MATH FUN-DAMENTALS v4.0 REQUIRES: DOS 2.1 or later and EGA or VGA graphics. A mouse is optional. STATUS: If the accompanying program (1mathfun.exe) has an introductory screen listing shareware registration requirements, it is shareware and may be distributed freely. Otherwise, it is the full version and may not be distributed freely. TO START TYPE: 1mathfun DESCRIPTION ___________ After the video games and simple math facts of most math software, there is still much math to be learned. This program fills in the gaps with exercises that graphically connect basic concepts to familiar experiences. The program covers K-8 math, including WHOLE NUMBERS, FRACTIONS, DECIMALS & PERCENTS, WORD PROBLEMS, 1 & 2-STEP ALGEBRA problems and a math-based board game called BRIDGE THE SWAMP. It starts from the beginning, with addition tables, multiplication tables and 1-digit operations, but its main focus is on where students start having trouble and their dislike of math usually begins, multi-step problem-solving. Operating instructions will appear on screen as necessary. Basically, you choose exercises with on-screen buttons and can input answers either (1) STEP BY STEP through a text window or (2) input the FINAL ANSWER ONLY through a calculator-like keypad. Both modes are supported by graphics. When you exit a topic in FINAL ANSWER ONLY mode, you will be told the percentage of problems that you got correct. Numbers for problems are generated randomly, so you have an unlimited supply of problems. The exercises in WHITE lettering are complete. You have the choice of doing them STEP BY STEP or just supplying the FINAL ANSWER ONLY. A button at the bottom of the screen allows you to switch between the two modes. You should try both since the STEP BY STEP mode includes more explanations but FINAL ANSWER ONLY is faster. The exercises in dark GRAY lettering show you examples of worked-out problems. When you register your copy of the software you will receive complete versions of these exercises also. Details on registering your copy of the software will appear when you exit the main menu of the program. (In the WORD PROBLEM examples, note that remainders are not required with whole number division and that, for some division problems, the logical answer requires rounding up to the nearest whole, for others the logical answer requires rounding down to the nearest whole, even if the numbers are fractions or decimals.) The philosophy behind the program is that: (1) New ideas must be connected to a student's current network of knowledge and experience. (2) Skills develop along a concrete to abstract continuum, with advanced skills evolving from experiences in more concrete domains through a process of varied practice, in which students learn to discriminate what is essential to a concept from what is irrelevant or applicable only to a subcategory of its domain. (3) A student needs to be actively engaged in making connections among ideas rather than passively entertained. (4) Mathematical concepts are tools that, like other tools, involve actions that bring you closer to a goal. Too often, students try to memorize a laundry list of steps for each type of problem, resulting in a mishmash of compartmentalized "knowledge" that fades from memory when they go on to a new topic. The philosophy behind these exercises treats mathematical concepts as tools - where students need to analyse a situation to determine which tool is appropriate at each step. The aim is to give students a "toolbox" of knowledge rather than dozens or hundreds of pre-digested recipes or algorithms. (5) Teachers and computers have different strengths and weaknesses that, used together, can complement each other. A teacher is much more flexible than a computer and can deal with a wider range of student responses, but does not always have the time or energy for individual attention. All teachers use routines and research shows that better teachers use routines extensively (Brandt, R. S. On the Expert Teacher: A Conversation with David Berliner. Educational Leadership, 44, 2, October 1986.) The computer is one more tool to do this, encoding knowledge that can be used over and over again in areas where students tend to need help, providing immediate feedback and giving students control over pacing and level of instruction, and using graphics to show that math is not some abstract set of rules designed to torture students but is relevant to their own experiences. FOR QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS WRITE TO: Dr. Gilbert J. Reilly Scholastic Software 430 W. Upsal St. Philadelphia, PA 19119