The Ministry is migrating nzmaths content to Tāhurangi.           
Relevant and up-to-date teaching resources are being moved to Tāhūrangi (tahurangi.education.govt.nz). 
When all identified resources have been successfully moved, this website will close. We expect this to be in June 2024. 
e-ako maths, e-ako Pāngarau, and e-ako PLD 360 will continue to be available. 

For more information visit https://tahurangi.education.govt.nz/updates-to-nzmaths

There are numerous online games and activities that are suitable for independent work. The best are those that provide students with feedback and are responsive to the student’s decisions.

Online activities can be used for more than just building mathematical fluency. Some digital activities provide virtual manipulatives that students can use to consolidate their understanding of key concepts. Virtual manipulatives are most effective when they resemble the concrete materials that the student is familiar with.

Even if a student is using an online game or activity independently, the teacher can still be present as an observer. Watching a student make decisions can provide important information about their conceptual understanding.

The following questions can help you to evaluate the usefulness of an online game or activity:

  • What is the key purpose of the activity? What skills will students build? What learning will it consolidate?
  • Is the degree of challenge appropriate? Can the level be adjusted?
  • What sort of feedback does it provide? What happens when a student makes a mistake?
  • What support do I need to give students? Are the instructions easy to follow?
  • What degree of thinking is required of the student?

Digital learning objects (DLOs)

DLOs are interactive multimedia learning activities. Students enjoy their entertaining graphics and carefully structured challenges. The concepts they support are those identified as the most difficult for students to learn and for teachers to teach. See https://nzmaths.co.nz/digital-learning-objects

The DLOs are organised by strand and curriculum level.

Links for virtual manipulatives include:

e-ako

e-ako maths, a resource on the nzmaths website, has been designed to help students develop their understanding of place value, basic facts, and fractions. Students can log in to their own account and explore the material at their own pace. The basic facts learning objects allow students to keep track of which facts they have memorised. See http://e-ako.nzmaths.co.nz

Back to Resource 8: Creating purposeful independent activities