Doodlemaths app?

[blaeberry]

Does anyone use this app? We have been trying the trial version and were wondering about getting the full version but I wasn't sure if it is worth it especially as it gives my dd a maths age of 10.6 (she is about to turn 9) but the app is for 7-11 year olds.

[Ferguson]

How is she doing at school? Has it been suggested she needs additional help?

The important thing is that children are helped to UNDERSTAND number concepts, and Maths. (Come back if you need more information, as I have a 'handout', but it doesn't sound as though she needs that.)

[TrainBridge]

We tried it. I like the concept and the approach but it has two major problems. The first is that when we used it on more than one device they didn't synchronise (they're meant to) and that mean that dd1 didn't get all her points and got very discouraged. We had a chat with their technical people but after a couple of calls and no fix no-one got back to us and we gave up.

Second issue is that the incentives don't work for dd1 - the 'getting it wrong' noise makes her want to cry (she's a bit of a perfectionist and hates getting things wrong, so I'd like an option to turn it off) and the points don't motivate her very well.

I'd say that for a child who needs to work on the basics of maths it would be ideal, but you would need to incentivise it with some external reward per 500 points or so. For a child who's on track or ahead, I think it just means that they cover the curriculum more quickly, which then has the potential to lead to boredom at school.

[blaeberry]

Thanks train. Dd is actually pretty self motivated and enjoyed doing the questions for their own sake but if it places her only 6 months short of its end point already then there doesn't seem much point in buying the full app. Maybe I will just continue with the trial version while she still finds it fun.

ferguson I agree totally about needing to understand mathematical concepts. They are very strong on 'number bonds' and 'mental maths' at school which seem to be pretty much route learning rather than understanding. This is particularly a problem for my ds who does understand the concepts (up to his level) but struggles with processing and fine motor skills so does very badly in these tests.

[th081]

Hi blaeberry,

I signed up for the app last June for my two kids. My son is motivated and happy to do loads of questions and it has been well worth it for him. My daughter is the opposite (she struggles in maths) and I have to sit next to her to get her to do it so we have hardly used hers.

I follow my sons progress very closely as his actual age is a lot younger than his doodlemaths age (he is very strong in maths) and I follow the new topics as he does them. His maths age has just hit 10.9 and at age 10.9 he has completed 179 of 279 topics so 100 topics left. So your daughter at 10.6 prob has around 105 or so topics to go. I think the age goes to 11.9.

[kittentits]

My 11 year old son uses it. I'm not overly impressed. Some questions are ambiguously worded, for example "John and Ben have 30 cars between them, how many do they each have?" well it could be anything!

Worse though some answers are just wrong, there was a straight calculation question, I checked it on a calculator and their answer was definitely wrong. I couldn't see (though didn't do in depth research I will admit as my son quickly lost interest in it) a way to "report" these wrong answers.

It's a good concept but needs to be better executed.

[kittentits]

Oh and to answer your actual question (sorry) I'm not sure what my son's maths age was but he is "exceeding expectations" under the new marking system, he's 11 in year 6 and in my words a bit of a maths geek. He saw it more as a fun game with some maths to do in order to get the rewards, not really a way of learning.

[Ferguson]

Hi again -

In case it is of any use I add my Maths information below. The web sites are well worth exploring:

Practical things are best for grasping number concepts - bricks, Lego, beads, counters, money, shapes, weights, measuring, cooking.

Do adding, taking away, multiplication (repeated addition), division (sharing), using REAL OBJECTS as just 'numbers' can be too abstract for some children.

Number Bonds of Ten forms the basis of much maths, so try to learn them. Using Lego or something similar, use a LOT of bricks (of just TWO colours, if you have enough) lay them out so the pattern can be seen of one colour INCREASING while the other colour DECREASES. Lay them down, or build up like steps.

So:
ten of one colour none of other
nine of one colour one of other
eight of one colour two of other
seven of one colour three of other
etc,
then of course, the sides are equal at 5 and 5; after which the colours 'swap over' as to increasing/decreasing.

To learn TABLES, do them in groups that have a relationship, thus:

x2, x4, x8

x3, x6, x12

5 and 10 are easy

7 and 9 are rather harder.

Starting with TWO times TABLE, I always say: "Imagine the class is lining up in pairs; each child will have a partner, if there is an EVEN number in the class. If one child is left without a partner, then the number is ODD, because an odd one is left out."

Use Lego bricks again, lay them out in a column of 2 wide to learn 2x table. Go half way down the column, and move half the bricks up, so that now the column is 4 bricks wide. That gives the start of 4x table.

Then do similar things with 3x and 6x.

With 5x, try and count in 'fives', and notice the relationship with 'ten' - they will alternate, ending in 5 then 10.

It is important to try and UNDERSTAND the relationships between numbers, and not just learn them 'by rote'.

An inexpensive solar powered calculator (no battery to run out!) can help learn tables by 'repeated addition'. So: enter 2+2 and press = to give 4. KEEP PRESSING = and it should add on 2 each time, giving 2 times table.

There are good web sites, which can be fun to use :

//www.ictgames.com/

www.woodlands-junior.kent.sch.uk/page/default.asp?title=Woodlands%20Junior%20School&pid=1