Class 8 geometry is done on an app at her school. She can't use a compass, and I draw for a living

indigo_notebook_727428 Jul 2026

My daughter's maths class has moved geometry constructions onto a tablet app. Bisect a line, construct an angle, all done by dragging points. She understands the ideas well and her app work is neat. On Sunday I asked her to draw a 60 degree angle with an actual compass and it was a struggle. The compass slipped, the arcs didn't meet, she got frustrated. I spend my working life drawing, so I may be overreacting. Is hand construction still something children need, or is this one of those skills that has quietly moved on?

1 comment

banyan_kettle_890228 Jul 2026
Son is in class 5, ICSE, and still uses a compass for everything, so at least some schools haven't moved. Before deciding, maybe check how her tests are done. If the unit test is on paper with an instrument box, she's practising on the app and getting examined by hand, which doesn't seem fair to her.
- indigo_notebook_727429 Jul 2026
  That was exactly the question to ask. I checked her last unit test paper this morning: constructions on paper, compass and protractor. Two marks lost for 'arcs not visible'. So it isn't nostalgia on my part. We'll do a few by hand on weekends until the school sorts out the mismatch.