By Michael Hilkemeijer

 

When Lauren, a Year 4 primary teacher, first came across an article on using technology in mathematics education, she had no idea it would completely shift her approach to teaching. At the time, her math lessons were consistent—but heavily textbook-based. ICT seemed like an add-on, not a core part of the learning.

 

Then she read a list of ICT tools that could be used in teaching math—spreadsheets, programmable toys, databases, interactive whiteboards, desktop publishing software—and something clicked.

 

“I suddenly saw how I could make maths more hands-on, more visual, and more real-world for my students,” she shared. “It wasn’t about using tech for the sake of it—it was about giving my students more meaningful ways to engage.”

 

 

Technology in Mathematics Education: What Tools Can You Use?

The article gave her a practical starting point, listing essential ICT tools for teaching mathematics:

• Spreadsheets – for exploring patterns, performing calculations, and testing mathematical models.

• Databases – to gather, store and analyse real-world data collected by students themselves.

• Interactive Whiteboards – for demonstrating number strategies, manipulating graphs, and visualising processes.

• Programmable Toys (e.g., Bee-Bots) – to explore spatial reasoning, sequencing, and basic algorithms.

• Desktop Publishing Software – ideal for shape investigations and creating 2D models that can be rotated or reflected.

 

These tools aligned directly with the Australian Curriculum for Mathematics, where ICT capability is developed through investigating and modelling concepts using interactive technologies.

 

Lauren started with the tools she already had access to—tablets and a classroom laptop—and gradually added new ones as she built confidence and support.

 

 

 

Teaching Maths Using Technology: Starting with What You Have

At first, Lauren selected just two tools—spreadsheets and interactive whiteboards. Using the Classroom ICT Audit from her ICT in Education Teacher Academy membership, she identified what was available and aligned those tools to her upcoming unit on multiplication patterns.

 

She found a ready-made lesson plan in the Members’ Library and personalised it. To build her confidence, she accessed a tutorial on using spreadsheets in the math classroom and discussed her lesson plan with peers in the community forum. They gave feedback on how to structure student tasks and use formulas in age-appropriate ways.

 

Lauren implemented the lesson and monitored how students interacted with the spreadsheet. They were able to input numbers and instantly see patterns emerge—many of them making connections faster than they ever had with manual methods.

 

To reflect, she used prompts from her membership workbook and shared her observations with others in the forum. Feedback from the community and insights from the Wisdom Tool helped her troubleshoot minor challenges and improve her next lesson.

 

 

 

Moving from Experimenting to Strategising

Encouraged by early results, Lauren moved on to explore programmable toys for geometry. She attached a marker to a Bee-Bot and programmed it to draw 2D shapes—squares, triangles, rectangles. Students were challenged to predict the commands needed to create each shape, reinforcing their understanding of angles and sides.

 

This wasn’t just about using a fun device—it was about integrating ICT in meaningful learning. Students had to think ahead, use logic, and test their predictions.

 

With help from video examples in the Members’ Library, Lauren designed follow-up activities that encouraged students to create more complex designs using combinations of commands.

 

This time, she also invited another teacher to observe the lesson. Afterward, they co-reflected on the activity and even planned a team teaching session for cross-grade math challenges.

 

 

 

 

Promoting Higher-Order Thinking Through ICT in the Maths Classroom

Lauren began to recognise that the impact of ICT in teaching and learning of mathematics went far beyond engagement. It supported:

• Problem-solving and experimentation through digital modelling.

• Critical thinking when deciding which ICT tool to use for a particular task.

• Higher-order decision-making, such as choosing whether to estimate, calculate mentally, or use a spreadsheet.

She gave her students a task: “Find the total cost of 68 pens at 20 cents each.”

Some grabbed a calculator. Others chose a spreadsheet. One student even wrote a formula to test various quantities.

 

Each method was valid, but what mattered was that students were using their ICT and numeracy capabilities together to make strategic decisions—just as real-world mathematicians do.

Building Pedagogical Confidence with TPACK

Before reading that article and becoming a member, Lauren hadn’t heard of the TPACK framework. But through her membership workbook activities, she started developing her technological knowledge, aligning it with her pedagogical strategies and mathematical content expertise.

She gradually grew in all three domains:

• Technological Knowledge – understanding which ICT tools were available and how to use them effectively.

• Pedagogical Knowledge – selecting strategies that facilitated inquiry, collaboration, and creativity.

• Content Knowledge – staying focused on the core mathematical concepts, ensuring that technology enhanced rather than distracted.

This wasn’t something she mastered overnight. But by actively applying each lesson, using the workbook prompts to plan and reflect, and seeking peer feedback through the membership community, Lauren’s confidence—and her students’ learning—transformed.

Why ICT Tools in Maths Are No Longer Optional

Lauren now regularly uses a combination of ICT tools in mathematics including:

• Spreadsheets for patterns and calculations

• Databases for data analysis projects

• Bee-Bots for geometry and coding

• Interactive whiteboards for demonstrations and collaborative problem-solving

• Desktop publishing software for investigating transformations in 2D space

 

She now sees technology in the math classroom as a catalyst for learning—not just as enrichment, but as a necessity for fostering 21st-century skills.

 

And the best part? She's not alone on the journey.

 

Inside the ICT in Education Teacher Academy, she continues to collaborate, lead discussions, and co-create resources with other teachers who are just as passionate about teaching math using technology.

 

 

Classroom-Ready ICT Maths Activities (F–6) + Membership Transformation Steps

1. Foundation – Year 1: Exploring Numbers with Bee-Bots

ICT Tool: Programmable Toys
Curriculum Link: ACMNA001 - Develop confidence with number sequences to and from 20

Activity Description:
Children program a Bee-Bot to move across a floor mat with numbers 1–20. They input sequences that skip, count forward, or backward. They then compare the movement to number lines on the wall to identify patterns.

Transformation Step:
Lauren first accessed a pre-made Bee-Bot lesson from the Members’ Library. With guidance from a tutorial and community feedback, she adapted it to reinforce number sequencing. After implementation, she used the workbook’s reflection prompts to assess her students’ number pattern recognition.

2. Year 2: Collecting Data for Class Pet Preferences

ICT Tool: Databases
Curriculum Link: ACMSP048 - Collect, check and classify data

Activity Description:
Students survey classmates on favourite pets and enter the results into a simple database. They explore how data is stored, sorted, and filtered to identify trends like “most popular” or “least liked” pets.

Transformation Step:
Lauren used the Wisdom Tool to search for data-focused math lessons. She located a simple template shared by another member and engaged in a community discussion on how to scaffold database concepts for younger learners.

3. Year 3: Budgeting with Spreadsheets

ICT Tool: Spreadsheets
Curriculum Link: ACMNA059 - Represent money values in multiple ways and count change

Activity Description:
Students are given a virtual shopping list and a fixed budget. They enter item prices into a spreadsheet and calculate total costs. The activity includes adjusting the list to stay within budget and discussing value-for-money decisions.

Transformation Step:
Lauren used a downloadable template from the membership and modified it after watching a video tutorial. After implementing it in class, she used the workbook to reflect on students' engagement and growth in financial literacy.

4. Year 4: Investigating Multiplication Patterns with Spreadsheets

ICT Tool: Spreadsheets
Curriculum Link: ACMNA075 - Develop efficient mental and written strategies and use appropriate digital technologies for multiplication and division

Activity Description:
Students create a multiplication table in a spreadsheet to visually explore number patterns (e.g., highlighting multiples of 3, 4, etc.). They use formulas to generate values and colour formatting to visualise patterns.

Transformation Step:
This was Lauren’s original breakthrough lesson. After testing the spreadsheet herself, she ran the activity and posted her reflections in the community. Other members helped her refine differentiation strategies for varied ability levels.

5. Year 5: Investigating Area Using Desktop Publishing Software

ICT Tool: Desktop Publishing
Curriculum Link: ACMMG113 - Calculate the area of rectangles using appropriate units

Activity Description:
Students design a “floor plan” using desktop publishing software where each shape represents a section of the home. They use the grid and measurement tools to calculate area, then compare estimates with exact calculations.

Transformation Step:
Lauren explored this lesson after learning how desktop publishing tools support spatial reasoning. She added a creative twist by letting students design “dream bedrooms” and shared her modified activity with the community.

6. Year 6: Representing Data with Interactive Whiteboards

ICT Tool: Interactive Whiteboard
Curriculum Link: ACMSP147 - Interpret and compare a range of data displays

Activity Description:
Using an IWB, students collaboratively construct graphs from classroom data—comparing bar graphs, pie charts, and line graphs. They analyse which format best represents their data and why.

Transformation Step:
Lauren led this as part of her school’s numeracy showcase. She sourced the initial activity from the membership’s video examples and recorded her implementation to share in the Members’ Leadership Reflection Journal.

 

 

What Did Lauren Gain from This Transformation?

By combining technology tools for teaching mathematics with structured professional development, Lauren gained:

• Confidence to implement technology even with limited tools

• Insight from peers across Australia in the membership community

• Access to done-for-you lessons she could adapt to her context

• Ongoing growth by using the membership workbook to reflect and evolve

• Evidence of her TPACK development—building expertise in Technology, Pedagogy, and Content

 

Today, her classroom features a seamless blend of digital and hands-on learning. Her students are not just doing maths—they’re thinking, analysing, communicating, and creating through technology.

 

 

 

 

 

Ready to Move From Reading to Real Results?

If you’ve made it this far, you’re probably wondering…

How can I start integrating ICT in mathematics education meaningfully?

Here’s your next step:

Join the growing community of primary teachers who are discovering how to teach maths in primary classes with confidence, clarity, and creativity. The ICT in Education Teacher Academy gives you not only the tools—but the support, structure, and resources to use them well.

So, what could your classroom look like if you had access to:

• Done-for-you lesson plans

• Targeted ICT tool suggestions

• Peer feedback on your plans

• A guided workbook to track your growth

• 24/7 access to expert advice via the Wisdom Tool

 

What’s stopping you from transforming your maths lessons with technology today?

Let’s make meaningful learning happen—one digital tool at a time.

 

 

 

 

Integrating ICT In Primary Mathematics

The use of ICT in Primary maths provides great support for the teaching and learning in mathematics. However, it can only really provide effective support where its use is ‘transparent’. This is the ultimate aim of developing student ICT capability and in this course, we will investigate and examine how to use ICT in the math classroom where it helps teachers demonstrate and explain mathematical ideas along with helping students develop their mathematical knowledge, skills and understanding.

 

ICT provides teachers with opportunities to capitalise on the idea that it can help students visualise mathematical ideas and concepts. It can provide teachers and students with resources to help them concentrate on the learning objectives within the National Curriculum and not get bogged down with other issues. Finally, even though there are technology in maths education that enables students to review and consolidate mathematical skills such as ‘drill and practice’ programs, these are not the focus of this course as they do not fully develop ICT capability.

 

 

The Relationship between Numeracy and ICT Capability

What is the connection between ICT capability and numeracy? To answer this question we need to examine it from two points of interest. The Australian Curriculum as an example encourages the use of ICT in the mathematics learning area and states that ICT capability is developed when students “investigate, create and communicate mathematical ideas and concepts using fast, automated, interactive and multimodal technologies” (Australian Curriculum, 2021). It highlights specific software such as spreadsheets where ICT capability can be used for calculations, collecting data, drawing graphs, analysing, and interpreting data.

 

We must also understand that ICT capability in the field of numbers involves much more than merely using ICT techniques and skills that students need to perform number operations and produce graphs. Developing student ICT capability in primary maths involves the higher order thinking skills needed to when ICT is the most effective way of achieving a goal and which ICT tools are appropriate to the task.

 

It would be significant for you to remember that this decision involves more than just ICT knowledge. What it does involve is the knowledge of mathematical concepts and processes, and metacognitive knowledge (knowing that you know) of one’s own speed and accuracy with numeric techniques and routines.

 

For example, “if we ask children to find the total cost of 68 pens at 20 cents each they have to decide on the type of calculation to do, and choose whether to estimate the answer, to calculate it exactly using mental methods, to calculate it exactly using pen and paper, to use a simple calculator, or to use a spreadsheet. Their choice will depend on their level of ICT capability and numeracy” (Kennewell, Parkinson, & Tanner, 2000, p. 109). It would also depend on the affordances of the setting such as the ICT tools available, the help that they get from others and of course, your aims and learning objectives of the activity itself.

 

In emphasising this, it is easy to see how higher order thinking skills and concepts are used to combine knowledge of and techniques in number and in ICT in order in order to solve even quite simple problems.

 

 

The Qualities of Mathematics teacher with TPACK

This course aims at giving you the expertise you need in order to develop a strong background in TPACK. A strong background will allow you to offer students a considerable advantage in the learning of mathematics. It will provide you with the ability to imagine the potential for mathematics/numeracy learning with technology.

 

As someone who successfully integrates ICT in Primary Maths, it would mean that:

• You would have a relative openness to experimentation with the ever-evolving technological tools available to you.
• You would strive to be consistently ‘on-task’ for the mathematical topic or content being taught.
• You would approach your mathematics instruction with clear and systematic pedagogical strategies in mind.
• You would try to make periodic connections for your students as to “why” a particular technology is useful for instructing a particular mathematics topic.
• You would characteristically embrace the administrative capabilities of technology to help guide your mathematics instruction using student assessment data such as criterion referenced tests.
• You would also do your best to be a caring teacher who is comfortable and optimistic for change.

(Grandgenett, 2008)

 

 

How to develop an integrated approach to teaching with ICT in the Maths Curriculum?

If you are to develop an integrated approach to teaching with ICT effectively in the mathematics key learning area rather than add it on as an extra activity, then it is important that you have a good understanding of the ICT concepts and their relation to the maths curriculum.

 

For each classroom activity, clear objectives need to be present and if you plan to develop student ICT capability prior to using ICT in maths learning, then the students can focus on the specific maths objectives. It would be difficult for you to introduce spreadsheets without involving number activity.

 

You also need to keep in mind that there is a close relationship between ICT capability and the knowledge, skills and understanding in the maths subject area in addition to others in the curriculum. So it would not be helpful to develop ICT capability and maths learning in isolation.

 

Studies have indicated in the past that the learning of and with ICT involved a shift of focus between the ICT objectives and the learning objectives. Additionally, there may be a conflict between these two objectives when assessing, but will touch on this later on. However, this is effected through planned teacher interventions.

 

With the strategies and approaches that you will learn in this course, you will be able to build on your own ICT capability as a primary teacher and foster these strategies that emphasise higher order thinking skills and provide an effective foundation for the challenge of a sometimes disjointed secondary curriculum.

 

 

How to best use ICT in Maths

When using ICT in maths primary, there are many opportunities to choose from. However, the best option is to ensure that your students control the technology and that they make the decisions thus developing their higher order thinking skills.

 

Yes. There is a technology that teaches maths and these are known as integrated learning systems or are commonly known as subject-specific software. They defeat the purpose of understanding how to integrate ICT in teaching maths.

 

The advantages of using ICT in maths should be:

• It enhances student learning of maths;
• It motivates them to learn maths;
• It develops student ICT capability;
• It promotes higher order thinking skills.

 

The right ICT tools can therefore, provide a conceptual construction kit that can transform students’ mathematical knowledge and practices in your curriculum. When looking at the Australian Curriculum, for example, there are many opportunities to embed ICT into the curriculum and to develop ICT capability.

 

As a result, we focus on these opportunities in our advanced online professional development for primary teachers that helps them understand how to integrate ICT in teaching maths. It encourages a whole school level approach to integrate ICT in primary maths.

 

Another key aspect that you need to be aware of when using ICT in maths primary is that it also involves a shift in teaching approaches. Integrating ICT into meaningful subject-related learning activities is never straightforward. Various pedagogical approaches need to be adopted in order for students to not only develop ICT capability transparently alongside maths learning but to also understand that when they are using technology in maths that they view it as a tool.

 

Research has clearly shown how technology can change the nature of using ICT in maths primary education but it will only be through complex and continuous online professional development for teachers that be key to teachers successfully integrating ICT in primary maths.

 

 

5 Great ICT tools for Teaching Mathematics

The use of ICT tools in STEM activities in the classroom plays a significant role. There is one thing that the following tools all have in common.

 

They have the potential to develop student ICT capability provided that effective teaching strategies with technology are used.

 

There is one particular type of software which I will not discuss as it does not allow for the development of ICT capability.

 

Integrated Learning Systems (ILS) such as drill and practice software DOES NOT develop student ICT capability and ICT literacy.

 

And this should be the aim of all mathematics software in Primary Mathematics.

 

Great ICT tools for teaching Mathematics

• Databases – the handling of data is a very important part of a mathematics lesson. It involves analysing information collected by the students themselves during a hands-on, practical activity. This can be done with real and relevant data making it an authentic learning experience.
• Spreadsheets – these are designed to help you work with numbers and students can use to do the same too. They can be set up as a number of machines that can repeat calculation processes quickly and easily. They can be used to help solve problems where repeating calculations can help find the answer.
• Interactive whiteboards with the aid of digital projectors – the combination of these two with the addition of the computer itself will allow us to teach mathematics using whole-class teaching methods. It can also be used to help you to demonstrate to students various techniques that they need to use during the maths lesson such as spreadsheet skills.
• Programmable toys – robotic toys can be used as a catalyst for problem-solving from early childhood to primary education.
• Desktop publishing software – this is a great idea for when investigating and designing objects on the screen. They are very useful for studying 2-dimensional objects as they allow you to create simple shapes quickly and easily. Some have built-in functions that allow students to rotate and reflect these shapes once created.

 

ICT offers powerful support for teaching numeracy and mathematics. It can be where the teacher uses ICT alone or when students use it to gain the benefits from its features such as allowing them to develop ICT capability.

 

LEARN ALSO ABOUT:

The Best ICT tools used in the classroom

 

 

The Importance of using ICT tools when Teaching Mathematics

There are extensive reasons why every primary teacher should use ICT tools in the maths lesson. Such reasons in terms of use are universal and span across the curriculum. 

Technology is not only inclusive in that it can present information in a variety of ways, but also makes creating your own attractive, stimulating resources a relatively straightforward task.

ICT has a lot to offer students as research shows that with computer-based activities students are more likely to experiment and take risks than without ICT.

 

Mathematical concepts and logic lie at the heart of the computer's function. So they work perfectly well together. However, it is vitally important that the child is in control of the technology at all times and that it involves high-level decision-making and challenges them intellectually. For this reason, you will only find software suitable for mathematics teaching that is content-free.

 

The Australian Curriculum Mathematics learning area has also stressed the importance of using ICT tools for teaching mathematics. 

As such, the development of ICT capability is practically conducted alongside numeracy learning as stated in the below statement:

"In the Australian Curriculum: Mathematics, students develop ICT capability when they investigate, create, and communicate mathematical ideas and concepts using fast, automated, interactive and multimodal technologies. They use their ICT capability to perform calculations; draw graphs; collect, manage, analyse, and interpret data; share and exchange information and ideas, and investigate and model concepts and relationships.

Digital technologies, such as spreadsheets, dynamic geometry software, and computer algebra software, can engage students and promote understanding of key concepts."

 

Higher-order Thinking Skills and ICT

Both number techniques and ICT techniques develop higher-order thinking skills when technology tools are used correctly when teaching mathematics.

In terms of ICT capability, when mixed with number techniques involves more than the ICT techniques needed to perform number operations and produce graphs.

ICT capability development in mathematics lessons also involves higher-order thinking skills to identify when ICT is the most effective way of achieving a goal and which ICT tools used in the classroom are appropriate to the task.

 

 

Conclusion

Using technology to teach maths can be beneficial to both students and teachers, but only if used correctly. The benefits of technology in education can only be harvested and unlocked in the classroom if teachers are trained with ICT teaching strategies that will impact student learning.

 

The Importance of ICT in Maths

 

The ultimate aim in developing student ICT capability is to make the ICT transparent. That is, the children become so focused on using ICT as a tool to achieve other outcomes that they hardly notice they are using technology itself.

This should be your ultimate aim as the primary teacher to enable the children to reach this stage and the best way to achieve this is in meaningful context-driven activities such as that in numeracy/mathematics. So I will show you how to integrate ICT in teaching maths using one of the ICT tools in mathematics mentioned earlier.

 

One of the first ICT tools for mathematics that comes to mind is the spreadsheet. Teaching with and about spreadsheets you in the following activities:

Selecting appropriate opportunities – this means finding activities in the learning area where spreadsheets can enhance, facilitate or extend children’s learning. An example of an opportunity could be exploring number patterns. Opportunities in the Australian Curriculum Mathematics learning area include the following:

 

Year 3 – ACMNA057, ACMSP069.

Year 4 – ACMNA076; ACMNA080.

 

Children can be introduced to spreadsheets through the functions they perform. It may be an idea to draw their attention to the formula determining the function and encourage them to experiment with modifying the formula.

 

You may also like make the link with calculators placing emphasis on a spreadsheet’s potential for supporting and facilitating calculation. 

 

So there are many curriculum opportunities to think about and to imagine the potential for learning with a spreadsheet in a mathematical context.

 

Selecting the appropriate opportunities is a key element of your planning.

 

Planning the incorporation of spreadsheets into curriculum activities – here you must make sure of several considerations. However, in order to plan effectively it is essential that you establish a starting point for their ICT learning journey so that you can give them accurate directions that will enable them to plot a course.

 

You can set the children a small spreadsheet activity with a number of key ICT techniques that you think will be essential in completing the follow-up activity. That way you can determine what they know and plan to build on it. This is a key part in learning how to integrate ICT in teaching maths.

 

Once this has been accomplished, you then need to:

• Decide the educational purpose of the ICT activity – to develop ICT capability, to support numeracy learning or both? (I recommend ‘both’).
• Decide the activity provides the children with experiences of using ICT as a tool.
• Determine if there are opportunities to assess their ICT capabilities when using the spreadsheet functions.

 

 

Learning how to integrate ICT in teaching maths also involves planning for progression and this where what I said earlier comes in. By establishing their starting point, learning progression can occur both in classroom and throughout the school. So it is a good idea to discuss and plan the use of spreadsheets with your colleagues to share with them key data needed like the context in which spreadsheets were used, the ICT techniques each individual student learned or used and especially the curriculum goals linked to the activities.

 

While spreadsheets can be introduced to children in the early stages of primary education, their ICT capability development with spreadsheets is achieved in the later stages or when they are in Year 3, 4, 5, or 6. It is at this stage of learning that they can carry out complex calculations and processes such as analysis, interpretation and problem solving.

 

Using ICT tools for teaching mathematics is about developing student ICT capability in a meaningful context. However, you will need to understand what constitutes ICT capability and the best ICT teaching strategies for primary school teachers to achieve it in numeracy/mathematics lessons.

 

Thanks for learning how to integrate ICT in teaching maths. To learn more as this is just a snippet of what you will learn, consider joining my online workshop below today.