The Effective Maths Quiz Site
mathsquiz.org
mathsquiz.org is an additional extra schools using the programme can purchase (at a discounted rate).
Schools not using the Effective Maths programme may subscribe to mathsquiz.org as well.
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There are currently over 190 quizzes on the site.
Rationale
The primary purpose of the website is to provide online quizzes to allow learners opportunities to practise core parts of the maths curriculum.
Practise, if you are a musician or sportsperson, is not a hard concept to grapple with. However, it is sometimes the case that teachers plough on with teaching whatever is next in the maths scheme they are following – without taking enough time to revisit previous learning. Revisiting is essential.
Whilst we can’t revisit everything, there is a set of core knowledge and skills that children need to have in order to be able to solve problems.
In each term (or block) the quizzes typically focus on place value, addition, subtraction, multiplication, division and at least one other maths topic.
No marking required!
mathsquiz.org really does provide the opportunity for intervention, practice and assessment. All with no marking required – the marking is done electronically. Learners can look at their quiz at the end and see what went well and what didn’t.
In addition to the above, the site provides simple opportunities for teachers to enable children to revisit key content from earlier years, which is crucial, but can be hard to facilitate.
To this end, the quizzes are not named by year groups, but by stages.
S1 = Y1, but it does not mean that many Y2 and some Y3 children should not be practising quizzes from that stage.
Frequently asked questions
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How much practice do pupils need to do until they will retain the target area?
Daniel Willingham, the influential American cognitive scientist, says:
“The unexpected finding from cognitive science is that practice does not make perfect… Practice until you are perfect and you will be perfect only briefly… What's necessary is sustained practice.”
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What is sustained practice?
“By sustained practice I mean regular, ongoing review or use of the target material (e.g., regularly using new calculating skills to solve increasingly more complex math problems, reflecting on recently-learned historical material as one studies a subsequent history unit, taking regular quizzes or tests that draw on material learned earlier in the year).”
Daniel Willingham
How are results stored?
This is up to you. There is no central facility for storing results.
In Key Stage 1 it would be sensible for teachers to record results in a mark book.
From Key Stage 2 onwards, learners should also take responsibility for recording results. They can take a screenshot of the final slide with their score, or download the detailed report and save that. (They will need to be taught to name documents they save appropriately – but they can also be taught to sort these documents by date and see their most recent scores.)
Learners can make a table in the back of their maths exercise books and transfer results in to the table. It is highly effective for learners to take responsibility for tracking progress.
Can learners use the quizzes at home?
Yes.
Each school is given a simple username and simple password. Learners can access the site wherever they are.
What is the range of question formats used?
Common formats are used such as:
• matching items
• dragging items to a match
• clicking on a correct answer
• arranging from smallest to largest and vice versa
• true/false
• type in the answer
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Should learners have access to concrete resources and working out paper?
Yes!
Who is best placed to supervise learners when they are taking the quizzes in school? A teacher or a teaching assistant?
This really does not matter. The practice quizzes are designed to enable learning to take place. That is why learners have two opportunities to respond. So long as the person supervising the session has a good knowledge of the content being covered – and knowledge of effective teaching strategies to help learners overcome barriers – there is strong potential for very good progress within sessions.
(Learners that score 100% on any of the quizzes – timed or practice – can be challenged to look at their detailed report, which shows their time, and beat the time.)
