As with any online class, retaining student engagement is the primary focus. Here, we explore some strategies our educators have employed so that mathematics can truly “come alive” for the student.
 

1. Flipped-learning based lessons are easy and effective to execute for math. Students taking ownership of their own learning (particularly for older students) has been a cornerstone of effective online teaching learning.
   
    
2. Using interesting, relevant and informative videos has had great results in simplifying abstract mathematical concepts. This also helps make the online class more vivid and engaging, as opposed to delivering lessons over typical notebook/whiteboard apps.
   
    
3. The Hot Seat strategy, or in other words, calling out students by name to give responses ensures everyone pays attention throughout the class. In a similar vein, having “surprise” class quizzes are another way to ensure students are engaged and attentive.
   
    
4. Getting creative in terms of instruction and explanation can see great success. For instance, to engage younger learners (such as middle school), our educators have even used memes to engage students! Not only does it engage the learner, it also has the potential for greater concept retention.
   
    
5. For young children, the use of animations and gamification can ensure active learning, making math more inviting to learn.

Apps can certainly help make the class more engaging. However for math specifically (particularly for those areas that are more abstract), the vast availability of free e-resources can simplify learning by enabling a student to learn and understand concepts visually. The following apps and tech tools could serve as a checklist for a math teacher to help this process.
 

1. A Learning Management System (LMS) has been one of the foundations for successful online classes. In a way, the “new age notebook”, systems such as Veracross and ManageBac keep communication between all the stakeholders open and organised. Such LMS are used in assigning homework assignments, grading, report cards, feedback, parent-teacher communication and so on, thus providing a compilation of all learning.
   
    
2. As many of our lessons are delivered as presentations, Pear Deck which is an add-on for slides, is used liberally. It is both a teacher-paced and student-paced app that enables engaging, interactive questions and activities inside the presentation.
   
    
3. NearPod is a great platform for introducing new concepts by adding quizzes, audio, activities, calculators, drawing boards, games and more to the lesson.
   
    
4. For math particularly, writing with a digital pen/stylus such as a Wacom, and a free and open-source whiteboard such as whiteboard.fi is a great method of instruction.
   
    
5. OneNote class notebooks can help structure math lessons and classes by organising all class resources in one place. In conjunction with a digital pen, lesson notes can be saved on the cloud, open for access for the class. Students can also have personal notebooks with exercises, worksheets etc. which only the educator can be given access to view/modify.
   
    
6. Padlet, which is an interactive online bulletin board, can be used for online collaborative activities. Teachers can post a concept, task or question along with associated learning resources on the Padlet Wall and students can then record their answers/progress on the wall and collaborate on each other’s answers. Padlet can also allow for answers to be anonymous, according to the teacher’s preference.
   
    
7. Quizziz can be used to conduct quizzes, and review skills or concepts learned in the classroom. This tool is self-paced and therefore ideal for a classroom with many students.
   
    
8. Mentimeter is another tool that helps students stay engaged through their lesson by asking questions and taking polls, so that queries can be clarified and learning can be tracked live, as the lesson progresses. Another similar tool is Kahoot, to make interactive question-answers and exit slips.
   
    
9. Google Forms is a convenient and effective tool to create quick objective-type questions to check understanding of certain chapters and concepts.
   
    
10. Geogebra is an all-encompassing mathematical software that can aid in visualization of a concept, including in geometry, algebra, graphing, calculus, statistics and more.
    
     
11. Desmos is a similar tool; it offers in-class math resources (such as graphing calculators, scientific calculators and more) and digital classroom activities so that students can explore concepts in depth.
    
     
12. Seesaw, an online learning management platform, has been utilised successfully particularly for younger children.
    
     
13. Chalo Padho is a platform that helps reinforce concepts and makes learning more gamified, social, personalized and application-oriented, thereby enabling more effective flipped classroom sessions.
    
     
14. The Math Learning Centre provides free Math learning resources, especially for younger learners.
    
     
15. Exams or older students can be conducted successfully over Exam.net which allows for both short and long answers, graphs, diagrams and more.