"The idea of using real data however, was more of an incentive of actually paying attention to what you’re doing instead of just writing in answers and not really realising what you’re saying."
"I liked how we had a real - life data sample to work with. The fact that we also took part in the survey that we used also made it feel like it was relevant to us."
"Real data is useful and makes it more meaningful".
"Also using real data as opposed to made up or text book data made it a bit more significant."
Date Posted: 1 August 2008
Victor Davidson, Teacher Librarian, Birrong Girls High School
Many thanks for the Censusatschool program. We are having tremendous success. I and my Library Technician are taking all Year 7 through the online survey and bringing in the Maths and Social Science Faculties to support.
What students are saying about CensusAtSchool
YouTube video, posted March 2008
Time: 01:52
Date Posted 11/07/2006
Fiona McAuliffe, Head of Mathematics, Scotch College South Australia.
We all know that students learn best when they are motivated and can relate to a theme or topic. The release of the movie The DaVinci Code, following a year of controversy in the media for the book and its author meant it was a perfect time to look at Ratio and Proportion! The successful implementation of a good curriculum occurs when we allow it to follow the students, rather than the students following it. This year we have implemented a “Scotch Middle School Curriculum” across all subjects, designed to meet National and State standards, the needs of students in the middle years, but most importantly the individual students in each group. Dan Brown, with all he has and may have done, provided an opportunity to integrate the curriculum through Mathematics, English, Science, Music and Art and also for peer-support learning.
Ian Wong, Teacher Consultant with the Australian Bureau of Statistics.
Teachers have been aware of the value of real data to engage students for a long time. Why else would so many surveys be conducted, with children out the front of schools counting the number of cars going by? The problem is that these activities take considerable effort and time, and often have limited success. And even if they are successful, the data sample is restricted to the local situation and is often small. You certainly can't get data from beyond the school! CensusAtSchool will provide a large data set, with contributions from all parts of Australia, from which random data samples can be taken.
Graham Irvine, Regent College, IT Teacher and Principal, Perth WA.
Our Year 6 and & classes have submitted their questionnaires. It was great to have the students exposed to what is becoming a very popular format for gathering information. Their need to think about their own lifestyle added to the value of the exercise. Having the class teachers move through the questionnaire has allowed some of these lifestyle questions to be integrated into the lifestyle and values discussions within the classroom.
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Date Posted: 10/06/2006
Christopher Meadows, Westside Christian College School Principal
" [the students] appreciated the opportunity to use real 'live' data in their studies."
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Date Posted: 23/05/2006
Jennifer Johnson, Southern Cross Primary School, Victoria, Leading Teacher
"This is a terrific site, links are clear, information is clear - it is a very good resource for teachers..."
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Date Posted: 12/05/2006
Patricia Spannagle, St Joseph’s Principal.
“I think the teachers enjoy the variety programs such as CensusAtSchool introduced into the standard curriculum.”
Share your opinions about CensusAtSchool resources with other teachers. Please send them to the CensusAtSchool team at censusatschool@abs.gov.au.
This page first published 15 April 2008, last updated 5 November 2008
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