Schools FAQs
Need help with Maths-Whizz? You're in the right place...
If you are looking to purchase for your school, please request more information or call +971 4454 8340.
Yes. To use Maths-Whizz on your iPad or tablet, just download the free and secure educational app, Puffin Academy Browser.
Once downloaded, simply open Puffin Academy and click on the Puffin Academy Portal. Then, search for ‘Maths-Whizz’ and click ‘Install’.
Maths-Whizz is now installed on your iPad or tablet. Your children can access Maths-Whizz anytime, anywhere they have an internet connection, just by clicking the Puffin Academy Browser.
For the best possible learning experience, we do advise that children use Maths-Whizz on a laptop or desktop computer.
Explorer 7.05, Flash: 10.3181.22, Firefox 4.0.1
If you are using a Mac computer and see a blank screen or experience freezing issues, please access the site from Mozilla Firefox instead of Safari.
Software requirements:
Internet Explorer 7 or newer or
Mozilla Firefox 4 or newer;
Flash Player 10 plugin or newer.
Minimum PC Requirements:
Pentium II 400 MHz or AMD K6-2 or 100% equivalent processor
Windows 98, 2000, ME or XP
64Mb RAM
16 bit color (though 32 bit is ideal)
Sound card and speakers (essential for Key Stage1, optional for Key Stage 2 and above)
Recommended minimum screen resolution 1024 x 768 pixels
Minimum MAC Requirements:
G3, G4 Mac 300MHz
Mac OS X version 10.1 with 128Mb RAM or Mac OS 8.6 or 9 with 64Mb RAM
Recommended browser: Mozilla Firefox. If you are using Safari 5, you may experience problems with your flash player. If so please use Mozilla Firefox or Camino.
We recommend that you have a broadband internet connection to use Maths-Whizz.
While the tutor supports students based on their individual needs, teachers can monitor progress through their curriculum via live reports. Please contact us for more comprehensive information.
We recommend that students use the Maths-Whizz tutor for 60 minutes a week. Our research has shown that dividing that time into smaller blocks, such as three 20-minute sessions, increases children's concentration and learning.
There could be a couple of reasons that the lessons being delivered are too difficult for your student.
- Help, other than that from the Tutor, was given to the student during the assessment or within the lessons. It is normal to want to help a student if we think they are struggling, but Maths-Whizz needs to know what the student doesn’t understand just as much as it needs to know what the student does understand – this is the only way the appropriate lessons can be delivered.
- The student is distracted and or tired.
Solutions:
- Ask the student to explain what the question is asking. Sometimes talking it through helps them understand what is being asked.
- Take a break – sometimes a short break is all that is needed. Come back to Maths-Whizz after a short break and/or a snack.
- If the lesson is too hard, let the student answer it incorrectly. Encourage your student by letting them know it is OK to make a mistake. Maths-Whizz will adapt the curriculum to support your student’s instructional needs.
The main reason that lessons are too easy is because the student answered too many questions incorrectly or just pressed ‘I don’t know’ during the initial assessment.
Solutions:
- Have your student re-take the assessment. Make sure your student knows that the assessment is used to determine their place in the Tutor. When a student is challenged appropriately, learning is much more enjoyable.
- Let your student know that they receive more credits for correctly answering questions on the assessments. This often motivates them to try harder.
- Let your student continue working through the lessons delivered. Lesson difficultly is based on how the student is performing. If answers are correct, the difficultly level increases.
Go to the Dashboard, select ‘Manage classes’, drill down to find the student and you will find the button ‘Skip’ in the Actions section. Please read the advice regarding when to skip an exercise. It is important that students complete all lessons in their tailored learning journies. Note: You cannot skip a test.
For schools, we have two agreements that you will be asked to sign when subscribing to Maths-Whizz. These are our Terms and Conditions for Maths-Whizz Tutoring Plus for Schools and our Access Agreement for Maths-Whizz Teachers’ Resource.
To view these agreements, please visit our Subscription Agreements page.