Bulletins: Essence Magazine, February 1997 Issue, recommends Oware! for Black History Week (and all year).
OWARE!, both book and game, is now included in these collections:
II
The following statement is by Irving Adler, teacher, author and scientist, best known in teaching circles as the author of What We Want of Our Schools, Magic House of Numbers, The New Mathematics and Mathematics and Mental Growth.. He is the author of 56 books and coauthor of 30 more, published in 30 countries in 18 languages. His papers on Phyllotaxis in the Journal of Theoretical Biology have been described as "the most important breakthrough" in that field since 1837.
"Every school should have at least one copy of Sapient Software's computer program for OWARE and the book that accompanies it. When children in grade 4 or higher use this program they benefit in three ways:
The following statement is by Ellen Eisenman, Associate Director of the Goddard Riverside Community Center in New York City. She is an artist, has first hand acquaintance with Africa - treasures her Oware board acquired in Abidjan, Ivory Coast.
"The children we work with, primarily kids from poor families, some on public assistance, some whose parents work at minimum wage jobs, so that families with two people working are still below the federal poverty line, have their best, or only, access to computers through our center. The children know when they are in our center that they are in a safe and pleasant environment, where they learn and do all sorts of things--reading, volleyball, music, drama, homework, juggling, community service projects.
"This is the place where the children become comfortable with the technology of the computer. They can take a serious computer class or work on a school assignment and then, almost as a reward, have some time to play games which contributes to the sense of ease. Yes, there are computers in many schools but in the best of circumstances not only is time on the computer limited, it is very directed, which is good, but not good enough.
"We are always on the lookout for challenging but fun "edutainment". The Oware game from Sapient Software is perfect. While it is easy to use, it offers many aids to the student who wants to develop into a skilled player. The staff have found the book to be a tremendous cultural resource. What I like about this material (software + book) is that it erases that boundary line that a lot of people have assumed (and therefore have caused) to lie between "science" or "technology" and "culture" - when we know that it is all of a piece, all part of the same integrated story, and that this understanding is essential if we are going to really teach anything."
Ellen Eisenman
The following statement is by Dr. Ron Eglash, Comparative Studies, Ohio State University
"OWARE! provides an excellent software medium for exploring the game, and a wonderfully thorough review of its cultural connections. I recommend it to anyone with an interest in multicultural education."
In an earlier letter Dr. Eglash wrote, "Many thanks for the wonderful book and software. It is the best I've ever seen on the subject."
Dr. Ron Eglash
III
National Council of the Teachers of Mathematics
The National Council of the Teachers of Mathematics publishes three journals for teacers at the three K-12 school levels, Pre-K -- 6, Middle School and High School. They also publish a journal on research in pedagogy.
Teaching Children Mathematics
Volume 3 Number 3 November 1996, P. 156
"Oware! is designed to be appealing and educational to all ages. It helps the problem-solving skills of "thinking ahead," "acting it out," and "developing strategies." Also, counting, adding, subtracting, and even a little of the "times three tables" are practiced for younger players.
. . .
. . .
In spite of my initial negative opinion of a long black-and-white manual and only a single game on the disk, I found that both I and my students were interested in, and challenged by, Oware!"
Teaching Children Mathematics is an official journal of the National Council of the Teachers of Mathematics. It is a forum for the exchange of ideas and a source of activities and pedagogical strategies for mathematics education pre-K -- 6.
IV
The February 26, 1996 issue of Newsweek in reaction to the Kasparov vs. Deep Blue chess match, had an item in its CyberScope feature on strategy games software (other than chess). The item, and its graphic, used Edmark's Mancala to illustrate the options available. The author of OWARE! sent the following letter to the editor. It is included here because it summarizes the advantages of OWARE! over most other computer versions of mancala type games.
February 26, 1996
Editor
Newsweek
251 West 57th Street
New York, NY 10019-1894
re: Mancala
There are literally hundreds of varieties and variants of Mancala. Those sold in the US under that name are based on a Middle Eastern version. The most popular game in West Africa and, hence, among descendants of Africans in the New World, is Wari. In modern times it has become widespread in all of sub-Saharan Africa. It is a more arithmetical game, has richer tactics and strategy and greater educational value. While it may be learned by a young child in a few minutes it is considered a challenge by adults, even after years of experience.
OWARE! is Sapient Software's computer version of the "ancestral" (Ashanti rules) Wari game. While most of the computer versions of Mancala or Wari employ an arcade game format and appearance, with more emphasis on the graphics than the game itself, OWARE! has a standard, Windows-like GUI (menu bar, drop-down menus, dialog boxes, etc.), which enhances familiarity with "serious" computer programs. The menus allow one to choose whether to play the computer or another person, to go first or second, to adjust the computer's strength of play (four levels), speed of play, to record the moves, save them, print them and semi-automatically replay them, choose the rules for ending the game, keep score over a series of games and so on and on.
Along with the game Sapient Software provides a 200 page book on its history, distribution and cultural significance, providing educational material for teachers and parents as well as children. The book is intended as the definitive source reference on Wari type games, containing important papers by anthropologists, historians and mathematical writers on the topic. Schools interested in adding to their multicultural programs should find the game and book most useful.
If you are a parent, teacher, student or an adult with an interest in charming, intriguing and challenging games, you should check out Sapient Software's web brochure: http://www.crl.com/~rkovach/oware
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