Compared with the arts and humanities, STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) subjects can be challenging to get students excited about. In Australia, this is especially true when it comes to maths. Looking at the latest PISA results, Australia dropped 13 places from our reading scores when it came to numeracy. Thankfully there are so many ways the ActivPanel can inject the ‘fun’ into this fundamental subject.
Show your working out
Using touch-screen technologies, teachers can track how students problem-solve in stages, to see exactly where students may need help when it comes to finding the right answer.
For example, on the Promethean Instant Whiteboard App (which comes pre-loaded onto the ActivPanel), teachers can present the working out process to the class on one side of the screen, hide the formula and allow students to try and solve a similar problem on the other side, then bring back the solution to compare afterwards.
Take out the anxiety
Maths anxiety is a legitimate issue that affects all kinds of people across the world (even teachers!), but one that can be mitigated by fostering learners’ confidence early on. When students’ maths journeys begin with the on-the-spot question and raised-hand style of teaching, those who are prone to this type of anxiety may withdraw from participation.
To assess your class without risking the dreaded brain freeze, quizzes can be completed on personal devices that connect to the ActivPanel. These allow students to complete problems anonymously and at their own pace, while giving teachers a general overview of what the class is doing right, and where they need more support.
Make it fun!
In the modern classroom, there are plenty of ways to gamify your curriculum when it comes to numeracy. Teachers can mirror devices on the ActivPanel to host multi-player games, or display interactive puzzles and quizzes which students can complete individually or in groups.
Games give students tangible rewards, which can incentivise those who may have disengaged from traditional maths teaching methods.
Put theory into practice
One of the most common issues with maths is that students don’t see real-world uses for the skills they learn. The old adage, “you won’t be carrying your calculator with you everywhere you go,” doesn’t quite work since the rise of mobile phones. Take maths off the page and into the real world with augmented or virtual reality applications.
Augmented reality can put geometry into perspective, with 3D visualisations that give an interactive context for angles and dimensions. Or take students on a VR adventure with apps that bring numbers to life, with quick-draw maths simulations like Number Hunt, which allows four players in a first-person-shooter style game. Screenshare all four devices to the ActivPanel so the whole class can get involved!
To learn more about what you can do with the ActivPanel, book a live demonstration session today!
