I remember a question about scratch cards being quite polarising. If you have no idea what a scratch card is then it makes the question more demanding. We must be very careful when including contexts.
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I think this is a really big concern about contexts, there can be a minefield of potential biases introduced. I remember seeing questions set on topics such as cricket or F1 which were queried as benefiting those who were familiar with them.
Frustratingly the one attempt to include a pre-agreed context in A level Maths has not been well-liked. This was the idea behind the Large Data Set: if a content is known beforehand this is fairer.
"Not been well-liked," while undoubtedly true, is not the angle I would go for. "Sabotaged by the exam boards, particularly Edexcel" is more my take on it.
Are their hands tied to some extent because the data isn't available to play with in the exams? Not making excuses, it's a genuine question. Was there anything they could've done to make it a roaring success?
Their hands are tied to a certain extent I agree. But I think they have cynically made the questions as few marks and as pointless as they thought they could get away with. Their aim is to have it removed from the specifications, and they've succeeded in getting teachers on board with this.
Whilst technology (beyond a scientific calculator) cannot be part of the exam, perhaps they're right to want it removed. Can it really be done justice in the current setting? Someone more creative than me needs to show me how!
I don't feel that attempt was well executed because examples of how to use data weren't really provided back in 2017. Teachers had to guess what exam questions would look like (and are still guessing really). The fact the data isn't accessible in the exam means this approach is destined to fail.
I think that a simple work-around would be to make an information sheet about the data available (i.e. what the columns are, what they measure and what the units are). They could then ask sensible statistical questions about averages or charts based on the data.
I have become very familiar with all of the large data sets and some have some very interesting features.
It could have lead to some real understanding of interpretation of data sets. But practical with a group of 25ish students of mixed abilities. Maybe not and perhaps less confident teachers...
They are a selection of well-curated data sets. One of the main messages of our AMSP Teaching Statistics 1 course is that all 6 can be seen of as a useful resource when wanting some data in context.
Public exams are there to test what's been taught and what's been learnt. If contexts become a big part of examining the mathematics course, then many clear examples should be provided for the teachers.
I don't remember much context in the courses I studied at university (mostly pure modules). There would've been had I studied Economics/Engineering/Physics etc. Should Mathematics A Level bear the brunt of preparing students for these degrees too? I guess so. Context is tricky.
I agree about the modelling. At A level all students do is use models that are given to them - they are never assessed on forming models so this is a skill that isn't taught much. I wish it was part of the assessment but then it would require some other element removing!
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It could have lead to some real understanding of interpretation of data sets. But practical with a group of 25ish students of mixed abilities. Maybe not and perhaps less confident teachers...