| Product
Review: Flashmaster Electronic Math Tutorial
by
Mitchell Levine
Almost
everyone hates learning their Times Tables. How do we know
this? The fact that even most adults, whom presumably use them
every day, don’t know them. If you don’t believe me, try asking
your friends what 8 X 6 is. Although this factoid might seem
marginally relevant in this latter day of convergent digital
technology (next to Solitaire, Calculator is the most-used
Windows application), a great deal more depends on this arithmetic
mental hopscotch than one might suppose.
Numerous
studies show that the development of basic computation skill
has a significant effect on a child’s overall cognitive development.
In fact, one highly correlative skill always probed in psychometric
intelligence testing is one’s ability to mentally recall and
manipulate digit sequences. Learning basic multiplication facts
is actually disproportionately important in a student’s intellectual
life.
The
problem is, as noted, that everybody – and I do mean everybody – HATES
learning them. Well, for those that believe the situation is
indeed intractable I have one word for them: Flashmaster! This
tutorial device is a godsend for any parent of a schoolage
child, and even a fine tool for their own review as well. A
specialized 11 ounce handheld computer with a form factor familiar
to anyone whom ever played a Mattel Electronic Football game
back in the day, this surprisingly diverting resource is actually
quite addictive. Offering several different modes of operation,
it offers drill practice in all four arithmetic functions a
variety of ways.
For
example, if multiplication is selected, the Flashmaster can
offer six different “learning activities,” each of which provides
a different skills challenge. It can query the Times Tables
in order or out of order; for novices, then move up into “practice” mode,
and eventually a full testing scenario. The device gives automatic
feedback, and can be set to reinforce previously missed questions
for review. Two Flashmasters can even be set to drill precisely
the same sequence of math facts, allowing head-to-head competition.
The
Flashmaster has received rave reviews from such diverse and
venerated pillars as Education Week, The New York Times, and
Mary Pride in Practical Homeschooling (when’s the last time
all of them agreed on anything)? Education Update recommends
that any parent, teacher, or home educator with school-age
children allows their child to develop the computational confidence
that comes with basic mastery, while have a disconcerting amount
of fun while doing it.. Best of all, unlike those of LED-based
handheld football players of yore, today’s parents will glad
to know that the Flashmaster even offers a silent operational
mode, free of repetitive sound effects! For more information,
log on to the company’s site at www.flashmaster.com. #
Education
Update, Inc., P.O. Box 1588, New York, NY 10159.
Tel: (212) 477-5600. Fax: (212) 477-5893. Email: ednews1@aol.com.
All material is copyrighted and may not be printed without express consent of
the publisher. © 2003.
|
