The application of technology to teaching
Maths Matters is a suite of lessons designed to give teachers, tutors and students the best possible resources to teach secondary mathematics (from year 6/7 to year 12 or UK AS-Level), with additional material for mechanics and dynamics; from adding fractions to differentiating functions; from rotational symmetry to matrix transformations. And it is just as easy to deliver exactly the same lessons online as it is from the front of the classroom.
Interactive programs built into the lessons mean that where diagrams are needed, they are generated by the program - clear, sharp, to scale and correctly dimensioned. The programmable drawing tools can be controlled manually but they are programmed to draw all of the accurate constructions for GCSE. You can just set the dimensions of a triangle and watch them draw a perfect inscribed (or circumscribed) circle.
For teachers and educators, Maths Matters can save time, providing ready to use materials built with the latest technology. Over 300 fully interactive lessons are included, covering all the key topics.
Maths Matters also provides each student with a superb resource for learning and revising every topic, using the power of a computer to show exactly how to solve an enormous range of mathematics problems, step by step, using the values that they enter.
A wide range of real life scenarios and examples can be depicted, making it easier for students to relate to how mathematics is applied in the real world.
A new approach to teaching and learning mathematics
All content has been built from the ground up, using our next generation content creation tools, capable of handling all kinds of images, text, complex animation and interactive objects, all within a single digital platform.
Lessons in Maths Matters are designed to eliminate the need for teachers to draw or write on a whiteboard. They provide context, illustrations and explanations of ideas in an editable format that is designed to be clear and engaging, with a wealth of examples where the exact values and dimensions can be altered in real time by the user, and working and answers can be revealed when the user decides.
Beautifully illustrated, fully animated examples enhance the learning experience.
Harnessing computing power
In order to create lessons which are fully interactive and completely editable by the user, Maths Matters uses A*Star Education's unique technology, based on an advanced lesson player, integrated with a complete computing environment.
Graphing features are always available when required, changing as the values in the example are changed.
Embedding computer programs allows mathematical concepts to be explored fully. Where diagrams are needed, they can be generated clear, sharp, to scale and correctly dimensioned. Calculations are performed by the computer and when the input data for a problem change, all associated worked solutions, diagrams and graphs change instantly to match the new values.
More than 620 programs are contained in the lessons, presented as ready to use activities. They take full advantage of the code the curriculum environment and its pre-built components, programmable tools, drawing commands, as well as the interactivity and dynamism that real code allows. Use sliders to change coefficients, toggle switches to hide and show lines of working, without any extra preparation needed. Compasses and rulers appear, moving automatically around the screen to demonstrate accurate construction, graphs update in real-time as data is altered and engineering diagrams resize themselves.
