Learning Mathematics through the Educational Computer Language MAL

As the world goes into an informationized society, the role of computer has been greatly increasing as a tool to compile, keep, handle, and utilize the enormous anounts of information around us. Computer education, therefore, is emphasized nowadays and various efforts have been tried to introduce computers into the curriculum of schools. In Korea the vocational education courses in the primary, middle, and high schools provide such subjects as computer and life, the structure of computer and computer language, and folw chart and BASIC programming, and etc. In mathematics education, however, the computer is seldom used, but flow charting is taught in the high school. It is expected that it will not be long before the high school math program provides not only flow charting but how to program, as in other foreign countries. BASIC will probably be selected for this purpose because it is generally understood in Korea that 『computer programming』 equals 『BASIC programming』. But attention needs to be paid to the fact that there are not a few negative views about BASIC. One of them is that BASIC is based on a clumsy programming method, and it is not appropriate for problem solving, especially for the tools for thinking. Nevertheless we are under the regretful situation in which much discussion is made only about when and how to use BASIC or LOGO without enough consideration being given as to whether these languages are suitable for computer and math education. IT is time to drop the opportunism in which we have adopted BASIC or LOGO language as a programming language for math and computer education without any criticism. It is time to break from the passiveness with which we have received the existing languages and have been only concerned about how to utilize them. We should consider what conditions are required of a programming language for math and computer education, and we should try to design a new language which is best fit for our educational purposes. This paper is to introduce and explain the educational characteristics and utilization of MAL, an educational computer language for math and computer learning, resulting from the kinds of efforts mentioned above.