaboration with the National Centre of Excellence in Maths and Science Teaching and Learning in the University of Limerick, local facilitators are also being trained to provide workshops on Strand 1 content. The workshops will focus on new elements of the course, methodology and the use of information technology. They will cover topics from Junior (all levels) and Leaving Certificate (ordinary level) probability & statistics and progress to Leaving Certificate higher level topics such as permutations, combinations and an introduction to probability, the Binomial Distribution ,sampling distributions, and the Normal Distribution. It is expected that the courses will begin in April. We hope you will come along to these courses, which will be delivered through the Education Centre network. More information will be available here soon.
08 February 2010
Launch of "Knowing What Counts" Report
The "Knowing What Counts" report on Irish primary teachers mathematical knowledge for teaching was launched on the 2nd of February 2010. It is a joint publication by Marino Institute of Education and the Department of Education and Science. The launch was addressed by Brigid McManus (Secretary General of the Department of Education and Science), Professor Michael Grenfell (Head of the School of Education in Trinity College Dublin) and Dr. Anne OGara (President of Marino Institute of Education). The author of the report, Dr. Sean Delaney, spoke about the research and called for prospective and practising teachers to be given greater opportunities to acquire the specialised mathematical knowledge that will help them teach mathematics better. To download a copy of the report, click here
Census at School: Resource 1.
1 February 2010
Using data from Census at School.
Are boys or girls more helpful when it comes to doing the dishes? Who is more likely to shirk their domestic duties?
The link below offers a simple example of set theory used to answer this probability question.
http://www.censusatschool.ie/resources/probability/170-washing-up
