Teaching Statistics: 2022 C Oswald George and Peter Holmes Prizes

C Oswald George Prize for 2022

Teaching Statistics are happy to announce that the 2022 C Oswald George prize has been awarded to Shunya Koga for the article entitled Characteristics of statistical literacy skills from the perspective of critical thinking.

Dr C. Oswald George was an eminent government statistician in the UK; one of the founders of the UK’s Institute of Statisticians who served as Chairman and President. He donated a sum of money for the “best paper, especially submitted by younger authors, in the field of applied statistics”. The prize was subsequently attached to the Institute’s own professional exams. After the formation of Teaching Statistics in 1979, the Institute made the prize money available for the best article in Teaching Statistics, and this prize has continued to be made available following the merger of the Institute with the Royal Statistical Society. Dr C. Oswald George died on 6 January 1974, but we are pleased to be able to honour his legacy each year through the award of this prize to the “best” article in Teaching Statistics.

Peter Holmes Prize for 2022

Teaching Statistics are happy to announce that the 2022 Peter Holmes prize has been awarded to Dinghan Guo and Yue Ma for their article entitled The “p-hacking-is-terrific” ocean – A cartoon for teaching statistics. (OPEN ACCESS)

Each year, the Peter Holmes prize is awarded for the paper in Teaching Statistics which best demonstrates excellence in motivating practical classroom activity.

The aim of this prize is to highlight excellence in motivating practical classroom activity. It is a fitting tribute to Peter Holmes who was a pioneer, leader, developer, evaluator and tireless advocate over many decades for the teaching of statistical practice and thinking across school levels and disciplines. He also cogently argued for these at foundational and introductory levels post-school. His advocacy of data investigations in UK school curricula in the 1970’s became the Plan, Collect, Process, Discuss (PCPD) description of the statistical data investigation process whose well-established role in statistical education pedagogy and practice is now being matched by similar advocacy in data science. Peter was Director of the Schools Council Project on Statistics Education at the University of Sheffield from 1975 to 1980. In 1978 the Teaching Statistics Trust was established, with Peter one of the first trustees, and the first editor of Teaching Statistics established by the Trust. Peter became the inaugural Director of the Centre for Statistical Education set up in 1983 jointly by University of Sheffield and Sheffield Hallam University, co-chaired by Vic Barnett and Warren Gilchrist. In 1995 when this became the RSSCSE (Royal Statistical Society Centre for Statistical Education) and moved first to Nottingham University and then, in 1999, to Nottingham Trent University, Peter continued his work with the Centre, contributing to resources, reports and dedication to every aspect of good practice in teaching statistics. He was truly inspirational in everything he did.