As a resit student, I have been quite the way through almost every maths website and tool out there. I passed in August 2017 which was incredible but it wasn’t just due to me – there were many tools that supported me in finally gaining my pass grade. I also want to recommend the tools I have found since passing my maths exam. It has been 2 years and there’s a growing library of GCSE support right at your fingertips – if you know where to look.
- Your teacher
They have done it. They have passed their maths. They likely know every single thing about maths and like to get nerdy about maths. Ask them for help. They are the best tool out of any of the tools on this list. It was only when I finally got the courage and said, “Hey, I need some help with this.” that I started to understand and grow confidence with myself. I know sometimes teachers can be a bit… teachery, but they are honestly there to help you and you should definitely take advantage of it. I’m not saying take up their Friday lunch break every week demanding for one-to-one support like I managed to get away with, but ask for help in class.
2. CENTURY Tech
CENTURY is a fantastic learning platform powered through the use of AI and machine learning that I personally believe all schools and colleges should have access to. It’s not a “fix”, or a “replacement”, it’s an aid and you’ll only get out of it what you put into it. The learning content is rich with examples, past questions and much more and was developed by maths teachers. After you complete your initial diagnostic, CENTURY will use what you know and don’t know to create a personalised learning path that will support you in understanding what you don’t know and increasing your knowledge in what you do.
3. Khan Academy
Khan Academy is a free, online course-type site that offers learning materials on all sorts of maths. Usually armed with video tutorials and exam-style questions that are self-marked instantly, you can’t really go wrong with using it. I personally recommend it to any of my students who are doing their GCSE maths or even our Motorsport and Engineering students who are nearing on A-Level maths!
4. Mr Hegarty Maths
If you like your online learning and find it easier to follow along with videos, then you’ll love the Hegarty Maths YouTube channel. Created by maths teacher, Mr Hegarty, the YouTube channel covers all the topics you’ll find in your maths exam and they are covered incredibly well and interactivity lets you ‘follow along’. Although originally created for his own class, the videos are very easy to follow along and might be useful if you didn’t quite grasp part of a topic in the lesson.
5. Believing in yourself
You need to believe in yourself. I, your teachers, randomers on the internet, your friends, and your family can sit around you and tell that you are good enough, you deserve it and you can pass your GCSE maths, but you’ll only start believing it when you start believing it. I did my maths exam 5 times and it’s no coincidence that for the first time in 2017, I went into the exam believing that I could actually do it, and then received my results in August 2017, with a passing grade. We all believe in you. You need to believe in you.
Adventures in Learning Technology 🐝 