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Maintaining Engagement on NumBots

Jenny Pierce — Wed, 16 Apr 2025 09:41:19 +0000

We were recently asked, “How do we keep our students engaged on NumBots long-term?” It’s a great question, and one we hear often! So, we thought we’d pop our top tips into a blog to help you keep the momentum going in your classroom.

From making the most of Challenge Mode to introducing paired play and using Scrapheap Stories to build resilience, these strategies will keep students excited about their learning journey. Let’s dive in!

1. Encourage Challenge Mode more

If your children have already mastered the early levels, shifting their focus to Challenge Mode could provide variety.
You could run a weekly Challenge Mode leaderboard in class to encourage friendly competition – you can do this via the Certificate Hub.
Perhaps introduce a “Challenge of the Week” where they all attempt the same challenge and discuss strategies.

2. Use Scrapheap Stories for motivation

Play a growth mindset audio stories that emphasises perseverance and learning from mistakes.
Have a class discussion about times they found something hard and how they overcame it.
Maybe introduce a class reward system where persistence earns small incentives (e.g stickers, badges, praise).

3. Introduce small group or paired play to enhance collaboration

Pair up students who are at similar stages and let them work together to discuss strategies.
Have a “NumBots Buddy” system where students explain concepts to each other, reinforcing learning. Check out our collaboration case study here.

4. Customise their progression using Story Controls

If certain levels are too hard, temporarily turn off those skills via Story Controls and allow them to consolidate before reintroducing them later.
Be mindful that when skills are reactivated, they may be bounced back to earlier levels covering those skills.

5. Introduce ‘NumBots Exploration Time’

Allow students to freely explore different parts of NumBots during a designated session without pressure to advance.
Encourage them to find their favourite levels, challenge friends to create the wackiest robot in their custom shack, or set their own learning goals.

6. Celebrate small wins & personal bests

Beyond certificates, download personalised achievement resources where students track their own progress and personal bests. You can download our NumBots Stage Colouring sheets here.
Focus on effort and persistence rather than just progression.

Using Heatmaps to Support Parents’ Consultations: A Teacher’s Guide

Jenny Pierce — Mon, 28 Oct 2024 13:00:18 +0000

Challenge Mode in NumBots is designed to improve recall of key number facts, such as number bonds to 10 and adding single-digit numbers. It consists of 30 distinct, 60-second skill rounds, making it an excellent tool for quickly identifying students who are excelling or struggling with these foundational skills.

The heatmap data, drawn from Challenge Mode, provides a clear visual representation of each student’s progress, helping you better understand their strengths and challenges. Here’s how heatmaps can guide meaningful conversations during parents’ evenings.

What heatmaps show and where to find them

In Challenge Mode, students tackle key areas like addition, subtraction, and number bonds. As they progress, the heatmap visually records their performance: The addition and subtraction heatmaps display your students’ median answer speeds for each addition fact up to 10 + 10 and their subtraction inverses. This data-driven tool helps pinpoint where students are thriving and where they need extra support.

To view a student’s heatmap, simply click on the colourful heatmap icon next to their name in the Challenge Results table.

This detailed, color-coded display helps you quickly identify a student’s strong points and areas where they need additional support:

Red areas highlight challenges where mistakes occur frequently.

Green areas show topics where the student is consistently successful.

Why heatmaps are useful for parents’ consultations

When preparing for discussions with parents, heatmaps provide clear, easy-to-understand data that can guide the conversation. Here’s how they help:

Highlight mastery in key topics:

With green sections on the heatmap, you can show parents where their child has gained strong competence, giving them a concrete view of their child’s achievements in certain number skills.

Identify areas of difficulty:

You can provide targeted advice for home practice based on where a student is struggling. The red sections of the heatmap tells you exactly which topics need extra attention and can lead to a productive conversation about strategies for improvement, both in class and at home.

Track progress over time:

By looking at the heatmap over time, you can show parents how their child’s performance has evolved. This is especially useful for demonstrating improvement in response to interventions or explaining where further focus is needed.

Make the most out of heatmaps and turn those parent consultations into data driven conversations! For more information on interpreting NumBots data, visit the guide below:

Data guide

Five Quick Tips for Busy Parents: Integrating NumBots at Home with Ease

Jenny Pierce — Mon, 14 Oct 2024 10:52:33 +0000

Integrating NumBots into our daily routine has been a game-changer for both my kids and I. As a parent with over a decade of teaching experience I understand how hectic life can get — juggling work, school runs, and family time leaves little room for helping kids with homework, let alone motivating them to do extra practice. That’s why I’ve found these simple, low-effort strategies to integrate NumBots into our busy schedule:

1. Reminders with Alexa

From one robot to another: have Alexa (other devices available) remind you to log into NumBots!

We’ve set up Alexa to remind us about NumBots practice everyday. It’s one of those helpful nudges amidst the morning rush that keeps us on track. This simple routine ensures that both my children know exactly when to start their daily sessions.

2. Aim for Short Sessions

We aim for just three minutes of NumBots each day. While it might not seem like much, this short duration fits perfectly into our morning routine. My daughter enjoys completing three Challenge modes (each for one minute long) independently during this time she chooses which challenges to tackle, allowing her to lead her own learning.

3. A Story Level a Day

Beyond the three minutes of daily practice in either Story or Challenge mode (whatever they feel like doing), my children aim to pass one Story level a day. Some levels can be tricky, so if they start to feel frustrated, one parent is always there to lend a hand by reading the question together, walking them through the answer, or trying to find clues on how to pass it.

4. Keeping it Positive

If frustration does creep in (and let’s face it, during the busy school week, that’s likely), we take a breather. We might explore the cool badges they’ve earned, build a bot in the Custom Shack, or listen to one of the many growth mindset audio stories. It’s a reminder that learning should be enjoyable, even when we’re busy or tired!

5. Weekend Break Time

We take a break from NumBots over the weekend. This break helps them recharge for the week ahead and keeps NumBots sessions fresh and exciting when Monday rolls around!

Those are my top tips for integrating NumBots at home seamlessly – practice at home feels effortless and enjoyable! And relax!

via GIPHY