Make maths yours: ScaffoldiaMyMaths delivers personalised pathways

Students from families with fewer economic resources often lack access to educational tools and opportunities for effective learning. To address this, Dr Sun Daner, Associate Professor, Associate Head of the Department of Mathematics and Information Technology (MIT), has led her research team in developing ScaffoldiaMyMaths, an adaptive scaffolding-based learning platform that provides personalised mathematics support for primary students in Grades 3-6 from low-resource families in Mainland China and Hong Kong. By integrating advanced artificial intelligence technologies, the platform enhances learning outcomes through tailored instruction, intelligent feedback, and dynamic content delivery.

Instructional scaffolding is a teaching method in which educators provide temporary support, such as visual aids, key information, examples, one-to-one instruction, feedback, and hints, to help students to finish the tasks. While students working on the tasks, teachers regularly check for understanding and correct mistakes. As students’ competence grows, the level of support is gradually reduced, with the ultimate aim of enabling them to complete tasks independently.

Built on this concept, the ScaffoldiaMyMaths platform uses artificial intelligence to create an adaptive learning system offering personalised mathematics support for students. Its key features include: dynamic difficulty adjustment, which modifies the challenge level in real-time based on student performance; gradual scaffold reduction which scales back support as competence improves; and real-time analytics, which provides instant feedback and enables timely intervention. These functions together deliver tailored educational experiences to meet individual learning needs.

The system also delivers multimodal content, including text, images, videos, and audio, to suit different learning preferences and grade levels. By continuously assessing student performance, the AI-driven scaffolding system assigns tasks at an appropriate level of difficulty. Coupled with personalised support, ScaffoldiaMyMaths helps students develop independence and problem-solving skills.

“During development, the research team always kept in mind that the final product must be designed to meet student's varied learning needs, interests, and styles. In other words, it must be a student-centered learning platform. To achieve this, ScaffoldiaMyMaths integrates gamified learning, inquiry-based activities, and real-world problem-solving scenarios to maximise engagement,” Dr Sun, who is also the Associate Co-Director of the Global Institute for Emerging Technologies (GIET), said.

Dr Sun explained that by contextualising mathematics in real-world applications, ScaffoldiaMyMaths enhances both engagement and motivation, while also developing critical thinking and advanced mathematical reasoning. “This comprehensive approach provides systematic support for developing mathematical literacy and promoting long-term achievement,” she added.

Dr Sun’s knowledge transfer project, supported by the University’s Central Reserve Allocation Committee, focuses on Grade 3–6 primary students from low-resource families in Mainland China and Hong Kong, who often face unequal access to educational opportunities. The platform has been carefully designed with this user group in mind. Content is provided in multiple languages to reduce language barriers, the interface is simple and intuitive to minimise technological obstacles. “ScaffoldiaMyMaths is an interactive AI companion that helps students expand their knowledge systematically,” Dr Sun remarked.

To broaden its impact and collect feedback for improvement, the team has established collaborations with four primary schools, two in Hong Kong and two in mainland China. Partner schools are providing students with study spaces and equipment to use the platform as a supplementary learning tool. The system has already benefitted over 350 students in Hong Kong and more than 300 on the mainland with teachers reporting better engagement and increased confidence in mathematics.

Dr Sun emphasised that the project prioritises support for students often marginalised in traditional classrooms. “By leveraging technology to bridge gaps, we strive to ensure that every child can access high-quality, personalised mathematics learning support. This also contributes to UN’s sustainability goal of ensuring inclusive and equitable quality education (SDG 4). With adequate learning support, every student can enjoy learning maths and every child can become a maths whiz,” she continued.

The project has established a dynamic cross-regional and interdisciplinary research network, uniting distinguished experts and scholars from leading institutions across Mainland China, Hong Kong, and the global academic community. Under the strategic guidance of our principal consultant, EdUHK President Professor John Lee Chi-Kin, the initiative receives comprehensive support in curriculum design, platform technology development, and learner assessment innovation.

One of the project consultants Professor Therese Keane, Associate Dean of Research and Industry Collaboration at La Trobe University, Australia, visited the Department of Mathematics and Information Technology (MIT) recently. During the visit, she discussed with Dr Sun Daner and Professor Philip Yu Leung-ho on a wide range of topics, including educator adaptation to technological advancements, essential competencies for the future workforce, and the role of technology in fostering creativity. The exchange resulted in the formation of a strategic partnership focused on collaborative research in platform optimisation.

Headed by Dr Sun Daner as the Principal Investigator, the ScaffoldiaMyMaths project team brings together scholars with different areas of expertise. Co-investigators include Professor Philip Yu Leung-ho from MIT; Professor Chou Kee-lee, Chair Professor from the Department of Social Sciences and Policy Studies (SSPS); Professor Xu Guandong, Chair Professor in the Centre for Learning, Teaching, and Technology (LTTC); Dr Alpha Ling Man-ho, Associate Professor and Acting Head of MIT; Dr David Chan Tse-tin, Assistant Professor from MIT; Professor Angel Ma Qing from the Department of Linguistics and Modern Language Studies (LML); Dr Zhan Ying and Dr Yang Lan, both Associate Professors from the Department of Curriculum and Instruction (C&I); Dr Zhang Qiaoping, Associate Professor from MIT; and Dr Manpreet Singh from MIT.

“The success of the ScaffoldiaMyMaths project also relies on contributions from our international collaborators: Dr Sun Jin, Associate Professor in the Faculty of Education, University of Macau; and Dr Wang Jingyun and Dr Long Yang, both Assistant Professor in the Department of Computer Science, Durham University, UK,” Dr Sun said.

Furthermore, the project team has established robust research collaborations with prestigious institutions worldwide, including La Trobe University (Australia), Georgetown University (USA), Nanyang Technological University (Singapore), the University of Macau (Macau, China), Durham University (UK), and Jiangnan University (China). These partnerships, whether with individuals or institutions, enable the integration of cutting-edge AI technologies into the platform, driving continuous improvement of ScaffoldiaMyMaths. Through these concerted efforts, the project aims to enhance learning outcomes and expand access to high-quality, scalable mathematics education for students globally.

Sun and her team expressed their gratitude to all advisory experts for their invaluable contributions to the ScaffoldiaMyMaths project. Special recognition was given to the project’s Principal Consultant, Professor John Lee Chi-Kin, President of EdUHK, for his strategic leadership, as well as to the international advisors for their insightful guidance.

“We are equally appreciative of the teachers at partner schools who have provided learning spaces and equipment for their students to use the platform. The valuable feedback from these schools is helping to further refine the design and educational content. Thanks to these collaborations, ScaffoldiaMyMaths has been able to effectively support students from diverse backgrounds, enhancing mathematical literacy and promoting equity in education. We look forward to strengthening our partnership with these schools even further. Together, we can help create a more inclusive, future-ready education,” Dr Sun concluded.