Thanks Chris. It looks like Don's site is https://foundationnotation.wordpress.com.
On Tue, Sep 22, 2015 at 9:09 PM, chris burke <[email protected]> wrote: > Don Watson asked me to post this follow up, which again should be of > interest to the forum. His website is at FoundationNotation.com. > > ---------------------------- > > In May 2014, Chris Burke posted a short article from me on a prototype > called “Foundation” that turned two-dimensional Mathematics notation into a > computer language. I had been trying to interest others in using it and > working with me – since I had been retired for 18 years. That didn’t work > and I had just made up my mind to go alone and turn it into a production > system along with my systems engineer. That work has now been completed. > > The system uses a consistent virtual manipulative to justify all rules that > are are used in the notation. The functionality of these virtual > manipulatives has been redesigned and their code has been made more robust. > We are adding virtual manipulatives from Grade 1 upwards in a consistent > and incremental manner. Sometime in 2016 I hope we will finish the virtual > manipulative needs of Elementary and Middle school. An on-line Teacher > Guide has been provided for self-teaching. This self-teaching facility is > based upon one I wrote in the late 1960s in APL where the computer taught > students how to use itself – which was quite widely used. > > The result is something that educators want – a breakthrough product that > uses the latest technology, is uniform throughout Grades 1 to 12; is easy > to learn; and makes teaching the subject enjoyable for teachers who studied > Arts because they didn’t like Mathematics. > > It took me a long time to figure out why nobody else had done something > similar in the 30 years since Macintosh arrived as the first mass-produced > two-dimensional screen. I now think it is because the man who is the father > of Computer Science and Computer Intelligence and shortened the Second > World War by 2 years, Alan Turing, said he didn’t need two dimensions – but > he wasn’t teaching School Mathematics. > > We have started our promotion campaign by placing a two page advertisement > in the Ontario Association for Mathematics Education Gazette this month and > will sell the product as individual $10 teacher apps called “Foundation > Notation” on Windows 8 and Macintosh, with an Ipad version to follow. > > There is also a paper at FoundationNotation.com called “Unlocking > Mathematics for All Students” that documents the multiple benefits of > Foundation, including my daughter’s experience in an 18 month pilot project > with Foundation. > > On 13 May 2014 at 23:12, robert therriault <[email protected]> wrote: > >> I enjoyed the easy way Foundation linked the concepts of physical objects, >> numbers and variables using automatic colouring and drag and drop >> manipulation. Dragging a number on top of a dot and creating a pattern on >> that many dots, as was shown in one of the videos seems simple but is a >> really powerful way to give a new learner control over so many ideas of >> quantity. The story of his grand daughter creating a 3 digit number bigger >> than 100 (which was the biggest number she could think of) and then being >> amazed at 545 dots can fill several screens, is learning in one of its most >> joyful forms. >> >> I think that the visual interface when properly constructed allows the >> user to shift their cognitive effort from trying to manipulate the concepts >> within their head to focussing on the easy virtual manipulation of objects, >> in turn allowing experience of the concept by exploring the rules as you >> play. This was summed up by one student's reaction of amazement that they >> had learned math, but that their head did not hurt. >> >> I am surprised that Don Watson, in the quote below thought that teaching >> had been neglected with J. Within the lab section of the environment I see >> many 'Livetexts' that reveal a teaching tool that is both expository and >> exploratory. I don't see the language itself abandoning the teaching aspect >> as much as I see many of the practitioners focussing on facility of the >> language over developing instruction for others. Perhaps that is a tide >> that is beginning to turn...slowly. >> >> In any case, thank you Chris for providing us with Don's ideas. Very >> stimulating stuff. >> >> Cheers, bob >> >> On May 13, 2014, at 6:51 PM, chris burke <[email protected]> wrote: >> >> > When he moved on to J, a >> > powerful nature was his priority and Mathematics teaching was left >> behind. >> >> ---------------------------------------------------------------------- >> For information about J forums see http://www.jsoftware.com/forums.htm >> > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- > For information about J forums see http://www.jsoftware.com/forums.htm ---------------------------------------------------------------------- For information about J forums see http://www.jsoftware.com/forums.htm
