The online, subscription-based Mathletics, exemplifies and embodies all of the above features and structure. It allows students to take part in competitive maths games and activities – against themselves, their peers, and indeed, students in other schools, and, indeed, in other countries in real time. The topics can be selected by the teacher, and as a result of the highly attractive interface and structured award programme, the students are generally strongly motivated to measure their progress and to continue to make progress. In this way, the concepts and skills inherent in the mathematics curriculum can be made attractive and accessible to students who can work at their own level and at their own pace, enabling effective differentiation and assessment. An important feature of  Mathleticsis that, once subscribed and enrolled, students’ accounts are active 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, enabling them to log on outside of school hours and continue to work seamlessly on the topics currently being taught at school.

As with most “tutor” mode applications, students generally work as individuals and can call on the teacher for additional support if required. In turn, the teacher can, instead of providing the instruction to the students, scaffold their learning as appropriate and see at a glance how each student’s learning is progressing.

Mathleticsis widely used in Irish primary schools, as it is viewed by teachers as embodying the most important features of high quality tutor-type applications, in particular:

1. Appropriateness to the curriculum
2. Appeal to the student, encompassing visual appeal, reward and feedback mechanism, ease of use, navigation features
3. Customisation and differentiation levels.

As previously stated, the facility for students to continue their work online, outside of school hours (supported by parents and guardians, as appropriate) is another important and valuable feature.

What technology can be used?

Mathletics is available online for students with mobile-friendly website that is ideal for desktops and can be accessed on most tablet-sized devices.