In recent years, large numbers of maths educators around the UK have seen, first-hand, the power that technology has to aid our teaching of children and young people. As classroom teachers ourselves we are among them, and are motivated by the individual and group successes we have witnessed.
We will touch on those successes, focus on the long-term outcomes that maths edtech brings, and take a close look into how we carry those positive aspects forward, considering methods that maximise the benefits for every learner.
Why edtech in maths and why now?
During testing times of repeated national lockdowns, edtech became a necessity for us and our colleagues to take on and finesse – the only way to continue our lessons, in most cases. Many benefits quickly became apparent, aside from this new ability for pupils and teachers to interact and continue their learning from anywhere.
As well as providing a shared platform for children to discuss and reflect on mathematical concepts – a space rare to most learners’ households – our classes were captivated by dynamic visualisers and emulators that brought graphs, shapes and concepts alive; teachers gained confidence through skill-sharing; we found diagnostic tools that helped quickly pinpoint areas of miscomprehension, sum by sum, giving instant feedback for pupils; became more flexible in our interactions; increased our inclusivity; and started to save time through more efficient processes in terms of lesson delivery, homework reviews and assessments.
Yet in the post home-schooling landscape, too many of our maths peers are returning to the “old” ways of pen, paper and workbooks alone. For us, this seems like taking one giant step forward and several steps back. Given that so many teachers and schools worked hard to build up a momentum through technology – and considering the tech-focused world that awaits STEM and non-STEM learners alike – why stop now and let those lessons slide?