Mathematics

Statistics offer vital clues to understanding trends. It is the teachers job to assist students to find ways to interpret data in meaningful, accurate and skeptical fashion.

What are the major causes of death in various countries?

A whole page of statistics can be pretty daunting. Select specific figures to graph, as a research tool, or as the basis for discussion. Region by region analysis, gender comparisons, comparisons of two or three selected countries or overall trends are all useful approaches. The questions at the end of the page provide another starting point.

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Explanations of the causes of death -

This page is closely related to the previous one. Students could be assigned one of these causes for closer research. What is the incidence of this cause of death in your country? Is it rising, falling, stable? How does it compare to elsewhere? What is being done to combat this problem? How effective have these efforts been? What are the social implications of this problem?

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How long do people in various nations live?

Students could analyze this chart and then try to work out why the figures vary from country to country. What is the major cause of death in your country? How does this compare to other countries in your region? What factors contribute to this figure? Students could collect information from Government or other sources. What is being done to lower this figure?

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