The Centre for Innovation in Mathematics Teaching (CIMT) was established at the University of Exeter in 1986. As the CIMT is a centre for research and curriculum development in Mathematics teaching and learning it was only a matter of time before it began to explore the possibilities of the Internet.
As well as being Head of Maths at the Hewett Comprehensive School in Norwich, Bryan Dye is one of the pioneer developers of educational websites. His fantastic MathsNet website is a tremendous resource for all teachers and students of mathematics. Features include: Interactive, Articles, QuizBank, Magic Grid, MathsNet Art, Puzzles and Maths Links. The website also contains reviews of software and books for mathematicians.
The NRICH started out in September 1996 as a research and development project funded by the University of Cambridge Local Examinations Syndicate. The project aims to establish a permanent national centre for curriculum enrichment to provide mathematical learning support for very able children of all ages. Based at the University of Cambridge School of Education, the website provides access to a collection of puzzles, games, mathematical problems, articles and interactivities.
The MathSphere website has an impressive collection of resources for mathematicians. This includes mathematics worksheets and test papers. There is also wide coverage of the national curriculum, the numeracy hour and homework. Topics include addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, fractions, square numbers, cubic numbers, data handling and geometry.
Produced by Philip Adams and his team at GCSE Answers, the Mathematics Department is an excellent website for those revising for examinations. Easy Start is the best place for those who have trouble with maths. It starts easy but then gets more difficult. It tells you what your troubles are and shows you how to fix them. It covers Algebra, Functions & Sequences, Graphs, Probability, Ratios & Fractions, Shapes and Trigonometry.
The GCSE Bitesize Revision website has been one of the great success stories of the Internet. Supported by books and television programmes, the website contains Revision Bites to help students develop their skills and Test Bites to check what they know. Categories include Algebra: Foundation, Algebra: Intermediate, Number: Foundation, Data Handling: Foundation, Data Handling: Intermediate and Shape & Space.
This website provides free help and advice with problems in Mathematics and Statistics at GCSE, A-level, BTEC, GNVQ and foundation degree level. You send in your question and Maths Help will send an email back with hints and general advice and a couple of days later your answer will appear in the Maths Knowledge Bank.
An impressive website produced by Gareth Pitchford at Edleston County Primary School, with the help of the Ruskin Partnership and South & East Cheshire TEC. The website provides help and guidance for parents with young children studying mathematics. Material is divided into four categories: Introduction, Early Years, KS1 Activities and KS2 Activities. There is also information on English, Science and Art at KS1 and KS2.
This is mainly a promotion website for the Insider Knowledge Software's Inside Track GCSE Success. However, the website also includes useful tutorials on How Maths is Marked, Exam Technique in Maths and How to Revise and Reduce Stress. Practice exam papers can also be obtained from the site.
Although not specifically produced for British students this website provides a considerable amount of useful information for mathematics students. The material has been produced by a team of academics from various American universities. The learning units are presented in workshop format and require the active participation of the student and are organised under the following categories: Algebra, Trigonometry, Calculus, Differential Equations, Complex Variables, Matrix Algebra, Tables and Cyber Exam.
An excellent website produced by the School of Electronic Engineering, IT and Mathematics at the University of Surrey. One of the features of the website is a series of puzzles involving Fibonacci Numbers. Subjects include brick wall patterns, bee lines, seating plans and jigsaws. There are also sections on Fibonacci Numbers and Nature, The Golden Section in Art, Fantastic Flat Phi Facts, Architecture and Music, Fibonacci Forgeries and Who was Fibonacci?
Most of the best educational websites have been created by people who are enthusiastic about the subjects they teach. Alexander Bogomolny definitely fits into this category. Interactive Mathematics is an attempt to reduce what Bogomolny calls "math anxiety". His strategy is to provide a database of games and puzzles that require deductive skills. Bogomolny argues that: "Mathematics is the only deductive science.
MathMagic has been created by Alan A. Hodson from El Paso, Texas. Hodson points out that he is trying to "provide strong motivation for students to use computer technology while increasing problem-solving strategies and communication skills. A facilitator (teachers, parents, librarians, etc.) register teams of mathematicians with the MathMagic project. Mathematical challenges are posted on the website and each registered team is paired up with another team and engage in a problem-solving dialogue. When an agreement has been reached, the solution is posted on the website.
Brain Teasers is part of the book publishers, Houghton Mifflin's Mathematics Centre. New puzzles are posted every Wednesday. Solutions are given the following week. All students who submit the correct answer are entered into a weekly draw for T-shirt prizes. The website provides an archive of previous Brain Teasers. As well as brain teasers, the Houghton Mifflin also has a useful Mathematics Project Centre.
Susan Boone teaches at Saint Agnes Academy, Houston. Her website has been developed as part of a program sponsored by the National Science Foundation. Boone's lessons involve the students using the Internet to solve mathematical problems. This includes making calculations to decide the best place to buy pizzas and the mean and median speed for the Indianapolis 500. Another activity involves the gathering of data to make predictions about the future population size of different countries.