Mathigon

Mathigon is a rare thing indeed as it is both free and high quality. It offers textbook-style information without compromise in its design or material.  Students can learn and refer to its mathematical content while teachers can be inspired by and use it to inform and illustrate their lessons. An internet connection gives access to helpful math websites for students and teachers, as well as some of the best math apps for kids.

The textbook-style sections are excellent. Their presentation is clear and easy to use.  Rather than present the information in a long and off-putting wall of scrolling text, it lets readers move on by tapping a 'next' button. This breaks the contents into accessible chunks as the pages of a traditional textbook do. The font used, text layout and spacing are very readable. High-quality images, interactive components, and navigational elements lend a highly polished feel to the whole site.

The display adapts to the screen on which it is used and is easily read on all compatible devices. The interactivity is accessible in both touch and mouse-driven environments. Reading the content feels more natural on a tablet due to the device's intrinsic design but it loses nothing on a desktop machine.

Additional icons give access to a glossary and contents page.  Among these is a feature marked as 'in beta'. This is an electronic assistant that offers aid. Readers are encouraged to 'ask anything'. The results are usually relevant and useful. Some questions are answered with a YouTube video, others with a text response.  It seems to be a more relevant result than might be achieved just using a search engine and does mean that the reader is not brought out of the app and exposed to the many distractions of a Google search.

The content of Mathigon is superb. It educates and teaches the relevant knowledge, but some sections are also highly readable for pure interest's sake. Fascinating asides link the learning to the real world. The interactive elements add clarity and invite more thought. It neither relies on the stiff formality of some textbooks nor the over-familiar and cringeworthy jokiness of others. To my mind, it strikes the perfect note.

The content is still growing. The existing sections each contain a useful amount of information but more is promised. Maths topics cover year seven and above and some very interesting recreational maths sections invite all ages to dive in and learn something or solve a problem. 

Unusually, the content is open source - much of the app's delivery platform but also the textbooks too. This doesn't mean that you are free to do whatever you wish with the contents as the license under which it is released has restrictions, but it does give you and your school more flexibility than you might be used to with learning content. You can also contribute back to the project with new content and the reporting of any errors etc. 

It is still early in the life of Mathigon and the most noticeable omission at this point is the teacher dashboard. At the time of writing, this is marked as coming soon.  This will add lesson plans, interactive components, and the chance to analyse the progress of students. This is specifically mentioned to be aligned to the Common Core standards used across the U.S.

The price of the fantastic content in Mathigon is zero at this point. The feature set is still being established, though, and perhaps some of the additions will have a paid element. That is for the future and it seems that what is there at the moment will remain free. For now, point your students towards this fantastic resource and use it yourself to plan lessons and explain concepts. Mathigon is a super resource published under a refreshingly open platform - use it and support it if you can. 

You can download Mathigon on your iOS devices from the Apple App Store.