Chapter 138 Yang Dan’s Way (1/2)

Yang Dan was 36; she was a staff member of Xing Hai Technologies' sales department. She was also the mother of two children. Her oldest son was Chen Chen. He was 10 years old and currently in primary fourth grade. Her younger daughter was Xuan Xuan. She was eight years old and currently in primary second grade.

Last month, after their company product, the Little Star learning machine, was released and opened for pre-orders on the 16th, she used her one-month salary to buy two units, one for her son and one for her daughter. At that moment, her husband was furious. ”The learning machine is so expensive, and you got two at one go, why can't you buy just one? Can't you be thriftier?”

”I'm spending my own salary, why are you even bothered?”

Her husband could not have a say, he just felt painful inside. ”They're almost $6,000 dollars each!”

A few days later, the learning machine was delivered. One for her son, one for her daughter, and they began using it. Yang Dan also taught her children how to learn using the learning machine according to the operating instructions in the instruction manual. In the process of guiding her children, Yang Dan discovered that the Little Star learning machine was way more useful than what her boss presented during the product conference.

It was the ultimate learning weapon!

The learning route formulated within the learning machine was quite different from textbooks in primary schools. The ”knowledge checkpoints” within the machine formed a literal tree diagram from top to bottom.

On the ”Tree of Knowledge,” there was a myriad of ”knowledge checkpoints.” For example, the basic operations in mathematics. The approach was to learn addition before subtraction and multiplication before division. For geometric knowledge as well, the approach was to master the square, then the rectangle, then the triangle, trapezoid, polygon… in increasing complexity.

In language and English, the approach was to master pronunciation and phonetic transcription before going into individual words, grammar… it was a step-by-step process. Of course, the learning patterns to obtain any knowledge was overall the same. No learning goes from hard to easy. But the Little Star learning machine was more intuitive!

Via system evaluation, the Little Star learning machine could directly identify the student's weakness and mark them red on the knowledge checkpoints on the tree diagram. Student's would be presented the red knowledge checkpoints. After learning two times, the red dot would become yellow. Unless the student fully mastered the knowledge within the checkpoint thoroughly and become not likely to forget the knowledge, only then would the yellow dot turn green.

Yang Dan's elder son Chen Chen was not very good academically. He was always positioned at the bottom of the class. Yang Dan was desperate, so she let her son do a system evaluation on the learning machine. The results shocked her tremendously.

On the learning checkpoints that should be mastered by fourth graders, for her son, most of them were presented in red, a small portion in yellow, and just a few in green. Even going down the tree diagram, the knowledge checkpoints for second and third graders were mostly red and yellow… not even half of them were green. The learning machine gave out its evaluation immediately; ”A flunkie, systematic revision required.”

Yang Dan's expression was awful as she immediately pressed her son against the learning machine. She started monitoring his studies and let him work his way up from the red and yellow dots from below.

As for her daughter Xuan Xuan, evaluation results returned as outstanding, a little genius, and that she could attempt the knowledge checkpoints for higher graders.

After more than half a month, her son did another system evaluation on the learning machine. Yang Dan smiled out of happiness. Her son's score was above 70 marks, earning the title of an ”Intermediate,” and was heading towards the ”Pro” level. The more gratifying change was, Yang Dan realized that her naughty and hyperactive son actually became fond of learning. He was no longer opposing the Little Star learning machine.

”Mum, I think the learning machine was way clearer than my teachers in class, one time and it gets into me. And the teachers inside are so cute and their voices are great. I especially like to listen to the lessons here. If I don't understand something, Little Star can answer every one of my questions!”

The thing that he liked the most was the ”Homework Guide” function. He just had to scan the questions and within seconds, the workings and answer would be generated. Doing homework was so easy.

For Yang Dan, she used this function to implement her ”Reward System.” She demanded her son to master at least five or more knowledge checkpoints daily, only then could he use the ”Homework Guide” function to reduce his academic workload… to do less of that troublesome homework, her son Chen Chen could only learn more from the knowledge checkpoints.

However, as the knowledge checkpoints in front were more or less mastered, Chen Chen realized that the homework given by his teaches seemed to be not that tricky at all. Slowly, he was able to do a portion of his homework.

As for her daughter Xuan Xuan, Yang Dan shockingly discovered that a good half of the knowledge checkpoints for third graders became green.

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