technology Should schools teach with or without calculators?

[Retro*Derpy 3,191]

I for one, have always been taught to use math (and some science) with a calculator since I was in grade school. But how helpful will knowledge of math/science be if your stuck without a calculator? I feel people are starting to rely way too much on this device, and I would of rather been taught without the assist of a calculator.

But when you get to college level math classes, a calculator is a helpful luxury, so your not spending several minutes on one problem.

 

 

Your thoughts?

[Dusty Soul 2,611]

I love calculators, but it is true some people abuse it. I think that it is a tool, and it should be used as a tool. Much like the iPod (which I don't think is a game system, but a tool that people do dumb things with) I think schools should teach students to write out the problem so they get the form down, and then do it in a calculator.

[Samrules350 179]

I learned to do math without a calculator, and to be honest it actually really helped! Like when taking notes in math if you learn to do the math on paper quickly it makes it easier to show your work and such.

[Kalypso 69]

i understand your point but they should not use calculators up until 9th grade so they can get basics down and are then taught it with the calculator

[Alex The Earth Pony 72]

Yeah, calculators are pretty much mandatory, without them, Algebra would be hard as heck. Of course we'd need them, I suck at math though so maybe its just me, I think they should be given out in starting at 8th grade, that way to get ready for 9th and ect.

Edited September 21, 2012 by Alex The Earth Pony

[Aureity 3,055]

There are some times when a calculator is neccesary if you want to finish a test, or rush through a lesson in time. I'm definitely against the use of a calculator when all you're doing is multiplying, say, something simple like two three-digit numbers together. But especially when accuracy counts, such as in certain units of chemistry and calculus, I don't want to have to do 0.5327624575 * 2.63755347 in my head. That's a pain, and I'll be wasting time.

[One 498]

I was told how to do it without a calculator, and they discoraged calculors at my school district, since they want to make sure that you actually know how to do the problem, and your just not using a calculator. The only time a teacher will allow a calculator would be say if something says (156x583)/3((78x3)/(98.2^2+37)) then they will be like, sure use the calculator.

[LowfatEnvelope 335]

I wasn't permitted to use a calculator throughout Primary School and most of Middle School. In Algebra though and the more complicated maths it's very handy so you don't have to work out massive numbers. I think it should be a balance between using one and not using one. At least know how to get by without it, as it probably won't always be handy.

[Pinkie D Pie 1,036]

Certain classes they are quite useful for. I would personally have a calculator when multilingual certain larger numbers, or dividing by decimals, things of that nature. I do have a teacher who is giving us HSAP practice, who will not allow the use of a calculator for most of her math things she has been doing.

[*derpy* 101]

A calculator can't do things like order of operations. The calculator will make (7 x 9) x (3 + 4)= 441 into 7 x 9 x 3 + 4= 193.

Also my teacher says that we can use them for hard mental math like 7548 x 3747 but not on tests.

[Ferret Girl 2,642]

In middle school, they never let us use calculators. And in the high school the do.

 

 

I am currently in 11th grade, I only use a calculator when I do anything with decimals (My brain just has trouble doing math problems with decimals ), and if the problem is just too complex to do in my head. This has actually improved my abilities in math, being that I can do most algebraic questions in my head for the most part. I cant tell you how often We will be given a simple math problem that can EASILY be done with a little though, and people use their calculators. They have become dependent of them, and thus they suffer from it.

[Meirno 550]

I've never seen a problem with it. I always got frustrated when I would go to take a test and the teacher would take the calculators up. As long as you know HOW to do the problem, I see no problem with it. Calculators don't solve the equation or whatever for you, it just makes it less time consuming when you can punch your digits in the stupid little thing and get an answer instantly instead of having to take two-three minutes of doing it on paper.

 

Calculators are a convenience, not a cheat!!

[NavelColt 22,881]

It's important to learn how to do math without resorting to calculators to cheat for you. However, once you've gotten past Middle School, the ideals of math shift to focus less and less on your ability to do the math itself, and more on expanding your concepts as far as possible. In other words, you shouldn't start with the ability to use calculators, but when you get up into the upper grades, then it's fine to use calculators as a tool.

[Creamy Arty 6,252]

Eh, I don't think either approach, using them or not using them, is a bad thing. It's only a problem when they have an all-or-nothing approach, use them for everything or use them for nothing.

 

When I was in elementary school, we weren't allowed to use calculators and got in trouble for using them for two reasons, the first being that we weren't learning to do anything, the machine was doing everything for us. The significance of this extends beyond math. Certain parts of your brain serve multiple purposes, and doing basic math problems and looking for patterns can help stimulate your ability to think and reason in other areas as well. On that basis alone I believe kids should learn to do your standard arithmetic stuff manually.

 

The second reason was one that has long been disproven: they said "you could use a calculator here, but you need to learn how to do it yourself because you won't be able to carry a calculator with you everywhere in the real world." This was in the early to mid 90s, when cell phones were nothing but phones and were uncommon, and the only portable device that could serve as a calculator was an actual calculator. Of course, any of us carrying a cell phone these days is also carrying a calculator.

 

Things changed in middle school. When I got to seventh grade we were required to bring a calculator to math class, if we forgot it, we got penalized. Even worse, we would get penalized if we were caught doing things by hand or mentally rather than putting it in a calculator. I was required to follow a certain system until half-way through my schooling, and then required to do the opposite from then on. It was disorienting, and thanks to the calculator I forgot how to do most basic stuff by hand until around a year ago when my own curiosity prompted me to re-learn these things.

 

tl;dr Need a calculator? Here:

 

[*derpy* 101]

Calculators are a convenience, not a cheat!!

 

Yes that is so true I love Calculators and they are not cheating imagine if you had to do something like (437 x 3678) + (342 x 8937)

you would be like "I need Calculators why are you doing this to me!" I mean the problems aren't hard they are just tedious!

[Aureity 3,055]

Hrm...there's actually more pople who dislike using calculators than I thought.

 

Well, I have something to add to those of you who think that high school students should not be allowed to use calculators:

 

How would we do simple physics? Something as basic as converting from a unit vector to magnitude-direction form involves the use of sine, cosine, and/or tangent. Unless we're going to only be using 30, 45, or 60 degree intervals (which is kinda lame) for our directions, we'd have to resort to using a slide rule.

 

Which is really, REALLY annoying.

Edited September 21, 2012 by Aureity

[Meirno 550]

Hrm...there's actually more pople who dislike using calculators than I thought.

 

Well, I have something to add to those of you who think that high school students should not be allowed to use calculators:

 

How would we do simple physics? Something as basic as converting from a unit vector to magnitude-direction form involves the use of sine, cosine, and/or tangent. Unless we're going to only be using 30, 45, or 60 degree intervals (which is kinda lame) for our directions, we'd have to resort to using a slide rule.

 

Which is really, REALLY annoying.

 

She's speaking all fancy and stuff! My head DX

 

Haha, it's true though. In many, many cases a calculator is pretty much mandatory. The big point is that we are students, which means we are still learning the process. Sure, I get it, have us do it in the worst possible way so we know how to but someone should draw a line...

[spas-ticShotty 3,584]

I like using a calculator. I already know how to do a lot of algebra-related questions quite easily (I'm in Advanced Algebra right now), but there are some types of questions where I just need a calculator.

[Celtore 2,770]

People should know how to PROPERLY use a calculator and how to manually perform basic operations. The more you practice the manual way, the faster you get. Manual math does take longer than it would to simply punch it up on a calculator, but it really is a necessary skill for many professions. It really isn't that big of a deal to do some manual addition or multiplication anyway.

 

Now, that said, it is important students know how to use a calculator as well. The calculator is a complex tool that students need to be taught to use like anything else. I read through pretty much the entire TI-83 instruction manual, which was required for high school, and it has only ever been a benefit knowing how to fully use my calculator. It still doesn't make me a math wizard, algebra can be hard with or without a calculator, but it does help me organize my thoughts, quickly analyze statistics and quickly plug variables into long equations.

Edited September 21, 2012 by Celtore

[joeyh3 153]

I think that once a student has demonstrated that they know the logic behind math and are capable of doing math unassisted, they should be allowed to use a calculator for efficiency and accuracy reasons. Sure I can do long division on paper (and if I'm awake enough, in my head), but that doesn't change the fact that my calculator can calculate the same answer in a fraction of the time.

 

A calculator can't do things like order of operations. The calculator will make (7 x 9) x (3 + 4)= 441 into 7 x 9 x 3 + 4= 193. Also my teacher says that we can use them for hard mental math like 7548 x 3747 but not on tests.

Just about all scientific and graphing calculators have parenthesis keys though, allowing you to enter the formula correctly and getting the correct answer. Additionally, modern calculators are able to understand order of operations, and will calculate the correct answer when the equation is entered all at once. I just tested this on a TI-84, TI-30X IIS, and Casio FX-300MS (those were the only three calcs I had within reach), and they all correctly applied order of operations.

 

 

The second reason was one that has long been disproven: they said "you could use a calculator here, but you need to learn how to do it yourself because you won't be able to carry a calculator with you everywhere in the real world."

When I was in grade school, long before cell phones were widespread or even capable of doing math, my teachers said that all the time. I usually was able to counter their arguments though by showing them my wrist:

 

 

 

(To this day I still wear a calculator watch)

[Evilshy 5,090]

Once you get into more advanced math, it's more about knowing how to factor, or derive, or which formula is the correct to use to find something. Nobody cares if you can't do 35x17.64 in your head.

[Crutch 898]

I used to depend on a calculator, but now since I'm in Precalculus, we can't use them on most quizzes and tests. It was a rude awakening for me and I wish that I would have used it less often during Algebra. Now, I try to not use a calculator unless I absolutely need to.

 

Kids that are Algebra 2 and below : Don't be so dependent on a calculator! It will eventually bite you in the butt!

 

Just a little tip there...

[Despair 114]

Well, if you think about it, if you could solve a math question of some kind without the help of a calculator, doesn't that make you more intelligent then a electronic device? But using a calculator does make it very easy to solve algebra equations.

 

I don't know, I was thought to learn math with the least help from a calculator as possible.

[HomuraBL 851]

I've been basically been only using a caclator sinceI was in algebra. So yeah, I will have to say only use a calculator wheb after middle school. That way, you can solve more complicated stuff.

[tanoshii 131]

After middle school I say. Once you know how to perform basic arithmetic, why not use the tools available to you to make your life easier?

 

Calculators that can outright solve equations with minimal effort however are a different story.

Edited September 21, 2012 by FL_