Explain this
MathsWorks
How the publisher describes it:
“For use on the interactive whiteboard or around the computer, the activities allow you to explore concepts with the whole class or challenge smaller groups.”
Review by Alice Hargreaves
In brief:
As a class teacher I would use this software to assist with aspects of my whole class teaching and as fun maths activities for children to complete in the spare ten minutes that can sometimes be found in the school day.
“Children can guess and check rather than using their learning to progress through the levels”
MathsWorks is a series of programs containing a selection of 15 activities to assist with whole class teaching, and the option for pupils to complete independent work through on-screen challenges.
The resource is divided into three clear areas: numbers and calculations, shape, space and measures and handling data, with an additional option to link activities to objectives. However, there are limits to the objectives covered and there are gaps in topics such as capacity and division.
Once an area has been chosen a selection of activities can be seen clearly on the screen. Each activity has an information button to give an overview of the activity, a link to year objectives and also a demonstration of how the activity can be used. This is a useful tool as the demonstration gives further ideas, although sometimes the instructions or the aim of the activities are not clear.
Most activities are then divided into two choices: an Explore task or a Challenge task. The Explore tasks are useful for class teaching of objectives on an interactive white board. Some of the ideas presented can already be found on the Internet but this software offers fun, well-differentiated activities with opportunities to pick and choose operations, number limits, sizes of grids and types of diagrams. The Challenge activities can be used in a variety of ways; children can complete them independently, consolidating their learning from the Explore activities or they can be used as a plenary to any independent work. However, if the activities are completed by individuals there is no record for the teacher of what has been completed correctly. Clues and answers are not given if the children find the task too difficult.
I used the Grid Multiplication Task with a mixed ability class of Y4 children. They had already previously used arrays and the grid method of multiplication but were still finding some times tables difficult. Using this activity I was able to show how to partition an array further to show how 18 x 4 can also be (10 x 4) + (5 x 4) + (8 x 4), as this used times tables they were familiar with to work out the answer. The children enjoyed the changing pictures, counting images such as houses and fruit rather than dots, and it was easy to partition the arrays with numbers for each section automatically appearing. The visual prompt then assisted them with independent written methods, and consolidated the learning of the lower ability who were still using arrays. However this activity, along with others does have limitations and the largest multiplication I could complete was 19 x 9. Also, this activity had no next step to challenge the higher ability and so further written methods had to been shown using the Smart board.
As a class teacher I would use this software to assist with aspects of my whole class teaching and as fun maths activities for children to complete in the spare ten minutes that can sometimes be found in the school day. I do not feel that the Challenge tasks have been developed enough to be used independently within a Numeracy lesson because of the ‘hit and miss’ nature of some of the games. Children can guess and check rather than using their learning to progress through the levels, and the teacher cannot check on this approach as there is no record of their answers.
Alice Hargreaves • Year 5 teacher, Orchards C of E Primary School, Wisbech
Longman MathsWorks Teaching & Learning CD-ROM 4
Pearson Education
ISBN: 058281958X
£233.83
