I expect I'm too late to the party for this comment to be noticed, but I thought I'd add something.
Some three years ago when a Wired article about this was submitted[0] I wrote an extended comment[1] expressing some concerns about this. The Wired article has since gone missing, but the HN discussion remains.
Let me say from the get-go that anything that helps get over the barrier for playing with, experimenting with, and generally messing about with algebra type stuff is a Good Thing(tm). I'm really pleased to see this here and doing well.
There is a comment here[2] that gives an instance of exactly the sort of thing I'm worried about. Kids could play the game for a bit, decide they've had enough, and then move on. The question is: will the things they've done in playing the game have a positive effect?
I can envisaged the possibility that kids that have played DragonBox and then moved on with get introduced to "proper" algebra later and not even bother trying too hard, because they'll think "I've done this, I don't care any more."
So let me say that I think it's important that these things exist, and I think it's great that they are being developed, and I really want them to succeed in their own right. But having said that, I'd be reluctant to herald games like this as the future of teaching math.
I'll finish here by quoting the last paragraph of my previous lengthy reply[1]:
... I think this is a wonderful tool, and it has the
potential to be a fantastic aid to learning. I am
deeply uneasy about the further divorcing of algebraic
manipulation from any sense of meaning, but I look
forward with interest to see if it can be used in a
meaningful way.
[0]
https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4105397[1] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4106567
[2] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9472466
Some three years ago when a Wired article about this was submitted[0] I wrote an extended comment[1] expressing some concerns about this. The Wired article has since gone missing, but the HN discussion remains.
Let me say from the get-go that anything that helps get over the barrier for playing with, experimenting with, and generally messing about with algebra type stuff is a Good Thing(tm). I'm really pleased to see this here and doing well.
There is a comment here[2] that gives an instance of exactly the sort of thing I'm worried about. Kids could play the game for a bit, decide they've had enough, and then move on. The question is: will the things they've done in playing the game have a positive effect?
I can envisaged the possibility that kids that have played DragonBox and then moved on with get introduced to "proper" algebra later and not even bother trying too hard, because they'll think "I've done this, I don't care any more."
So let me say that I think it's important that these things exist, and I think it's great that they are being developed, and I really want them to succeed in their own right. But having said that, I'd be reluctant to herald games like this as the future of teaching math.
I'll finish here by quoting the last paragraph of my previous lengthy reply[1]:
[0] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4105397[1] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4106567
[2] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9472466