Practice makes perfect — Introducing all new Free Practice on TUTOR

Free Practice on TUTOR Release Video

Why is practice important?

When learning a new language you move through different stages of understanding. You might get to a point where you have a good grasp on the grammar and a large vocabulary, but if it takes time to connect, process, and implement this knowledge then you might struggle to have flowing conversations.

This is the idea of fluency — and what is the best way to develop this? Practice. Practice. Practice. 

The same is true in mathematics. Mathematical fluency is essential for learners to connect, process and implement their mathematical knowledge, in and out of the classroom, when learning new mathematics or applying existing learning in a testing environment.

And how does TUTOR specifically help learners develop fluency? The all new, Free Practice.

What is Free Practice on TUTOR?

Free Practice on TUTOR helps learners gain mathematical fluency in the ideas they encounter by the way of unlimited, dynamically generated questions.

This new activity enables the repeated application of new learning in an easily accessible and low-stakes environment.

Learners have the opportunity to check or reveal solutions along the way, verifying or correcting their understanding in real time, and then follow that up by generating another question. And another. And another.

With the in-built Practice Gauge learners can monitor their progress. The Practice Gauge will respond to a learner’s activity, prompting them to either move onto the relevant Goal Quiz if they have displayed evidence of fluency, or move back to top up their knowledge with the other in-Goal materials if they have displayed evidence of insecure knowledge.

How does Free Practice on TUTOR work?

Learners can access Free Practice in the Quiz step of a Goal.

Following completion of the Readiness, Learn, and Do steps of a Goal, it is the perfect opportunity to apply the new knowledge and gain fluency before moving onto a Quiz attempt for Goal completion.

Within Free Practice, learners receive a series of dynamically generated questions. These dynamic questions have been designed and built especially for this new activity, and cover goals across stages 1 to 11 of the Complete Mathematics Curriculum.

There are various question types, with answers given by multiple choice, text input, and other methods, to engage the learner in different ways, and new ways for TUTOR.

Answers can be provided by the learner and then checked, or the answer can be revealed without selection. If learners provide an incorrect answer, then they can either choose to reset the question to have another go, or to reveal the answer and move onto another, new question.

The number of questions a learner has encountered in the current Practice session is tracked on the page by the Question Counter.

The Practice Gauge tracks a learner’s progress within a Practice session. Answering a question correctly will move the gauge up by 1 notch. Answering a question incorrectly will move the gauge down by 2 notches. Revealing an answer will not change the gauge level.

Based on the number of questions encountered within a session, and the level of the Progress Gauge, smart recommendations will be given to the learner. They might be prompted to move onto a Goal quiz, or indeed to return to earlier goal steps to top up their knowledge.

Learners can continue to generate questions for as long as they like, and will receive new variations within the limits of the dynamic questions. Learners can also end a session whenever they like, and can return to start a new session at any point.

Though each Practice session starts afresh in terms of the Question Counter and Practice Gauge, the total number of questions encountered by a learner will be tracked on each Goal Quiz page.

Teachers are able to review the amount of Practice Questions encountered by each pupil, and their overall answer percentages, in a new tab of the Pupils table on the Teacher TUTOR platform.

Free Practice Highlights

Unlimited Questioning

Pupils can practice as much or as little as they need to, and move towards fluency in each mathematical idea.

Dynamic Variation

For unpredictable and distinct questions for each learner, to restrict answering through regurgitation or duplication for greater impact.

Mixed Question Answer Formats

Questions are presented in a variety of formats to keep pupils engaged and actively thinking.

Answer Reveal & Resetting Questions

Enabling learning through practice, flexible to each learner's preferred method.

Progress Tracking & Smart Recommendations

To giving encouragement for learners. To enable the setting of targets (e.g. do 20 practice questions and then a goal quiz). To respond proactively to evidence of knowledge security/insecurity.

Curriculum Coverage Spread

Can be implemented right away for Primary & Secondary learners, available in goals across curriculumn Stages 1-11.

The Pedagogy of Practice

Our in-house Maths team, who were a big part of this release, discuss the pedagogy behind practice, and how Free Practice on TUTOR will impact the learning of TUTOR users, in <this blog article>.

What next?

This is an especially exciting release for us as it is our inaugural implementation of dynamically generated question content on TUTOR.

There is huge potential for dynamic content across the platform, and we are already working on the next phase of this project.

So, have your say on what sort of dynamic content you would like to see in the Complete Mathematics suite! We'd love to have your insight.

<Click here to tell us what you think...>