Virtual Taylor Frame

Virtual Taylor Frame is a Python-based interactive grid application designed to simulate a physical Taylor Frame, which is commonly used in mathematics education for visually impaired students. This program provides an accessible, digital version of the Taylor Frame experience.

Features

• Interactive 18x25 grid, though the nvgt version lets you Customize the grid size.
• New: Interactive Tutorial Mode with progressive math lessons for primary and intermediate students
• Keyboard navigation
• Text-to-speech feedback
• Sound effects for different actions
• Auto-shift, smart delete, and fast move options
• Save/load and text export (manual)
• Compatibility with screen readers (using cytolk)

Tutorial Mode

The Virtual Taylor Frame now includes an Interactive Tutorial Mode designed specifically for visually impaired students learning mathematics, built as a progressive game system: levels unlock one at a time, mastery earns star ratings, and progress is saved between sessions.

Tutorial Mode and the game system described below are currently Python-only. The NVGT build (virtual_taylor_frame.nvgt) is a plain grid workspace without tutorials, save/load, or hints.

Difficulty Levels

• Easy (Primary Level): Single digit addition, subtraction, and basic multiplication
• Medium (Upper Primary): Two-digit arithmetic and multiplication tables
• Hard (Intermediate): Mixed operations, order of operations (PEMDAS), and division

Tutorial Features

• Step-by-step guided challenges
• Intelligent hint system (available after 2 attempts)
• Encouraging audio feedback
• Randomized challenges - each playthrough generates fresh numbers, so replaying a tutorial isn't just re-typing the same answers
• Locked progression - tutorials unlock one at a time in order; finish one to open the next, like levels in a game
• Star ratings (1-3 stars) - based on how many attempts/hints a tutorial took, encouraging replay for mastery
• Persistent progress - completion, best stars, and unlocked levels are saved to ~/.virtual_taylor_frame/progress.json and reloaded automatically next time you launch the app
• 9 tutorials spanning primary through intermediate math

Available Tutorials

1. Single Digit Addition - Basic addition of two single-digit numbers
2. Single Digit Subtraction - Basic subtraction, including the "anything minus itself is zero" case
3. Multiplication Basics - Introduction to the 2, 3, and 4 times tables
4. Two Digit Addition - Addition with and without carrying
5. Two Digit Subtraction - Subtraction with and without borrowing
6. Multiplication Tables - Practice up to 10x10
7. Mixed Operations - Combine addition, subtraction, and multiplication
8. Order of Operations - Learn PEMDAS with parentheses
9. Division Basics - Division that always divides evenly

Tutorials unlock in the order listed above - complete one to unlock the next.

Requirements

• Python 3.x
• pygame
• numpy
• cytolk

None of the Above is required if you want to run the NVGT version. however, you should have nvgt installed.

Installation

1. Ensure you have Python 3.x installed on your system.
2. Install the required libraries:

   pip install pygame numpy cytolk
   

3. Download the virtual_taylor_frame.py file and the sound files (empty.wav, content.wav, move.wav) to the same directory.

Usage

###python. Run the program by executing the following command in the terminal:

python "virtual taylor frame.py"

On startup, you will be presented with a main menu to choose between:

• Normal Mode: Traditional grid-based math workspace
• Tutorial Mode: Guided interactive lessons
• Exit: Close the application

Tutorial Mode Usage

1. Select "Tutorial Mode" from the main menu
2. Choose a difficulty level (Easy, Medium, or Hard)
3. Select a specific tutorial from the list - locked tutorials announce what to complete first, and unlocked ones announce your best star rating
4. Follow the audio instructions for each challenge
5. Work through the problem step-by-step on the grid
6. Type your answer anywhere on the grid (the system scans all rows)
7. Press Ctrl+Enter to check your answer
8. Press F6 if you need a hint (provides guidance without revealing the answer - using a hint lowers your star rating for that run)
9. Complete all challenges to finish the tutorial, earn 1-3 stars, and unlock the next one in the sequence

Note: The grid supports multi-row calculations. You can show your work across multiple rows, and the system will find your answer wherever you place it.

Note: Every playthrough generates new numbers for each challenge, so replaying a tutorial for a better star rating is never the same problem set twice.

When saving or loading, the app prompts for a filename. Saving writes both a .vtf (JSON) file and a .txt export with the same base name.

nvgt.

make sure you have nvgt installed, then type.

nvgt virtual_taylor_frame.nvgt

Controls

• Arrow keys: Move cursor
• Alt + Arrows (Up/Down): Read previous/next content line (skips empty rows)
• Alt + L: Read current line
• Enter: Move to next stack
• Ctrl + Enter: Evaluate math expression or check tutorial answer
• Ctrl + Arrow keys: Snap to content
• Shift + Down: Move to next stack
• Home/End: Move to start/end of row
• Ctrl + Home/End: Move to start/end of grid
• Ctrl + PageUp/PageDown: Move to top/bottom of column
• Backspace: Delete content
• Ctrl + Backspace: Clear entire grid
• Escape: Exit program (with confirmation)
• F1: Show help message
• F2: Toggle auto-shift cursor
• F3: Toggle smart delete
• F4: Toggle fast move
• F5: Resize grid
• F6: Get hint (Tutorial Mode only)
• Ctrl + S: Save (writes .vtf and .txt)
• Ctrl + O: Load (.vtf)
• Ctrl + E: Export text (.txt)

Special Characters

• '()[]{}': Spoken as "left/right paren/bracket/brace"
• '-': Spoken as "minus"
• '^': Spoken as "power"
• '*': Spoken as "times"

Contributing

Contributions to improve the Virtual Taylor Frame are welcome. Please feel free to submit pull requests or open issues to discuss potential enhancements.

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details.