SBIR Phase I: Conceptual Math Learning for Elementary School Children using Manipulatives in Tactile Games

这个SBIR第一阶段项目将开发游戏，从概念上向幼儿园的学童教授数学。这些游戏是为触控设备开发的，模拟了现实世界的一部分，使数学学习变得深入而有趣。该项目还将研究这些游戏如何影响孩子们对数学的理解。鉴于80%增长最快的职业依赖于数学和科学知识，美国的学校需要研究型数学学习软件在课堂上使用。美国纳税人通过地方税、州税和联邦税来支付学校使用的所有资源。用这个SBIR项目开发的游戏将比学校提供的典型数学学习软件花费更少。美国公立学校约2000万名小学生中有1%使用该软件，纳税人每年将节省150万至350万美元。这些游戏将为学生提供深入、引人入胜的数学学习。因此，未来可能会有更多的学生选择从事科学和工程职业。长期的回报将通过学生的成就来实现。基于游戏的数学学习有可能给教育带来革命性的变化。但是，大多数游戏都专注于媒体和游戏元素，而不是学习。另一方面，教育的游戏化，在现有的选择题测试和练习的基础上再加上奖励，并不能提高学习的深度。这个项目将建立可视化和交互式的数学练习，解释和举例说明基本的数学概念。例如，学生将学习2+2的加法，方法是将2个草莓移动到一个盒子里，再添加两个草莓，然后数一下盒子里的草莓以得出答案。该项目将为幼儿园学龄儿童建造25节课和20个互动游戏。学生将使用触摸操作屏幕上的模拟对象。语音指导将引导学生。为了指导学习，每个游戏都会提供上下文语音提示，并在学生出错时提供反馈。该软件还将包括一个仪表板，教师将使用它来查看学生在课程中的进展情况。为了改进这些游戏，使其对学习者来说更直观，研究人员将收集反馈，因为这些游戏在典型的学校教室里每周玩几次，持续数周。

This SBIR Phase 1 project will develop games that teach math conceptually to young school children in kindergarten. The games, built for touch devices, simulate a part of the real world, to make math learning deep and interesting. The project will also study how these games impact children's understanding of mathematics. Given that 80 percent of the fastest-growing occupations are dependent on knowledge of mathematics and science, schools in the US need research-driven math learning software to use in the classrooms. US taxpayers pay for all the resources used in schools through local, state and federal taxes. The games developed with this SBIR project will cost schools less than typical math learning software available to them. With 1% of approximately 20 million elementary school students in US public schools using the software, the savings to taxpayers will be between $1.5 to $3.5 million per year. The games will provide deep, engaging math learning for students. As a result, more students may choose to pursue science and engineering occupations in the future. The long-term returns will be through the accomplishments of the students. Game-based math learning has the potential to revolutionize education. But, most games are focused on media and gaming elements rather than learning. On the other hand, gamification of education, with rewards on top of existing multiple-choice tests and drills, does not improve depth of learning. This project will build visual and interactive math exercises that explain and exemplify elementary math concepts. For example, students will learn addition of 2+2 by moving 2 strawberries into a box, adding two more strawberries, and counting the strawberries in the box to figure out the answer. The project will build 25 lessons with 20 interactive games for kindergarten school children. Students will manipulate simulated objects on screen using touch. Voice instructions will guide the students. To guide learning, each game will provide contextual voice hints, and feedback when students make mistakes. The software will also include a dashboard that teachers will use to see how their students are progressing with the lessons. With the goal of improving the games so that they are intuitive for learners to use, researchers will gather feedback as the games are played in a typical school classroom a few times a week for many weeks.