Primary Math

Ever noticed something interesting? Look out for this when you are near a baby or a child. I never realized this until I had my own children. Put a baby, or a child, in a room where there is a television on. Their gaze automatically gets drawn to the television. There is something about an interactive screen that attracts everyone.

As my children grew older, I realized that they learn a lot by just watching random television, to the extent that my daughter could recite whole advertisements verbatim. The same applies to a mobile phone. Children tend to automatically operate the mobile and play games etc on it without any prompting.

It is therefore natural that we capitalize on this and introduce mobile applications as the way forward in education. These days a mobile phone has become a luxurious necessity. Everybody has one, or wants one. And as the upgrades come into the market everyone wants the latest gadgets with the latest technology. So what better way than to learn “On the go”. With this concept in mind, Basic Math was conceived.

The app has been divided into three subsections:

1. Addition
2. Subtraction
3. Test game

ADDITION

This screen teaches a child how to add two numbers. Alongside the numbers there are pictorial representations of that number. The children simply have to count the objects and add them together. This teaches the child to recognize and count a number at the same time. For instance, the sum 2 + 3 = comes up on screen. Beneath the two are pictures of maybe two balls. Beneath the three there will be a pictorial representation by way of the same three objects used in 2. The child simply counts the number of total objects and clicks on the screen and the answer will come up automatically alongside the total number of objects, say in this instance 5 balls will come up beneath the number 5.

SUBTRACTION

The same principal applies as for addition but instead of addition, the child learns subtraction. For example 7 – 4 = will have a picture of seven cups. The app automatically shows the child how to subtract 4 from 7 by striking through 4 cups, leaving with 3, which the child learns is the answer to the subtraction 7-4 = 3.


TEST GAME

Enough about learning. Where is playtime here? Well a game has also been devised on Basic Math. This section has been divided into two segments, a one minute segment and a two minute segment. The objective of this game is to answer as many questions correctly as they can in one minute or two minutes, depending on the chosen option. Once the time is up, the child gets a score of how well they have done. If for example, the choice was one minute and the child answered 10 questions correctly out of 12 then the score will appear on the screen as 10 correct and 2 wrong. This is represented by way of text boxes on the interactive screen.

The app is supported by a friendly and happy voice encouraging and teaching the children as they go through the screens.

Basic Math improves a child’s confidence. Children usually tend to learn best by doing something by themselves, rather than sit through a whole hour listening to a teacher teaching them addition and subtraction on the blackboard. Apps have the ability to hold the child’s concentration, which is always a problem when in school. Most importantly we have to remember that today’s apps are helping in defining tomorrow’s future.