Now They Tell Us: Calculators Bad For Kid's Math Skills
from the too-late-now dept
There was a big controversy decades ago about whether or not calculators should be allowed in the classroom (similar to the "computers in the classroom" debate today). After a number of studies showed that calculators actually helped the debate pretty much died down. Now, however, years later, along comes another study saying that calculators may harm math skills. Of course, the study seems quite narrow - looking at how well kids who normally used calculators could subtract, multiply and divide showed they had a lot more trouble doing those things without the calculator. I'm not sure how surprising or enlightening this is. Since they don't get much practice doing such simple calculations, it may not be the easiest thing for them to do right away. That doesn't mean that their overall math skills are necessarily worse. In fact, the point of earlier studies was that the calculators let them do more advanced math sooner, which meant they often enjoyed math a lot more. So, the question is whether or not you need to master the basic math questions when you can just use a calculator (or computer) to do that work for you, so you can concentrate on more complicated ideas? I have mixed opinions on this one. There is something about having an understanding of the fundamentals that seems useful, because it helps you solve unfamiliar problems by breaking it down. Still, if you're always going to have access to a calculator, is it really as necessary?
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easier for question setters too
I still think graph drawing calculators shouldn't be allowed though (mainly because my brother had one, and I didn't)
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No Subject Given
We are making the kids do daily multiplication tables - just like we did as kids. I think the ability to mindlessly do the simple math directly contributes to the ability later to do the complex stuff.
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Now They Tell Us: Calculators Bad For Kid's Math S
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Re: Now They Tell Us: Calculators Bad For Kid's Ma
When I used a slide rule in high school chemistry, I learned the skill of single-digit estimation. That guestimating skill is probably mostly gone these days.
The downside is that I never learned how to do square roots manually. I used the slide rule or later the calculator.
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Can't do advanced math unless you know the arithme
Yeah, go for the old-fashioned discipline of punching kids as many times as they get it wrong.
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Calculators & math skills
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Re: Calculators & math skills
I think the calculator and computer are extremely powerful teaching tools for AP Physics and Calc courses for high school students, but I don't think a 2nd-grader needs a $2000 machine to teach reading - what the hell are we paying the teachers for anyways??!?! (Sorry, got confused with teachers and school administrator fopah's for a second there ;)
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Re: Calculators & math skills
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