                     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

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