An educational app should help a child learn something and then leave them comfortable stopping.
That sounds straightforward. But when points, streaks and leaderboards enter the picture, it becomes important to ask what those features are encouraging. Is a child thinking more carefully about mathematics, or simply spending longer collecting rewards?
A recent BBC report raises this question through concerns about children spending too long on times-tables apps. Parents’ concerns about screen time and pressure deserve attention. So does the response from the developers: TT Rock Stars says it recommends short sessions and is introducing default time limits and curfews and TTRS has done sterling work in supporting the year 4 English Multiplication Tables Check.
But we should discuss what those rewards are for.
The mathematics is the purpose
Our view is that rewards should recognise worthwhile mathematical activity. Working accurately, tackling an appropriate challenge, noticing a relationship and explaining why something works.
A higher points total is not, by itself, evidence of greater understanding. Neither is a longer session.
Consider a pupil who explains:
“I know 7 × 8 is 56. Nine groups of 7 is one more group, so I add 7 to get 63.”
That explanation reveals something valuable. The pupil is using a known fact, recognising a relationship and making their reasoning available for discussion.
That is worth recognising becasue of the understanding. Not because it was delivered fastest, or because another pupil earned fewer points.
Why explaining matters in Timbles
Timbles’ Say Why feature gives learners the opportunity to type or record their mathematical thinking.
It also encourages precise language. “It gets bigger” leaves the listener guessing. “The product increases by 7 because the multiplier increases by 1” tells us much more.
Timbles can recognise and reward that precision in a valid explanation and the purpose is not to produce longer answers or use impressive vocabulary but to communicate a mathematical idea clearly.
Parents and teachers can support the same habit away from a screen:
- What changed?
- What stayed the same?
- Which number do you mean?
- How does a fact you already know help?
Sometimes one thoughtful conversation is a better next step than another round of questions.
Quick recall is useful. Rushing is not the goal.
Fluent recall can make calculation easier, and we are all for that. But speed alone does not tell us whether a learner understands multiplication.
A child who pauses to use a sound strategy is doing mathematics. A child who answers quickly may still need help explaining a relationship. Both deserve appropriate support.
Timbles currently includes timed activities and speed-related scoring. Those features should not be mistaken for the educational purpose of the app, or treated as a measure of a child’s mathematical worth. The principle against which we should judge them is whether they support learning, rather than encourage rushing or prolonged use.
More practice is not automatically better
Short, focused practice can fit into a balanced day. Continuing because a reward is nearly within reach is a different reason to stay, a different motivation.
So, a practical approach for families and teachers is to agree a small task and a stopping point before starting. That might mean a brief practice session followed by discussing one useful strategy.
Stop earlier if the learner becomes frustrated, tired or starts guessing. There is no need to complete every available activity, chase someone else’s score or compensate for a missed day with a marathon session.
Competition should never define success
Some children enjoy comparing scores. Others find it discouraging, I know I did when I was learning my tables back in the 60's (I've written about that elsewhere). Neither response tells us how capable they are at mathematics.
The more useful questions are personal and mathematical:
Can you recall something that previously felt difficult? Can you explain a strategy? Can you use a known fact in a new situation?
Those are achievements worth celebrating.
The standard for Timbles is simple. The rewards serve the mathematics.
They do not make speed, quantity or beating someone else the definition of success.
A successful session is one that supports learning.