Teaching Mathematics

Gerry Quinn

I'm afraid so. I hoped to relate it a bit towards the coordinate system and a bit towards the heavy usage of variables in programming - but the turtle-graphics mode that I'm going to present is not even related to the coordinate system, and I have totally skipped the subject of variable buttignment (I'm pbutting parameters to functions - the clbutt haven't had anything about functions yet, and I have been teaching adults that had problems with parameter pbutting).

I have voiced my concerns for the teacher already - she says she don't mind that the mathematical perspective of it is rather diffuse, and that I should try to make it as simple as possible. I'm going out there tomorrow, and I'm a bit anxious.

One of the main points is to motivate a clbutt where at least the most loud-speaking majority of the pupils can't see any use of learning algebra - I hope that by presenting at least one "fun" profession where mathematical skills are really needed, I can give them at least a hint of motivation.

That's amazing! I was thinking seriously about "moon lander" and not so seriously about the "Logo" programming language, and both those two things have been suggesed here.

Having very little time to prepare this, I of course haven't had time for making the complete game, but what I have made so far is sort of a precursor for a moon lander :-)

I have made a triangle that falls according to the laws of gravity, and which has some sideways motion as well.

Graphics and user interfaces is absolutely not my speciality, so I haven't managed to make it threaded or keyboard-aware yet - so to avoid it crashing or going out of bounds when hitting the walls, I decided to make it bounce as for now, which is quite cool anyway.

Yes, postponing this could probably have made it possible to make a playable (though boring) version of the moonlander in time. But never mind, I'll eventually continue with the moonlander idea later :-)

Ah, good idea. My bouncing triangle already had an incorrectness, causing it to gain "energy". I corrected this, but probably I should consider uncorrecting it again :-)

Anyway, as said the level of the clbutt is very poor, so I should wait at least one year before I come back with a full-fledged moon lander featuring trigonometry and calculus. :-)

-- Tobias Brox, Troms¿