The Standard Deviants - Math Basics DVD 2-Pack (Basic Math, Geometry 1)

• Color

The Standard Deviants - Basic Math
In "The Zany World of Basic Math," the Standard Deviants, an ebullient troupe of young performers whose specialty is taking serious subjects and making them offbeat enough to be memorable, tackle the most basic concepts of mathematics. Starting off with explanations of integers, the program proceeds to cover addition, subtraction, and multiplication before moving into more advanced concepts such as exponents and division. Throughout the program the cast cracks painfully corny jokes and occasionally dresses up in some bad costumes to make their points. Indeed, this must be the only math lesson to have a "comedy editor" listed in the opening credits. The underlying principle is that if the performers make spectacles of themselves, that serves as a mnemonic device and makes the serious material they're imparting easier to remember. After covering the basics, the program moves into decimals, fractions, ratios, and percents. Following each section a quiz appears, which the student can either take or skip, and a "Grand Slam Exam" concludes the entire set of lessons. While the presentation may be unorthodox, the academic material has been approved by a panel of professors. Though it's not intended as a substitute for classes in math, students would benefit by using this as review material. --Robert J. McNamara

The Standard Deviants - Geometry, Part 1
Proofs and theorems and all those angles aren't exactly material for entertainment, but the Standard Deviants are, as ever, undaunted as they happily tackle "The Many Sided World of Geometry." The approach of taking serious academic subjects and presenting them in a lighthearted but purposely memorable manner is employed here with such diversions as a cartoon rendition of the great pioneer of geometry, Euclid, and animations showing the differences between inductive and deductive reasoning. The energetic young performers aren't afraid to ham it up, such as a young man who introduces the section on triangles by wearing a horrendous plaid sport jacket and playing the part of a used-car salesman on a late-night infomercial. Despite the sometimes raucous proceedings, and encouragements like a young woman who notes that geometry is "really kind of cool, it doesn't involve equations like algebra," serious math is presented, and the entire presentation has been assembled by a panel of college professors. The main sections, on geometry basics, angles, and triangles, are each filled with lessons that are followed by reviews and quizzes, which a student can take or skip over. The DVD also contains what are essentially flashcards with essential material, and a final exam concludes what amounts to a valiant attempt to make geometry entertaining and therefore memorable. --Robert J. McNamara