[math4] Learning in software

[Kathy Pusztavari]

 Hi, I'm just curious as to what is motivating people like Greg D. to tackle
this.  Do you guys have kids?  

Also, as a newbie, I'm curious if all the activities will be written in
python or is that a foregone conclusion - is everything for sugar written in
python?

And finally, are you writing to flat files or is there some sort of scaled
down database in use or to be used?

Sorry for all the stupid questions. The 2 math activities are great.  The
way you laid out the state standards and then are tying activities to each
is beyond brilliance.

One suggestion is that you look at Direct Instruction curriculum (DISTAR
Math I/II preschool/K, Connecting Math Concepts A-E for K-4th grade).  This
will show how skills and concepts are broken down and build up on themselves
in a logical sequence of steps.  I only suggest DI stuff (by SRA) because it
has 1/2 billion dollars of research showing it is effective (see Project
Follow Through).

-Kathy

-----Original Message-----
From: fourthgrademath-bounces at lists.sugarlabs.org
[mailto:fourthgrademath-bounces at lists.sugarlabs.org] On Behalf Of Greg
Dekoenigsberg
Sent: Tuesday, March 24, 2009 11:29 AM
To: Edward Cherlin
Cc: fourthgrademath at lists.sugarlabs.org
Subject: Re: [math4] Learning in software


On Tue, 24 Mar 2009, Edward Cherlin wrote:

> The usual approach to educational software is to code up a drill with 
> some eye candy for each topic in the curriculum, and just have the 
> students run the results. Another approach is to have the children 
> teach the computer how to do the math. Everybody agrees that the best 
> way to learn a subject is to teach it. Several programming languages 
> have been used from third grade up for such purposes. We can provide a 
> generic framework in which teachers and children can plug in numeric 
> types and ranges, functions, algorithms, and so on to create drills or 
> games for themselves on any arithmetic topic, and can implement each 
> function out of simpler components, such as single digits. Or we could 
> create digital Cuisenaire rods, and use the entire literature of 
> exercises for them.

Happy to see the code -- or a team of people who agree and would like to
write the code.

> At a higher level, I have a book on computer design in which students 
> write programs to simulate bits in registers and the microcode for 
> arithmetic instructions. Start with a single bit add+carry circuit, 
> and work your way on up to IEEE floating point or even further, to 
> pipelined vector processing or other advanced architectures. (The 
> language compiles to wiring lists for generating ICs.)

And what piece of the documented curriculum does this satisfy?  :)

To be clear: our goal -- and it may not be the ultimate goal, and in the
eyes of some it may not even be the correct goal, but it is our stated goal
nonetheless -- is to build a set of activities that completely cover the
curriculum framework for 4th grade maths in the state of Massachusetts.

If an activity for building Cuisenaire rods can be built -- or if it already
exists, for that matter -- then let's start a project and get it aligned to
the math4 curriculum:

http://wiki.sugarlabs.org/go/Math4Team/Resources/CurriculumChart

--g

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