Updating a presentation, Colour in Mathematics or pdf version, Colour in Mathematics led to a happy find…

When teaching the Chi Squared test I have often found that students are not always clear on their interpretation of the contributions to the test statistic. A worked example with a little colour to help where we look at the observed data. the expected probabilities and the chi squared contributions seems to work well . This exercise made me realise that a chi squared calculator I had previously recommended did not seem to be working, so fortunately I found a better one!

From Social Science Statistics this Chi Squared Calculator is for a contingency table with up to 5 rows and columns. It is very simple to use, enter the group and category names, then the data, choose the significance level and calculate.

A clear conclusion is then given:
The chi-square statistic is 10.2061. The p-value is .037096.
The result is significant at p < .05.

The calculator is included on the Statistics 16+ page of Calculators & Tools.

Note the many other calculators  for statistical tests  available on Social Science Statistics.

The A Level Draft Specifications have now been published, including specimen papers.
Use this Twitter List to see updates from all the exam boards. As you can see @Ofqual are making announcements about accredited specifications.

For the specifications use the following links.

• AQA
• Edexcel
• OCR   AS accredited
• OCR MEI AS accredited, see OCR (MEI) for supporting information and videos on the new specification.

Further resources:
AQA Resources including a very useful Specification Summary. AQA have several very clear resources, see: Planning  Teaching and Assessment which includes the Specimen Papers and mark schemes.

Edexcel Specification & Sample Assessment Materials note the inclusion of a data set for AS and A Level.

Edexcel – Assessment support including mapping documents.

From OCR, specifications, specimen papers and other resources can all be downloaded here.
Note the option to download a zip file with the specifications and sample assessment materials.

OCR have individual subject pages with further resources:

• AS/A Level GCE – Mathematics A 
• AS/A Level GCE – Further Mathematics A
• AS/A Level GCE – Mathematics B (MEI)
  
• AS/A Level GCE – Further Mathematics B (MEI)

MEI have helpfully compared Further Mathematics Specifications so you can compare the content and structure from each board.

OCR have also linked to some new sample MEI resources. These include some very nice “problem shorts” and also the use of technology to analyse large data sets.

OCR A Level Check In Test

I do like OCR’s check in tests for GCSE and I see a small number check in tests and lesson elements on the A Level subject pages; I assume this collection will grow.

From MEI, see this short video presentation on the new specification including the new work on large data sets.

For further reference documents and some suggested resources see A Level Reform.

For easy access to announcements regarding Maths from the examination boards, use this twitter list. (You do not have to use Twitter to access the list).

Eduqas will not be offering AS / A Level Mathematics specifications, but note their Level 3 Statistical Problem Solving Using Software. See also  the International Centre for Statistical Education (ICSE) with Plymouth University and you can follow @IntCSE on Twitter. It may be that some of the resources here will be useful for our teaching of Statistics.

Educas state: “The objective of this qualification is to assist the understanding of the problem-solving cycle of planning, collecting, processing and discussing in meaningful contexts and to use statistical software to process real data sets. It has been specifically designed to be taught in schools and colleges to equip learners aged 16-19 with a broad range of skills empowering them to successfully negotiate statistical problems in Higher Education or the world of work.”

This discovery led me to a treasure trove of resources from Educas for Mathematics at all levels, including GCSE – this definitely needs further exploration!