The Standard Deviants: Basic Math [VHS]

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