"The Number Race" is a software designed to prevent dyscalculia and teach number sense to kindergarten children. It offers an interactive and engaging learning experience to improve mathematical skills through various games and activities.
The software boasts an in-depth training program that focuses on various numerical skills like single digit numbers, one-to-one correspondance, numerical comparison, reading arabic digits, enumeration, counting, and simple (1-digit) addition and subtraction. But what sets this software apart is its adaptive game that trains children on an entertaining numerical comparison task.
The game adjusts the difficulty of the task to the child's level of performance, maintaining their average success rate at 75%. In the game, two quantities of treasure (or coconuts) are displayed, and the child has to choose the larger of the two before the competitor character (controlled by the computer) steals the largest. And as they progress to higher levels, children may have to add or subtract to make the comparison.
Furthermore, when children choose a set of gold pieces or coconuts, they use them to advance in a race against the computer-driven competitor character. They must also avoid hazards that appear at random on some board squares, which causes characters to go backward when landed on.
Once children reach the end of the board before their computer-driven competitor does, they collect a reward. After enough rewards are collected, they will unlock a new character to play with.
The adaptive algorithm of the game adjusts the numerical distance between the quantities to be compared, the length of the response deadline, and the complexity of the choice in terms of the ratio of symbolic and non-symbolic representations of numbers, and the presence of an addition or subtraction operation to ensure a comprehensive gaming experience. Overall, we would rate The Number Race software highly as it combines an innovative educational tool in an entertaining gaming experience.
Version 2.3: N/A