Your question could be interpreted in two ways. First of all, you may be enquiring as to how studying Statistics to GCSE level can benefit students. Alternatively, this could be a question about the collation of data in the education sector, and how this can enhance the development of students and schools in general.
Firstly, Statistics as a subject allows students to explore the use of an array of diagrams in real-life data situations, such as box-and-whisker diagrams and stem-and-leaf diagrams. Also in the syllabus is learning complex, subject-specific vocabulary such as the ‘median’, the ‘inter-quartile range’, and ‘cumulative frequency’. Once students have succeeded in gaining this ground knowledge, their techniques in collecting data in the form of questionnaires fairly can be put to the test in a two-hour exam. As you can imagine, this numeracy-heavy subject tends to be taken as a complement to GCSE Maths, which students will generally be taking at a Higher level when involved with this course. There can be considerable overlap between the two subjects, meaning that there is less to study.
Meanwhile, statistics on a school’s performance are also important in education. When parents are due to make their decisions on where their children should learn for the next five to seven years, a school’s success rates in Maths, English and Science (usually expressed as percentages), will be instrumental in their decision rating. In Further Education, there are also statistics used to show how many students are achieving As and Bs in certain subjects. This can be important for boosting the morale of students, showing them that they too could be one of the strongest performers in an examination environment.
Statistics is primarily a problem solving field of study and knowledge. Statisticians should have a drive and desire to solve mathematical and data problems, and should get satisfaction from working towards a solution. A good statistician should not feel beaten or defeated by a problem, even if it appears difficult - instead, they should rise to the challenge of coming up with the solution.
Statistics is also all about understanding and interpreting data. A good knowledge of mathematics is obviously essential, but statistics also requires strong communication skills in order to discuss data and any problems surrounding it. Statisticians usually work within a team, for example, with other statisticians, or as advisers to businesses, so they need to be able to communicate effectively with others within a professional environment. In addition, difficult problems require a team effort, and in order to fully understand the data at hand, communication may be essential.
Furthermore, statistics is about being knowledgeable in general. Statistics is not usually an isolated field - as I said above, statisticians usually work within businesses or companies. Therefore, they need a good knowledge base about the field in which they work, whether it be fashion, food, medicine or automobiles. Strong knowledge about your specific field allows a statistician to interpret data more accurately, and draw more reliable and applicable conclusions from the data in order to benefit the company or business.
Statisticians also work closely with computing technology, so should be well-versed an experienced in the latest data programming and organizing technology. Today, statisticians work with such vast amounts of data on such a regular basis that the role of computer technology cannot be ignored in the field of statistics. Statisticians should therefore be not only proficient, but confident, in using technology and software and applying it to particular sets of data.
Firstly, Statistics as a subject allows students to explore the use of an array of diagrams in real-life data situations, such as box-and-whisker diagrams and stem-and-leaf diagrams. Also in the syllabus is learning complex, subject-specific vocabulary such as the ‘median’, the ‘inter-quartile range’, and ‘cumulative frequency’. Once students have succeeded in gaining this ground knowledge, their techniques in collecting data in the form of questionnaires fairly can be put to the test in a two-hour exam. As you can imagine, this numeracy-heavy subject tends to be taken as a complement to GCSE Maths, which students will generally be taking at a Higher level when involved with this course. There can be considerable overlap between the two subjects, meaning that there is less to study.
Meanwhile, statistics on a school’s performance are also important in education. When parents are due to make their decisions on where their children should learn for the next five to seven years, a school’s success rates in Maths, English and Science (usually expressed as percentages), will be instrumental in their decision rating. In Further Education, there are also statistics used to show how many students are achieving As and Bs in certain subjects. This can be important for boosting the morale of students, showing them that they too could be one of the strongest performers in an examination environment.
Statistics is primarily a problem solving field of study and knowledge. Statisticians should have a drive and desire to solve mathematical and data problems, and should get satisfaction from working towards a solution. A good statistician should not feel beaten or defeated by a problem, even if it appears difficult - instead, they should rise to the challenge of coming up with the solution.
Statistics is also all about understanding and interpreting data. A good knowledge of mathematics is obviously essential, but statistics also requires strong communication skills in order to discuss data and any problems surrounding it. Statisticians usually work within a team, for example, with other statisticians, or as advisers to businesses, so they need to be able to communicate effectively with others within a professional environment. In addition, difficult problems require a team effort, and in order to fully understand the data at hand, communication may be essential.
Furthermore, statistics is about being knowledgeable in general. Statistics is not usually an isolated field - as I said above, statisticians usually work within businesses or companies. Therefore, they need a good knowledge base about the field in which they work, whether it be fashion, food, medicine or automobiles. Strong knowledge about your specific field allows a statistician to interpret data more accurately, and draw more reliable and applicable conclusions from the data in order to benefit the company or business.
Statisticians also work closely with computing technology, so should be well-versed an experienced in the latest data programming and organizing technology. Today, statisticians work with such vast amounts of data on such a regular basis that the role of computer technology cannot be ignored in the field of statistics. Statisticians should therefore be not only proficient, but confident, in using technology and software and applying it to particular sets of data.
