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Role of calculators in secondary school
Role of calculators in secondary school
What is the importance of using calculators
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As everyone grows up, everyone has to take a Math class from Kindergarten to twelfth grade. At the early stage of math classes, most of the problems were solved by using pencil and paper. Eventually, calculators took over the method of using pencil and paper. Calculators were first made in 1642 by a French mathematician, Blaise Pascal. According to the article, “Who Made the First Calculator,” calculators were created for the usage of helping a person add and subtract numbers without using their hands (“Who made the first calculator”). However, they were not introduced into classrooms due to the cost, size, and appearance of the calculator. Eventually they became sleeker and less expensive. Ever since then students started to use them in and out of classrooms. However, the practice of using calculators in the classroom has been a continuing debate since the introduction of calculators. There are many advantages and disadvantages to allowing educators and students to use calculators within the classroom. However, calculators should not be used in class rooms unless it is necessary, due to the student becoming dependent on the calculator.
Problem solving is an essential skill that all individuals must learn in order to be a successful human within the society. Therefore, the skill is taught from an early age, and is built upon throughout the academic years. In grade school, students learn addition and subtraction which is taught using paper and pencil. It is not until middle school and high school when students are taught more complex math problems and are able to use calculators to make the process faster. According to an article, “Using calculator in elementary math,” it states that a calculator is a tool to do calculations, but...
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...ous basis for instruction and assessment (Calculators: Good or Bad). Calculators have become a part of our curriculum and students need to be taught how to properly use the technology as our world continues to become a more efficient place.
Overall, calculators should only be used when it is necessary. Many people think that calculators is not a problem; however, they never really took the time to look at it. With this new generation of technology, teachers will have to limit the use of calculators. If not then, students will learn to depend more on calculators instead of their own human brain. If this problem is not fixed, soon everyone will depend on technology and forget the method of actually trying to do it on their own. So students should not be allowed to use the calculator until they tried their best to figure out the question or only use it when necessary.
For most people who have ridden the roller coaster of primary education, subtracting twenty-three from seventy is a piece of cake. In fact, we probably work it out so quickly in our heads that we don’t consciously recognize the procedures that we are using to solve the problem. For us, subtraction seems like something that has been ingrained in our thinking since the first day of elementary school. Not surprisingly, numbers and subtraction and “carry over” were new to us at some point, just like everything else that we know today. For Gretchen, a first-grader trying to solve 70-23, subtraction doesn’t seem like a piece of cake as she verbalizes her confusion, getting different answers using different methods. After watching Gretchen pry for a final solution and coming up uncertain, we can gain a much deeper understanding for how the concept of subtraction first develops and the discrepancies that can arise as a child searches for what is correct way and what is not.
...Raskind and Stanberry (2010) state, “the auditory feedback may help a student check the accuracy of the keys he presses and verify the answer” (p. 1), which clarifies that these special calculators can positively affect students.
With the rapid growth of technology in America’s society today, the use of computers in school classrooms has increased tremendously—an action that certainly has become beneficial to students, educators, and parents. The use of computers has positively skyrocketed over the past ten years. Not only are computers utilized daily in large companies across the world, but the everyday use in classrooms has also become prevalent. Using modern technology to assist school instructors with his or her daily lessons should definitely be regarded as a positive, acceptable method of instruction and not definitely does not prohibit students from understanding or critical thinking.
Over the past few decades, technology has advanced significantly. The use of calculators, computers, and other techniques in many fields has increased. On a large scale, technology is replacing traditional methods of instruction in the field of education. Many people believe that adopting technology in the learning process can increase productivity. However, David Gelernter, a professor at Yale University and a leading figure in the field of technology, suggests limiting the use of technology in the classroom in his article “Unplugged: The Myth of Computers in the Classroom,” published in the New Republic magazine in 1994.
Mathematics has become a very large part of society today. From the moment children learn the basic principles of math to the day those children become working members of society, everyone has used mathematics at one point in their life. The crucial time for learning mathematics is during the childhood years when the concepts and principles of mathematics can be processed more easily. However, this time in life is also when the point in a person’s life where information has to be broken down to the very basics, as children don’t have an advanced capacity to understand as adults do. Mathematics, an essential subject, must be taught in such a way that children can understand and remember.
David Gelernter author of the essay, “Unplugged: The Myth of Computers in the Classroom,” used some rhetorical appeals but not many in his essay, whilst trying to logically persuade his audience that computers could be utilized in the classroom, but under certain stipulations. Gelernter has great credibility for speaking on education and technology, as he is a professor of computer science at Yale University, so he more than anyone should know the outcomes of using a computer as a tool while teaching. However, when it comes to technology a lot of older generations usually are pretty biased when discussing technologies advancements, Gelernter still had some very good points! Using computers while teaching our young children can be useful but with strict moderations; when, where, and why, because if not heavily monitored, computers could be extremely detrimental to the learning experience and processes for many students.
He states: “Over the last decade an estimated $2 billion has been spent on more than 2 million computers for America’s classroom.”(Gelernter 97) Gelernter starts his article by giving a data about computer to shows how much money people spends computer in school. By giving a legitimate fact right from the beginning of his article, Gelernter easily get his audience attention and make them little more interested in what he is going to say about how computers can make a big impact in everyone’s life. And this fact itself works as proof to prove to his audience that the topic he is talking about is realistic because they are not debatable; they represent the truth. Gelernter also uses logos to prove his point about how calculators make student forget about their basic math skills. Gelernter says, “In Kentucky, as The Wall Street Journal recently reported, students in grades K-3 are mixed together regardless of age in relaxed environment. It works great, the Journal says. Yes, scores on computation tests have dropped 10 percent at one school.”(98) The author did his research and see that using calculator in such young age can really affect student, calculators make student have a lower grade than average even though it supposed to help students in the first place. He continues his argument by comparing Japanese kids and American kids and how Japanese kids are so much better in math than American
Over the course of these past few weeks we have learned all sorts of math that we will utilize in our everyday lives. They have all been very interesting; my favorite subjects were learning about how voting works and how to calculate owning a home. For our final math project in our math modeling class, we had to choose a topic that interested us yet had something to do with mathematics. For this presentation, I decided to research the history of math and art and how the two have been used together to create amazing artwork.
To investigate the notion of numeracy, I approach seven people to give their view of numeracy and how it relates to mathematics. The following is a discussion of two responses I receive from this short survey. I shall briefly discuss their views of numeracy and how it relates to mathematics in the light of the Australian Curriculum as well as the 21st Century Numeracy Model (Goos 2007). Note: see appendix 1 for their responses.
I took one look at that contraption, with all of its confusing measurement markers and immediately felt lucky to have my calculator, which did not look nearly as complicated as his old slide rule. From that point on I remember my father always taught me that technology was a useful tool that could aid me in my learning process. Throughout my young life he provided me with many technical toys and computer games that helped me to learn things like basic math and reading. He felt that if I had fun learning, then I would always want to learn.
However, technology should never substitute the fundamental learning in our educational systems. Specifically, in primary school, building a firm fundamental education is crucial. Seeing children still using fingers to do simple math in second grade is not a good sign of academic improvement. Though the students may easily figure out the answers by using a calculator, before letting the children get any closer to these technical gadgets, they have to first learn to figure out the answers themselves.... ... middle of paper ... ...
...nd dynamic changes in the competitive nature of the job market, it is evident to myself that being eloquent in all aspects of numeracy tools and knowledge is imperative in the 21st Century. The calculator is one such tool for children which supports mental computation to check answers to develop independent learning, as discussed earlier. It also fits into the pre-operation developmental stage of a child to enhance their symbolic thinking, similar to that of an adults scheme of thinking, as opposed reliance on senses alone. The interviews further grounded my reasoning around my argument and allowed me to not only gain an insight to how those similar to me think and those not so similar. This investigation has strengthened my argument that the use of calculators in the primary school classroom, if used appropriately, are an invaluable tool for teaching and learning.
A large- scale study suggested that mathematic software increase students’ engagement and test scores. Barrow et al. (2009) tested a computer program designed to improve pre-algebra and algebra skills. They found that students learn through computer lab were scores 27% ahead students on traditional classroom. Similarly Rochelle et al. (2007) found that using Sim Calc Mathworlds improves student’s understanding of mathematics. Students who used Sim Calc had a better understanding than students who study in standard class. By use of autograph, students could gain a better understanding of what gradient are, what gradient look like and how gradient formed. Use autograph to create interval between two points and form a right-angle triangle where interval as the hypotenuse of the triangle could l...
During my education, teachers have had many more resources available to them than they did during my Grandpa's time. Calculators, computers, and TV are everyday tools used for teaching. Teachers taught us how to use a calculator at a very early age. Since the fifth grade, I have used a computer to write or research most of my asiments. Every year, the amount of work I do on a computer increases.
In modern day mathematics, the use of decimals to determine accurate calculations is used in almost every situation. It is used so often that we forget that decimals haven’t always been around. They had to have come from somewhere, but where did they come from? The origination of the decimal system is often overlooked and undervalued, but the importance of decimals in modern mathematics is extremely significant. This is why Simon Stevin’s work on decimal arithmetic was such a huge impact on the advancement of mathematics. This work titled, “Disme: The Art of Tenths,” was created to simplify modern calculations for people that take the role of merchants, astronomers, measures of tapestry, and land measurers. (Stevin) Little did Stevin know, this discovery would lead to many great discoveries and would be used by mathematicians from all over the world.