R&D Project on Algebra Software Seen to Show Promise

By Andrew Trotter

Computer software that shows students visual models of mathematical concepts—and lets them manipulate those models by doing math—has a certain intuitive appeal.

Now, recent research on SimCalc MathWorlds , one of the pioneering examples of such software, is providing some of the best evidence so far that the approach can lead to gains in student learning.

Data released last spring by the Menlo Park, Calif.-based nonprofit research organization SRI International, from a scientific study of 7th grade algebra students in Texas , show “large effects” from the use of SimCalc, when it is bolstered by professional development and a curriculum that are both geared to the state’s math standards,...

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