Dr Paul Hewson

National Teaching Fellow 2012 Dr Paul Hewson started his career as a cell biologist in Scotland. He moved back to Devon in 1996, working in local government while retraining part-time as a statistician. Paul was awarded a PhD in 2005 and retains a particular interest in the role of Bayesian reasoning in understanding the world. He is the second National Teaching Fellow in Plymouth University's Mathematics group. This is no coincidence; since joining the group in 2004 he is continually inspired by the level of commitment and support shown by his colleagues to enable students to fulfil their potential. Paul has also has taught short courses in a number of prestigious institutions, including the University of Bologna. Paul is aware of popular perceptions of statistics, but believes that not only is the subject important, but that learning it can be fun and interesting. As one science student said: "Just want to say thank you very much for all your efforts and support throughout the stats module. We really appreciated it. You actually made statistics interesting." Paul's educational philosophy is simple: learning is about the learner. He is a keen adopter of technology (such as audience response clickers) but believes technology has value only in the way it engages the learner. This focus on learners has led him to adopt a 'statistical literacy approach' which, he believes, can help some learners overcome maths phobias that might otherwise limit their learning and subsequent careers. Paul has successfully used this approach with undergraduates and has also weaved the philosophy into short courses he has delivered to a range of organisations. As well as working with employers, Paul is committed to school outreach activities and regularly spends time making mathematics come to life by throwing footballs from a large trebuchet. Recently, he became editor of Teaching Statistics which showcases good practice in statistics education around the world. He is keen to extend his work on statistical literacy and develop a consensus curriculum for non-statistics specialists; one that meets modern employer needs and embeds Bayesian reasoning throughout.