Maths-Whizz Blog

Maths: Add ICT into the equation

The use of computers in maths lessons can help overcome a mental block, says Amy McLellan

If the thought of simultaneous equations has you breaking out in a cold sweat and Pythagoras triggers flashbacks to gloomy afternoons of incomprehension and boredom, then the chances are you haven’t been near a modern maths class in years. Today’s mathematics lessons are punctuated with colourful PowerPoint presentations, interactive 3D problemsolving games and online sudoku puzzles.

This is not dumbing down, according to the people who make the software pupils still need to work through the methodology and grasp the concepts behind the mathematics. But the use of ICT is helping displace some of the fear that so many of us harbour when it comes to using numbers. Read the rest of this entry »

Any child can master maths – it all amounts to confidence, says our expert

If eight oranges cost £1.60, how much do six cost? Just reading that question makes me come over all panicky and cornered, and brings back memories of a particular teacher who wore sandals with socks and used to sneak off for crafty cigarettes in the book cupboard. When it came to children who didn’t “get” maths he just used to shout the same question a bit louder until you either pretended to understand or you cried.

I’m not alone: we’re a nation scared of maths, according to Countdown queen Carol Vorderman. “Every day, just walking down the street, in taxis or shops, I get comments about numbers. What I’m told most often is, ‘I’m scared of maths’,” she says. Read the rest of this entry »

Eureka!

We don’t all have budding Carol Vordermans at home, but how can you help kids struggling with their maths if you’re not very good at it yourself? The answer could be to visit mathswhizz. com.

It’s an online tutoring service for primary school children which covers the school curriculum, but uses vibrant animation and interactive exercises to help get the message across. Easy to use and exceptional value for money, a monthly subscription costs £27.50.

Maths resources – Fun help online

Teachers and parents of a certain age will fondly recall Johnny Ball, whose inventive television programmes like Think of a Number made maths approachable and intriguing. The same spirit of serious fun is found in mathsWhizz, a personal online maths tutor rogramme warmly endorsed by Ball.

It has grown out of the MathsWhizz interactive CDs, familiar to many primary schools, and is available through subscription. Progress through the scheme evolves in response to the child’s performance as their understanding grows. While a daily lesson lasts about 45 minutes, participants can access more than 1,000 hours of activities from their virtual “bedroom”. Read the rest of this entry »