York mum invents Maths app to help students make the grade

It was while teaching maths at a secondary school in York that Rachel Dunsmore became frustrated at the lack of suitable apps for iPads.

“The school I was teaching in used iPads and I wanted an app that helped students retain the knowledge they have learnt but I just couldn’t find one.”

And so she set about creating her own.

“I wanted something that would make a real educational impact,” says Rachel

Now after two-and -a-half years of hard work and design she has just launched ARC Maths to support secondary school pupils up to GCSE level.

“I don’t think I had any idea what I was getting into and it has taken rather longer than I anticipated,” admits Rachel.

“I suppose I as a bit naive, but I wanted to get it right.

“It took so long to develop because I needed to find the right designers who would create what I wanted,” explains Rachel.

“There are a lot of people who have an opinion about education.

“So many wanted to make it more like a game, but I didn’t want to confuse the message, I wanted it to be engaging and interesting, but make it clear that it is an educational tool.

“And I am really pleased with the result.”

Designed to work on iPads due to the sophisticated handwriting recognition software, the app is available to trial and purchase now and is proving to be a valuable resource for home learning.

The content covers the entire KS3 and KS4 curriculum, is suitable for all abilities and only needs to be accessed for 10 minutes a day.

Experience Points (XP) increase with every correct answer and the streak counter clocks successive daily use, allowing the possibility for motivation and reward.

“I’ve designed ARC Maths to help students retain the maths skills and knowledge that they are taught at school, by interrupting the process of forgetting,” explains Cambridge University graduate and mum of four Rachel, who lives in York.

“The handwriting recognition technology sets it apart from other online learning tools.

“It can recognise even complex algebraic expressions, so we’ve been able to move beyond multiple choice questions and students can input answers in a way that more closely resembles their schoolwork.”

ARC Maths has taken two years to develop, with help from York-based companies app developers The Distance; design agency Cann Creative and background guidance from York University.

Successful trials and extensive testing of the 15,000 questions have taken place at Manor CE Academy, in York, part of the Hope Learning Trust Academy.

“The response from the pupils has been definitely, overwhelmingly positive.”

Underpinning ARC Maths are ideas drawn from evidence-based research into how the memory works, thereby creating a personal learning journey and maximising the educational impact.

Silke Goebel, senior lecturer in the Department of Psychology at the University of York and head of the Numerical Cognition Lab, explains why the app is so unique.

“One particular advantage of this app is that it is not only adaptive to the level of the individual student, it also takes the learning history into account.”

Now Rachel, who gave up her teaching job to develop ARC Maths, plans to market it to schools and teachers before working on other possible developments.

“I know once people give it a try they will realise what a useful tool it can be.”

It is clear that this Cambridge graduate and her family are all 
maths mad, and she just wants to pass on her enthusiasm for the subject.

“I have always loved maths and it does get a lot of bad press but it is mainly down to people’s lack of confidence with the subject,” says Rachel.

“It is all about problem solving and once you solved a problem it is such a joy. It is really sad when people have had a bad experience of maths.”

She hopes her new app will help change all that.

ARC Maths app was launched on the Apple App Store for individual use and is currently being introduced to schools. A seven-day free trial 
is available for new subscribers.