Review of learning object from the Internet

The link of the learning object is as follows:

http://www.kidsnumbers.com/pythagorean-theorem-game.php

This web site is a game for children to learn and do practices on Pythagoras Theorem, which is an important geometrical theory.

In the beginning of the game, it states its mission, which is to find out the length of the hypotenuse of a right-angled triangle using the Pythagoras Theorem. Also, there is a textbox in the right-bottom corner to set the highest number the student would like to work with. This is a good design since this can suit the learning pace of different students.

After pressing the “PLAY” button, it shows a right-angled triangle with lengths of the straight sides (a and b). Also, the formula of the Pythagoras Theorem is shown below the triangle to remind students about what the expression is.

When the student presses the “START” button, a textbox for entering the value of a² is shown, then the one for entering that of b² is shown, and next the one for entering that of c² and finally the one for entering that of c. Note that there is a short paragraph of guidance of what to do next for students so that they can know what they have to do.

I think that this game is very useful in both teaching and learning. In the teaching point of view, the game shows what the formula of Pythagoras Theorem is and the steps of solving for the length of the hypotenuse throughout the process, therefore teachers can illustrate the process and remind students what to do during finding the hypotenuse of a right-angled triangle. Also, since the Pythagoras Theorem involves the arithmetic operations of taking squares and square roots of numbers, teachers can teach the students and enhance their ability in doing those operations through this game. Third, the values of c² may not be perfect squares, therefore teachers can carry out lessons or tutorials on how to use a calculator to find out the value of c. Furthermore, teachers can give students other resources, such as web sites, on how to proof the Pythagoras Theorem as an extension of what students’ have learnt, allowing interested students to explore more knowledge related to the topic of the game. This can motivate active learning by students.

In the aspect of learning, this game can let students do more exercise on how to find out the length of the hypotenuse of a right-angled triangle after they have learnt the formula of Pythagoras Theorem, enhancing the memory of what the formula is and the steps of doing such an operation. Also, the students’ ability of doing operations of square and square root can be increased since those operations are involved in the process of finding the required solution. This is very useful in different fields in the future, such as Statistics and Physics.