Virtual learning environments, or the use of technology to deliver learning via the web, plays an increased role in Australian secondary schools. Most systems include features for collaboration, communication, content delivery and assignment processing.

The combination of face-to-face learning and online learning is referred to as blended learning and there have been suggestions that the benefits students can gain from learning across different mediums and at various times include increased engagement, understanding and problem-solving skills.

“Technology enables you as a teacher, and your students, to engage with mathematics in different ways, such as modelling, simulations, dynamic geometry and large statistical data sets, which are all difficult to do without the use of technology.” (Teaching Secondary Mathematics, p96). For example, “the ability to use dynamic geometry software (DGS) opens up a range of possibilities for the study of geometry, allowing for simple constructions, looking at the properties of shapes and developing conjectures using the features of the DGS software, in particular the ability to measure and drag objects.” (Teaching Secondary Mathematics, p103).

Additional benefits such as time efficiency and location convenience supplement the face-to-face advantages of one-to-one personal understanding and motivation. Flipped classrooms, where the instruction is done online by the students prior to the face-to-face class are also allowing students to move at their own pace, providing time in class for higher-order thinking skills, and letting teachers customise and update the curriculum to provide it to students 24/7. The students have access to multiple teachers’ expertise and it will come as no surprise that they like this form of online learning. The teachers can make better use of the face-to-face classroom time and also benefit from learning from each other’s material, so it is good professional learning for them. Essential to the success of blended learning is the availability and use of quality online materials.

Teaching Secondary Mathematics goes on to cite Cambridge HOTmaths products (which include Essential Mathematics for the Australian Curriculum and Cambridge Senior Mathematics) that use the resources in a number of ways: they can be embedded into a virtual environment as a supplement to face-to-face teaching, used for one-off activities, or utilised for a flipped classroom. They often provide alternative explanations of concepts and enhance the ability for students to interact, via simulation and animations which can aid conceptual development.

To learn more about how your classroom can benefit from a virtual learning environment, visit www.cambridge.edu.au/hotmaths to trial an interactive textbook powered by Cambridge HOTmaths. This article draws on information from Teaching Secondary Mathematics, published in 2016 by Cambridge University Press.

Visit our academic website for more information on Teaching Secondary Mathematics. This title comes with a complimentary 12 month subscription to Cambridge HOTmaths.