Ask a student what comes to mind when they hear the word “math” and you’ll likely hear answers like “numbers,” “times tables,” “tests,” or “homework.” For some, the associations are even more loaded: “stress,” “boring,” “confusing,” or “hard.”
But how often do you hear a student say maths is about doing, thinking, talking, moving, or even playing?
In many classrooms, mathematics is still treated like a static subject — something you either get or don’t, something to sit and receive. A set of rules to memorise. A list of procedures to follow. A test to pass. But here’s the truth: mathematics is not a spectator sport. It’s a subject best learned through doing.
It’s time to reframe how we talk about and teach mathematics. Maths is not a noun. It’s a verb.
Why It Matters: Math as Action, Not Absorption
Traditional views of mathematics treat it as something fixed — a body of knowledge that students must passively absorb. We teach procedures and hope students will connect the dots. We drill times tables, assign worksheet pages, and move swiftly through content. But in this model, the doing often comes too late — or not at all.
When students are positioned as passive recipients, they may come to see maths as something external to themselves — something they’re either “good at” or not. Something that requires speed and correctness, but not necessarily understanding.
But when maths becomes a doing word — when students are challenged to explore, investigate, question, and create — everything shifts. They start to internalise mathematical ideas, not just as facts, but as tools. They develop agency. They engage with maths on their own terms.
And most importantly, they learn.
What Does It Mean to “Do” Maths?
Doing maths means more than just solving problems at the end of a textbook chapter. It’s about being curious. It’s about engaging with patterns, trying different strategies, making mistakes, adjusting, and trying again. It’s recognising that a wrong answer isn’t the end of learning — it’s often the beginning.
“Doing maths” means:
- Building mental models
- Making sense of real-world problems
- Estimating, adjusting, and refining answers
- Asking “what if?” and “why does that work?”
- Explaining thinking out loud
- Working with others to test ideas
- Engaging in productive struggle
It’s about more than right and wrong. It’s about sense-making.
The Research is Clear: Active Learning Works
We now have decades of research pointing to the benefits of active, student-centred learning in mathematics. Classrooms that emphasise collaboration, reasoning, and hands-on exploration tend to produce students who are more confident, more capable, and more engaged.
Students who regularly participate in mathematical discourse — talking through strategies, defending reasoning, and reflecting on mistakes — show significant gains in problem-solving and conceptual understanding.
The OECD’s Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) has repeatedly shown that students in classrooms that encourage exploration and multiple solution paths tend to perform better on complex, non-routine tasks.
The message is consistent: when students do maths — rather than just watch it be done — they learn more deeply.
What Gets in the Way?
If the benefits of active learning are so clear, why is math still so often treated as a passive subject?
Part of it comes down to time. Teachers face enormous pressure to cover curriculum content and prepare students for assessments. Worksheets and direct instruction can feel like the fastest path to tick boxes.
There’s also fear — from both students and teachers. Many adults carry their own baggage from school math and may feel unsure about how to lead more open-ended learning. And for students, stepping into the unknown — without a guaranteed right answer — can be daunting.
But here’s the thing: mathematics is uncertain at times. Real mathematicians spend more time exploring ideas and questioning assumptions than crunching numbers. Shouldn’t students be allowed to do the same?
Building a Culture of Mathematical Doing
So how do we make maths a doing word in real classrooms? It starts with small shifts:
- Ask better questions. Instead of “What’s the answer?”, ask “How do you know?”, “Can you show me another way?”, or “What would happen if…?”
- Celebrate thinking over speed. Fast is not the same as fluent. Give students time to wrestle, reason, and reflect.
- Make room for multiple strategies. Let students share different paths to the same answer. Honour diverse thinking.
- Invite talk. Mathematics is a language. The more students talk it, the more fluent they become.
- Use games, manipulatives, and visual tools. These aren’t just for fun — they’re tools for thinking.
Most importantly, create a space where mistakes are normal, expected, and valued. A classroom where it’s safe to try, fail, and try again is one where students can truly do maths.
How Number Hive Was Built on This Principle
At Number Hive, we believe this deeply. The platform wasn’t designed as a flashy digital worksheet — it was built as a space for students to do math. To think, strategise, adapt, and reflect.
It began as a paper-based game in one teacher’s classroom, where students were more excited about multiplication when it felt like play. But behind the fun was something powerful: students were actively choosing factors, anticipating moves, testing predictions, and learning through doing.
Today, that same spirit lives on in the digital version. Every turn in Number Hive is a mathematical decision. Every game is a new opportunity for reasoning and reflection. Whether played in class or at home, competitively or collaboratively, it’s not just about getting the answer — it’s about engaging in mathematical thinking.
Because we believe the best way to learn maths… is to do it.
Let’s Change the Narrative
Let’s move away from the idea of math as something cold, fixed, and remote. Let’s talk about it the way it really is: alive, dynamic, creative — and deeply human.
Let’s teach it in a way that invites students in. Let’s celebrate thinking, not just correctness. Let’s make room for play, struggle, conversation, and insight.
Let’s treat math like what it truly is: a doing word.
