1-Minute Maths

What is 1-Minute Maths

1-Minute Maths is a fun, engaging educational app that provides 1 minute question challenges, each focused on a different mathematical skill. From the app’s homepage, a choice of topics are listed including; subitising, addition, subtraction, multiplication and division. Once a topic is chosen further activity options are listed to personalise the learning for the user. Tasks include multiplying and dividing by different factors, subtracting from different starting numbers, adding tens within a number range and many more.

The sheer volume of activities and the repetitive nature of the questions within the 1-minute time frame allows students to finesse their skills through frequent practice, a known learning technique to secure a concept and move it into long term memory. The app is incredibly easy to navigate, with pleasing visuals that are age appropriate in design.

The app includes helpful hints to encourage independent study and ensure that students can self-direct and further their understanding unaided - this is incredibly beneficial for home learning and focuses on use of dual coding to maximise student understanding, improving retention of information.

Hints are displayed in varying formats including number lines, ten-frames, and bar models. One of the notable aspects of the app is the totalling of a score at the end of each minute, paired with positive praise for the user emblazoned on the screen. Students can immediately see how they have performed and even look further into their answers seeing the question they were asked, which they got right, which they missed, and the correct answer.

Recognising where students are successful and where more attention is needed allows for further discussion or explanation. During the 1-minute tasks the questions appear to respond to the user’s ability, becoming more repetitive if answered wrong, and more challenging if the user is doing well. The questions are different each time an activity is completed and thus truly assesses understanding rather than memory. The sheer volume of activities ensures the app remains engaging and has longevity as a learning tool.

What we love about 1-Minute Maths

1-Minute maths is incredibly addictive with its seemingly endless list of 1-minute challenges all focused on a different area of mathematics at KS1. Each task is clearly displayed in a simple yet attractive way, suited to the age range of its users. The app boasts a wide range of tasks with new questions each time to ensure the user remains engaged and enjoys each activity, whilst simultaneously benefiting from the use of dual coding and repetitive practice, ultimately resulting in mathematical progress.

Each task is clear, academically sound and becomes more challenging with the students' success rate. Included instantly after a task has finished is the total score, along with a detailed marksheet which allows students, teachers, and parents alike to benefit from identifying areas of weakness and thus tailoring their future practice. 1-Minute maths can be used by individuals or in groups to give it a competitive and fun feel based around academic progress.

The supportive praise given at the end of each minute is encouraging to younger learners and will ensure they feel happy to continue to use it as a tool alongside their schooling. One of the things I love about this app and its supporting website is the ability to download a beautiful progress chart to use at home or in school to clearly monitor a student's progress. This is a wonderful way for parents, teachers, and children to learn together and celebrate success, encouraging student motivation and pride in their learning.

What age is it appropriate for

1-Minute Maths is suitable for students in KS1 to early KS2. It is particularly useful for students who wish to practise their maths skills beyond the classroom.

What skills does it improve

1-Minute Maths enhances students' cognitive development and supports them to develop their critical thinking skills by making logical connections and focusing on observation and problem solving. The app has academic relevance, and the large number of activities to choose from ensures that it can be personalised to the learning journey of the individual, ensuring progression, all in an engaging and user-friendly way.

Is 1-Minute Maths easy to use

The app is incredibly easy to use, with the homepage broken down into skills; subitising, addition, subtraction, division, and multiplication. Each task is timed for a minute, with the total correct answers tallied to give instant feedback to the user.

How will students benefit

Students using this app have a vast library of exciting 1-minute tasks to choose from, ensuring its use remains engaging and fresh. The app can spark a student's competitive nature, leaving them wanting to improve their score each time, promoting repetitive use and thus resulting in a better core understanding of each skill.  Students using this app can repeat tasks, challenge their understanding, and learn from their mistakes in short sharp bursts of activity.

The short time frame, and ability to switch maths skills prevents cognitive overload to maximise success. The helpful hints encourage the use of dual coding which maximises student retention and further protects the user from cognitive overload. The simplicity of the app allows for all users to benefit and for the questions to be fit for purpose. Access to hints for students who need it is also beneficial. The app is free from advertisements allowing for students to benefit from uninterrupted use and continued practice. The app can be used in school or at home.

How will teachers benefit

Teachers can benefit from this app by using it in the classroom to check progress and to personalise further teaching by identifying common misconceptions from the answers section or an individuals’ profile. The short time frame of these activities mean they can be used during any part of the school day, as part of a fun brain break or set as homework to ensure learning continues beyond the classroom. The free nature of the app, and the safety of no data storage means it can be recommended to parents for at home learning.

How will parents benefit

Parents can encourage their child to consolidate their mathematical skills, support them in furthering their learning and encourage them to complete homework by using this fun and time efficient app. This allows parents to support their child at home, addressing missed learning, engaging with their child’s school experience, and supporting their academic curiosity.

1-Minute Maths can improve on

Whilst 1-Minute Maths is a useful app for individuals to see how well they can answer quick fire questions on a range of maths tasks, it could be improved if there was a collaboration feature for students to compete with friends, classmates, or other users to further encourage regular practice and improvement. A way to store a high score would also encourage regular practice and improvement.

How much does 1-Minute Maths cost

The app is free to download and use and is free from in-app advertisement.

Is 1-Minute Maths safe to use

The app is safe to use and does not require a log in or storage of data.

Overall rating of the app

The app is deserving of its 4 stars and has the potential to continue to grow beyond the current maths activities available, to further develop and encourage student progress. The app is relevant to the Maths curriculums at KS1 and early KS2, with the potential to be further developed with more KS2 content.