Statistics for Empowerment and Social Engagement

Jim Ridgway is an applied psychologist, currently Emeritus Professor in the School of Education at Durham University. He holds a Master's degree in mathematical psychology, and his Ph.D. was based on work selecting fast jet pilots for the RAF. Past roles include vice-president of the International Association for Statistics Education, and co-ordinator of the Assessment SIG for the European Association for Research in Education.

Jim directed the SMART Centre at Durham, and created novel interfaces designed to engage statistically naïve users with multivariate data. A notable collaboration was with the House of Commons Library on a project to provide detailed data about every parliamentary constituency ahead of national elections via mobile and desktop devices (along with an interactive quiz!). Current work is on Civic Statistics - a collaboration with partners in several countries designed to make school and undergraduate statistics courses directly relevant to citizens' needs, by using large scale authentic data sets on pressing social issues, such as migration, equality, and disease spread. Teaching materials are available via the International Statistical Literacy Project. A recent co-edited book is entitled Teaching Data Science and Statistics.

An on-going research project is a collaboration with computer scientists, focussed on using AI to address pressing epistemological problems in contemporary science and social science; a second project is a collaboration with physicists and logistics experts addressing the challenges posed to the UN Sustainable Development Goals by unregulated space exploitation..

His earlier work had three major strands. The first focussed on using computers across the curriculum, in schools. The second addressed mathematics education, in particular on teaching problem solving and mathematical thinking and (with colleagues at Nottingham University) designing and implementing large scale assessment systems in the USA. A project entitled World Class Tests developed innovative ICT-based assessments in science, technology and mathematics that have been used in over 20 countries. A third strand has been to promote the engagement of women in STEM, via several pan-European ERASMUS-funded projects.

Foreword.- G. Gigerenzer: Democracy Needs Statistical Literacy.- J. Ridgway: Why Engage with Civic Statistics?.- Edited by J. Engel and J. Nicholson: Part I.- J. Engel and J. Ridgway: Back to the Future - Rethinking the Purpose and Nature of Statistics Education.- I. Gal, J. Nicholson, and J. Ridgway: A Conceptual Framework for Civic Statistics and its Educational Applications.- I. Gal, J. Ridgway, J. Nicholson, and J. Engel: Implementing Civic Statistics - An Agenda for Action.- R. Biehler and P. Kovacs: Part II.- J. Ridgway, P. Campos, J. Nicholson, and S. Teixeira: Interactive Data Visualizations for Teaching Civic Statistics.- S. Teixeira, P. Campos, and A. Trostianitser: Data Sets: Examples and Access for Civic Statistics.- A. Trostianitser, S. Teixeira, and P. Campos: Lesson Plan Approaches: Tasks that Motivate Students to Think.- P. Kovacs, K. Kazar, and E. Kuruczleki: Seeing Dynamic Data Visualizations in Action: Gapminder Tools.- D. Frischemeier, S. Podworny, and R. Biehler: Data Visualization Packages for Non-inferential Civic Statistics in High School Classrooms.- C. J. Wild and J. Ridgway: Civic Statistics and iNZight: Illustrations of Some Design Principles for Educational Software.- N. Guimarães, K. Vehkalahti, P. Campos, and J. Engel: Exploring Climate Change Data with R.- J. Ridgway and R. Ridgway: Covid-19 Shows Why we Need Civic Statistics: Illustrations and Classroom Activities.- Edited by I. Gal and D. Frischemeier: Part III.- I. Gal: Critical Understanding of Civic Statistics: Engaging with Important Contexts, Texts, and Opinion Questions.- P. Kovacs, K. Kazar, and E. Kuruczleki: Implementing Civic Statistics in Business Education: Technology in Small and Large Classrooms.- S. Podworny, D. Frischemeier, and R.Biehler: Civic Statistics for Prospective Teachers: Developing Content and Pedagogical Content Knowledge through Project Work.- A Schiller and J. Engel:Civic Statistics for Prospective Teachers: Developing Critical Questioning of Data-based Statements in the Media.- C. Wassner and A. Proemmel: Civic Statistics at School: Reasoning with Real Data in the Classroom.- J. Engel, J. Louie, and J. Nicholson: Preparing for a Data-rich world: Civic Statistics Across the Curriculum.- L. Martignon, D. Frischemeier, M. McDowell, and C. Till: Dynamic, Interactive Trees and Icon Arrays for Visualizing Risks in Civic Statistics.- Edited by P. Campos and A. Schiller: Part IV.- K. François and C. Monteiro: Reflections on Civic Statistics - A Triangulation of Citizen, State and Statistics: Past, Present and Future.- L. Zejnilovic and P. Campos: Connecting Data Science, Data Movements, and Project-based Learning with a Social Impact.- J. Ridgway, P. Campos and R. Biehler: Data Science, Statistics, and Civic Statistics - Education for a Fast Changing World.- J. Ridgway and R. Ridgway: Civic Statistics in Context: Mapping the Global Evidence Ecosystem.