A Library of FluidMath Supplemental Content for Algebra Curricula

描述（由申请人提供）：这个第一阶段项目的目标是改编FluidMath，一个新颖的数学和科学教育软件平台，用于代数课程。使用FluidMath，学生和教师可以使用自己的笔迹将符号数学表达式和支持图表输入到配备手写笔的计算机（例如平板电脑或电子白板）中。通过自动识别这些手写符号并推断相关关联，FluidMath使用户符号以交互式动画、虚拟操作和动态图形的形式活跃起来。当看到早期的原型时，一个由教师组成的试点小组一致表示，他们认为FluidMath可以改变数学在课堂上的呈现方式，在吸引学生注意力和加深学生理解方面可能起到关键作用。老师们相信，FluidMath不仅会对那些在数学和科学方面表现优异的学生产生重大影响，而且会对那些在这些学科中努力理解抽象概念的学生产生重大影响。作为NSF STTR项目的一部分，FluidMath底层识别技术的可行性和FluidMath系统的基本功能已经在实际的现场试验中成功验证。本一期项目的研究挑战是证明FluidMath作为一个数学教学平台的可行性，在这个平台上，代数的特定功能和内容可以分层，作为代数课程的补充。我们提议的第一阶段项目将侧重于为初中和高中代数1构建流体数学内容的过程。我们将与教师和学生一起开发这一过程，这将涉及：为FluidMath添加代数特定功能，创建利用FluidMath独特核心功能的代数特定内容，并评估该内容在特定代数1概念教学中的有效性。在6个月的时间里，我们将研究实施教师推荐功能的可行性，同时对高度吸引人的功能进行快速原型设计，以便教师和学生立即使用和评估。在第二阶段，我们将使用这个过程来开发一个完整的FluidMath补充内容库，用于FluidMath支持的代数课程。公共卫生相关性：在这个项目中进行的研究将有助于开发有效的数学教育教学技术，并将为改进学习过程提供基础，最终不仅有利于那些有数学天赋的人，也有利于那些努力理解数学基本原理的人。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The goal of this Phase I project is to adapt FluidMath, a novel math and science educational software platform, for use in Algebra classes. Using FluidMath, students and teachers employing their own handwriting can enter symbolic mathematics expressions and supporting diagrams into a stylus-equipped computer (e.g. Tablet PC or electronic whiteboard). By automatically recognizing these handwritten notations and inferring relevant associations, FluidMath makes user notations come alive as interactive animations, virtual manipulatives, and dynamic graphs. When presented with early prototypes, a pilot group of teachers uniformly professed to a vision that FluidMath could transform the way mathematics is presented in their classrooms, and could be pivotal in both engaging student attention and deepening student comprehension. The teachers believe that FluidMath will have a significant impact not only on those students that excel in math and science but also those who are struggling to understand the abstract concepts in these subjects. The feasibility of FluidMath's underlying recognition technology and the fundamental functionality of the FluidMath system have been successfully demonstrated in actual field trials as part of an NSF STTR project. The research challenge of this Phase I project is to prove the feasibility of FluidMath as a mathematics teaching and learning platform upon which Algebra specific functionality and content, which are supplements to Algebra curricula, can be layered. Our proposed Phase I project will focus on the process of building FluidMath-content for middle-school and high-school Algebra 1. We will work with teachers and students to develop this process which will involve: adding Algebra-specific functionality to FluidMath, creating Algebra-specific content which utilizes the unique core features of FluidMath, and evaluating the effectiveness of that content in the teaching of specific Algebra 1 concepts. During the six month time period, we will study the feasibility of implementing teacher recommended functionality accompanied by the rapid prototyping of highly engaging features for immediate use and evaluation by teachers and students. In Phase II, we will use this process to develop a complete library of FluidMath supplemental content for FluidMath-enabled Algebra curricula. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: The research conducted in this project will help to develop effective instructional technologies for mathematics education and will provide a foundation for improving the learning process ultimately benefiting not only those who have an aptitude for math but also for those who struggle to understand its basic principles.