Let's Look at NAPN Statistics

by Jessica Wesaquate and Andrea Rogers

Topic:

Statistics

Strand:

Graphing

Grade:

Middle Years

Objectives:

Students will be able to understand what a statistic is by providing examples.

Students will be able to graph statistics with the given information.

Pre-requisite Knowledge:

statistics, graphing

Materials:

statistics given below, graph paper, pencils

Before you teach this lesson, have students watch the Tara Littlechief interview on the Native Access Program to Nursing (NAPN). Tara serves as a great Aboriginal role model for students.

Introduction:

Ask the students if they know what a statistic is. Where have they seen statistics before? Have students volunteer to make-up a statistic. Give them a formal definition on the board.

Place these statistics on a handout that you can provide to your students. Depending on the time of year and types of graphing you are doing with students, have them use this information to graph the different statistics.

The following are NAPA medicine stats:

- There are currently 14 Aboriginal students studying in the MD Program:

Year One – 6     Year Two – 3
Year Three – 4   Year Four - 1

- 14 Aboriginal MD Graduates since 1993 and 3 Aboriginal grads prior to 1993

The following are statistics from the Health and Sciences Department at the
University of Saskatchewan:

240 Aboriginal Nursing Education Program of Saskatchewan students -
98 Saskatoon, 38 Regina, 104 Prince Albert

5 Aboriginal Masters students in Nursing

14 students in Medicine

9 in Dentistry

22 in Kinesiology

30 in Pharmacy and Nutrition

1 in Vet Med

You can have students make large scale visual representations of these graphs and place them onto a bulletin board. It shows Aboriginal success in the medical world.

Aboriginal Perspectives is supported by the University of Regina, the Imperial Oil Foundation, the Canadian Mathematical Society and the Pacific Institute for the Mathematical Sciences.