Bringing Devices into the Maths Classroom: Using BYOAD to Build Conceptual Understanding in Grade 5

What if the hardest part of maths homework is that the explanation stayed in the classroom?

This action research explored whether a structured Bring Your Own Approved Device approach could deepen conceptual understanding in Grade 5, rather than simply putting a screen in front of a textbook exercise.

PROBLEM IN
CONTEXT

What the Data Revealed

A baseline test administered at the start of the 2024–25 session, marked out of 15, showed Grade 5 students entering with uneven foundations in core concepts — equivalent fractions, conversion between fractions and decimals, proper and improper fractions, division and angles. Scores ranged from 5 to 12 out of 15, and the recorded areas of development clustered around the same few abstract ideas.

A second problem surfaced in daily practice. Students frequently could not reconstruct the teacher’s explanation when revising at home. Because students come from varied home backgrounds, families were often unfamiliar with the specific classroom strategies used to teach a concept, so a student who lost the thread had no route back to it. The same gap affected any student who had been absent.

Why it Mattered

Grade 5 is where foundational mathematical concepts are consolidated. A gap left open here does not stay contained — it compounds. And the abstractness that makes fractions hard to teach is precisely what makes them hard to revise alone from a written exercise with no explanation attached.

This raised a question the teaching team wanted to test properly: can digital tools genuinely build mathematical thinking, or do they only offer students a faster shortcut to the answer? With the introduction of Chromebooks across the school, the conditions existed to find out — but only if the devices were built into a designed sequence rather than added to an existing one.

A performance target was established: students would have independent access to concept explanations outside class hours, and the intervention cohort would show stronger assessment performance than the preceding cohort taught without BYOAD.

Research Question

How does BYOAD influence student engagement and academic performance in fifth-grade mathematics, with particular focus on the development of mathematical thinking and problem-solving abilities?

Objective 01

Make Explanations Available Beyond the Lesson

To build a structured, unit-by-unit maths site so that students can revisit how a concept was taught, independently and at home.

Objective 03

Build Practice Around Instant Feedback

To use live worksheets, Google Forms and quiz tools so that students can attempt, see where they went wrong, and reattempt within the same session.

Objective 02

Make Explanations Available Beyond the Lesson

To build a structured, unit-by-unit maths site so that students can revisit how a concept was taught, independently and at home.

Objective 04

Sustain Engagement in an Abstract Subject

To use game-based tools as both motivation and informal assessment, keeping students on task through formats they find genuinely appealing.

INTERVENTION TIMELINE AND ACTIVITIES

Phase 1 – Baseline and Comparison Design

  • Baseline test and cohort setup

Phase 2 – Building the Platform

  • Maths site, live worksheets, and curated tools

Phase 3 – Classroom Implementation

  • Visualization, quiz sessions, and revision

Phase 4 – Mixed-Methods Evidence Gathering

  • Data collection and triangulation

FINDINGS AND IMPLICATIONS

The Intervention Cohort’s Assessment Record Ran Stronger Than the Comparison Cohort’s across matched units, unguided tests, mental maths and CATs, Group B’s recorded performance sat consistently above Group A’s on the same assessments. 

The Maths Site Solved a Problem the Devices Alone Would Not Have

The most durable outcome was not an app but an archive. Because every concept was recorded as a presentation on the unit page, a student who lost the thread in class, or missed the lesson entirely, could return to the actual explanation rather than to a worked example with no reasoning attached. This mattered most during periods of disrupted attendance and online instruction, and it removed the dependence on whether a student’s household happened to be familiar with the strategy being taught.

Instant Feedback Changed Practice From One Attempt to Several

Live worksheets shifted the unit of practice. Instead of completing an exercise, submitting it, and learning the outcome a day later, students attempted a question, saw immediately where the reasoning broke, and reattempted while the thinking was still alive. The element of challenge sustained participation without needing to be enforced.

Technology Extended the Teacher's Reach — It Did Not Replace the Teaching

The honest conclusion of this research: ICT makes the teaching process more rewarding, but cannot substitute for a responsive educator. The gains came from instructional design — sequencing, curation, and the decision about which tool served which concept. The devices were the delivery mechanism.

If you’re interested to learn more about the intervention, methodology, resources or the results, click on the relevant button below to access the full research report.

Beaconhouse Employees – Open Internal Report with BSS Login
Non-Beaconhouse Users – Access Report by Requesting on Google Forms

Here’s the report podcast if you’re interested.

Mahwish Ahsan

Mathematics Educator, Beaconhouse School System

  • Teaching Focus: Technology-integrated approaches to teaching Mathematics, with a strong focus on developing students’ mental-math skills, mathematical reasoning, and problem-solving abilities.
  • Professional Interests: Educational technology, student-centred learning, differentiated instruction, inclusive education, student leadership, and digital citizenship.
  • Teaching Approach: I believe in creating engaging, student-centred classrooms where learners have voice, choice, and opportunities to take ownership of their learning.
  • Professional Vision: To empower students to become confident, independent, and lifelong learners who can apply Mathematics meaningfully in real-life situations.