Mathemagics Multiplication

This app offers an alternative approach to learning multiplication tables.  It introduces digits as characters, then using these characters, presents children with a story, offering an explanation and link to remember each fact, before allowing them to practice the recall of such facts.

Upon opening the app, children are first asked to enter their name, and are then taken to the homepage.  For here, they can select from four main menus “Discover”, “Learn”, “Play” and “Challenges”, each one is locked until the previous menu has been accessed or completed.  There are also other menus, regarding settings, statistics, etc. 

The first area, “Discover”, begins by introducing each digit, represented as a character which offers children a link between the character and the digit.  Children first have to listen to the story then identify the character/number afterwards to ensure they have grasped how the digit is represented as a character.  The second area, “Learn”, introduces a story about each multiplication fact.  Here a short graphical story, explains how each multiplication fact relates to the digit.  The purpose of this is to link a fact with a story, thus connecting neurons in the brain and making associations, with the ultimate aim of helping children remember each fact.  The third section, “Play” is divided into training and game.  During both parts, children are presented with questions and multiple choice answers.  A correct answer moves to the next question, while an incorrect answer is marked as an error and the correct answer is instead moved in to its place.  At the end of the training session, incorrectly answered questions are displayed and children should repeat the stories for these skills.  Similarly, at the end of the game session, the results are displayed.  The final menu is “Challenges”.  To access this area, it seems that children must be able to identify each digit and master sufficient stories from their specified multiplication tables, beginning with their 1x tables.  The developer might want to consider how and when skills are unlocked.  An alternative way would be to allow children to practice the skills they need, even better, offer a form of personalised learning where by some form of assessment will indicate which stories children need to practice.   Alternatively, instead of individual stories, perhaps, one long story might be more appropriate for some multiplication tables.

Returning to the main menu, there are other menus of interest.  The profile button allows users to visualise an overview of their performance statistics for each multiplication table.  The rewards button show which prizes have been unlocked, based on the points they achieve for their multiplication practice.  The parents area, accessible by a simple code, offer guidance on how to best use the app, as well as links to social media, language options, etc.

The app has both benefits and drawbacks.  The novel introduction to multiplication tables can be commended and prove extremely beneficial for users who buy into the app and invest the time in using it regularly.  However, the rigidness of progressing through each fact step-by-step may discourage some users.  If the app were able to personalise or target learning, this would prove much more beneficial to all users, rather than those who are prepared to invest the time.  Similarly, the developer may want to consider including a ‘hard to remember’ facts for more advanced users, such as 7x8; 9x6; 6x7; etc.

Overall, worthy of its four star rating.

You can download Mathemagics Multiplication on your iOS or Android devices from the app stores. Download the Mathemagics Multiplication app from the Apple App Store or the Google Play Store.