How online classes work, from booking to homework
This page describes exactly what happens from the moment you book a demo class to the weekly rhythm of a continuing student: what you need at home, how the time zone is handled, what a class looks like, how homework is set and marked, and what arrives on your phone.
The whole process in eight steps
- Book a demo class. Choose the subject and your child's year, pick a time shown in your own local time with the teacher's time beside it, and enter your name, WhatsApp number and email. No account or password is needed.
- Get a WhatsApp reminder. Before the class a reminder arrives on WhatsApp, in your local time, with the link to join.
- Join from the browser. At class time your child clicks the link on a laptop or desktop. The online classroom opens in the browser — a shared whiteboard with voice and video. There is no software to install.
- The demo class. The teacher works one-to-one with your child for the session, starting with a few questions at their level, teaching a short topic, and noting what they observe.
- A suggested plan on WhatsApp. After the class the teacher sends what they noticed and a suggested plan — topics, order, how many classes a week, timing and fees. You decide whether to continue.
- Regular classes at a fixed time. If you continue, classes run at agreed times each week in your time zone, with daylight-saving changes handled for you.
- Homework in the parent portal. After each class, homework or a practice test is set in the portal with a due date. Your child completes it, and it comes back marked with written feedback.
- Updates and reminders. A WhatsApp note after each class tells you what was covered and how it went; a reminder arrives before the next class.
What you need at home
| Item | What works | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Computer | A laptop or desktop with a camera and microphone. | A tablet works, but a laptop is better for writing on the whiteboard. A phone is too small for the whiteboard. |
| Internet | A stable home connection. | Video and the whiteboard need a steady connection more than a fast one. Sitting near the router helps. |
| Browser | A current version of Chrome, Edge, Safari or Firefox. | The classroom runs in the browser; nothing is installed. Allow camera and microphone access when the browser asks. |
| Writing | Mouse, trackpad or a drawing tablet. | Younger children often find a cheap drawing tablet easier for maths working, but it is optional. |
| Workspace | A quiet spot with paper and a pencil beside the computer. | Your child will still do rough working on paper, especially in maths. |
| On a parent's phone. | Reminders, after-class notes and the teacher's suggested plan all arrive here. |
Time zones and daylight saving
Everything is shown in your own time zone. When you book, you see your local time and the teacher's time side by side, so there is no conversion to do. Regular classes are fixed in your local time, and when daylight saving starts or ends — in Australia, the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada or New Zealand — the booking system adjusts the teacher's side, so your child's class stays at the same time on the clock at home. The reminder you receive before each class shows your local time.
Families in Australia usually choose weekday afternoons after school or weekend mornings. Families in other countries pick what suits them; the booking form only offers times that are available.
What happens inside a class
Every class is live and one-to-one: one teacher, one child, nothing pre-recorded. The two of them share a whiteboard that both can write on, with voice and video alongside. A typical class has a short review of the last homework, teaching of one new idea with worked examples, practice with the teacher watching the working, and a wrap-up where the child explains what they learnt. The details differ by subject — a maths class is built around worked problems, an English class around a text or a piece of writing, a science class around a diagram or a set of data, a coding class around a project with the child at the keyboard. The subject pages describe each in full: maths, English, science and coding.
Parents are welcome to sit in, particularly for younger children and for the first few classes. For parents who cannot, the after-class WhatsApp note says what was covered and how it went.
The parent portal
The portal is where the written side of the course lives. In it you can see:
- Homework and practice tests set by the teacher, each with a due date.
- Marked work returned with written feedback — not just a score, but comments on what went wrong and what to practise.
- Multiple children and subjects in one place, so a family with two children in three subjects has a single view.
Homework is deliberately short and specific: a set of questions on the idea taught that week, a piece of writing to redraft, a small coding extension. Due dates are set before the next class so that the teacher can start the following lesson from what the homework showed.
The first month, week by week
| Week | What happens |
|---|---|
| Week 1 | Demo class, teacher's note and suggested plan on WhatsApp. You decide. First regular class if you continue, with the first homework set in the portal. |
| Week 2 | The teacher starts from the homework. Usually the earliest gap is tackled first, because later topics depend on it. |
| Week 3 | Rhythm established: class, homework, marked work, WhatsApp note. The teacher begins alternating gap-filling with the school's current topic. |
| Week 4 | A short practice test in the portal on what has been covered, so that you and the teacher can see what has moved and adjust the plan. |
Rescheduling, holidays and changing subjects
If a class needs to move, tell us on WhatsApp as early as you can so another time with the teacher can be looked at. School holidays and travel are normal — let us know the dates in advance. Adding a subject or a sibling is handled in the same portal, and exam preparation (for example for NAPLAN, the OC test or the Selective test) can be added on top of regular school-level classes as the date approaches.
Before you book, you can try a free practice paper — marked online instantly — and mention the result when you book. More questions? See the FAQ, read about Mathkari Concepts, or go to the contact page.
Questions parents ask
Do I need to install anything?
No. The classroom runs in the browser on a laptop or desktop with a camera and microphone. Allow camera and microphone access when the browser asks. For Python coding classes the teacher helps set up a free editor in the first Python lesson.
How are times shown and what about daylight saving?
Times are shown and booked in your own time zone with the teacher's time beside them. When daylight saving starts or ends, the teacher's side is adjusted so your child's class stays at the same local time.
What happens after the demo class?
The teacher sends what they noticed and a suggested plan — topics, classes per week, timing and fees — on WhatsApp. You decide whether to continue.
How is homework set and returned?
In the parent portal, with a due date before the next class. It comes back marked with written feedback, and the next class starts from what the homework showed.
How will I know when a class is on?
A WhatsApp reminder arrives before each class with the link to join. After the class you receive a short note on what was covered.
Can I sit in on the class?
Yes, particularly for the first few classes or for younger children. The after-class WhatsApp note covers what was taught for parents who cannot.
Can we reschedule or pause for holidays?
Tell us on WhatsApp as early as you can. Holiday and travel dates are normal; let us know in advance so classes can be planned around them.