technology Should schools teach with or without calculators?

[Viscra Maelstrom 3,718]

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.

 

actually, that depends on what kind of calculator you use. cheap ones with less functions don't have the option to calculate operators; however, at my school we have these more advanced calculators which has a handful of useful functions on it such as making parenthesizes, x times 10 function, minus for calculating negative numbers, among other things.

 

as for me, i didn't get to use calculators in school until i got later into high school. all through elementary school i was taught to do things in my head. pain in the ass, but it works, somewhat. (i still suck at math though and am stuck on high school math A class still. xC)

[~Lawful Jordo~ 2,066]

Basic math should be taught without a calculator sure, but once you get into algebra and such a calculator is pretty much mandatory.

[akita-ken 581]

Elementary mathematics involving the manipulation of simple numbers without too many decimal places can be done manually and in fact should be encouraged to ingrain the fundamental concepts of mathematical operations into younger students. Making students perform manual operations on numbers with long strings of decimals places is extremely time-consuming, and the only purpose I can foresee of doing so is to drill precision in the face of having to keep track of large inputs. However, this turns the question into less of a 'do you understand long division etc', and more of 'lets see you keep track of this 10 decimal number and not make any mistakes *evillaugh*!'.

 

High school (and above) mathematics tends to become more applied in nature as the scope of questions posed changes from 'here is a mathematical operation, go solve it' to more of 'here is the problem, we need you to find this angle, you are free to choose your method so long as you can find the answer and explain how you got it'. In this respect I fully agree with what @Aureity said earlier, calculators become an invaluable asset to students because unless teachers are going to set questions based around things like special angles (which is really just a matter of memorizing them really), it is close to impossible for students to perform stuff like trigonometric and logarithmic functions manually. The only other alternative would be to issue students with reference books that include trig and log tables, but then we'd be regressing to what was practiced in the 60s. One must also consider the fact that precision and accuracy is paramount in fields of work which require applied mathematics, and as such getting students comfortable with using their calculators to crunch large numbers is an important life skill, especially for those who are aiming to go into fields like engineering.

 

I'm also a strong advocate of the graphing calculator and I believe students should be introduced to them in their senior years (11th grade onwards) because it opens up a wide variety of options for them to tackle whatever mathematical problem that arises. In many cases the GC actually provides more than one method of obtaining the answer (a simple e.g. one could plot the graph of a quadratic eqn to find its roots, or they could just punch the quadratic formula in, or even use an in-built function to factor it) and it is the student that actually makes the effort to RTFM of his calculator who will excel because he always has more than one option to fall back on. I can't remember how many times my familiarity with the TI-84+ has helped me out of sticky situations in tests where I've forgotten a specific method of solving a problem.

[Flareon 151]

Take the advice from someone who went through a school where calculators were mandatory for all math classes. I gotta say having gone through school like that I personally don't feel as smart as I should feel had I learned to do math in my head the original way.

[Cupcake Ice Cream 436]

absolutely...we have the technology. I think it's asinine to keep practicing the long way when in the real world you use shortcuts like calculators. Case in point...when I am going to do my dissertation (and everyone else in my program)...do you think we are gonna hand crunch our data? It would take forever...no we are going to use SPSS (statistics program)...why? because it's easy and accurate!

[~Sugar Sprinkles~ 638]

I think schools should teach with them. There is really extreme math that some students, even adults need a calculator. Even after school with certain jobs require them. Some maths you probably dont need them

[Angie Cakes 50]

when I was in elementary, you weren't even allowed to use your fingers to help you do math. it all had to be done in your head. I forget the reason as to why exactly, but I always told myself that it was in case my fingers got cut off while chopping up food as an adult XD

 

then I went to middle school, and suddenly it was required that all students had graphing calculators. it was quite the dramatic switch. I found that I relied heavily on the calculator at first simply because it was cool to use one for the first time, but now I can't do basic two digit multiplication or division without one any more.

[Gone Airbourne 21,977]

To be honest with you they need to teach first how to do math without calculators. Once you learn how to do it without the calculator, then they should show how it is done with the calculator. If you learn only one way it is almost like crippling the student. I had a horrid time with math during high school because my teacher only taught by using calculators.... Throughout middle school though I had it much harder but at the same time I was really good at math because of it.

[Lostwanderer 367]

Calculators are really needed when it somes to higher level stuff like triginometry, calculus and quadratics. Simple grade school stuff can be used without a calculator no problem. But learning how to use a calculator is very importnant aswell, otherwise you spend alot of your time in class trying to figure out how the thing works. Sounds silly but i've seen it happen. Because they are used in tests, my teachers always show us how to use the fucntions on the calculator so we don't spend half the exam time trying to figure out what we're doing. When i was in grade school we occasionally had excersise teaching us how to use a calculator to become familiar with it, and that's helpped alot.

[FizzyImp 1,838]

When it comes to the basic stuff, I think calculators should only ever be used to confirm a written answer.

The more advanced math should require a calculator, but only if it can't be easily done on paper first.

[Marshmallow 1,137]

Basically, it depends on the course.

I wasn't allowed a calculator in my college differential and integral calculus courses as well as in my linear algebra course. It was a bit frustrating at times, but it went fine overall. Dealing with decimals is crap and very imprecise anyway. It forces you to do calculations in your head and this is good. Calculators make you lazy. I always facepalm now when I see someone use a calculator for something as easy as 4*6 or 7+5.

 

But there are some courses where it's pretty much required. I couldn't see myself not being allowed to use a calculator for chemistry for example, where you have to use actual values and so the calculations aren't always very pretty.

 

But overall, I don't think that a calculator is absolutely necessary for any math course below high school. It just makes the students lazy. And doing the calculations in your head is often faster than using a calculator for simple operations anyway,

[SrFrog 927]

Calculators? What is that of which you speak? I use an abacus! so antiquate. Probably just after middle school would be a good time to be indoctrinated into using the things.

 

Hell, I'm no freaking math genius but watching 2/3 of a 9th grade class struggle with basic arithmetic is pathetic.

[Archangel 143]

I think they should let kids use calculators more. All that's important is that they know how to do a problem. Which you need to know either with or without a calculator. Because unless you have a financial calculator, figuring out the net assets of a company isn't just a press of a button. You still need to know what to do.

 

And if you know what to do, you know how to do it on paper. Saying allowing calculators in school is the root cause of all the children who don't know how to do mathematics (And I'm not saying you're saying that, but some people believe it.) is ridiculous.

 

I already know how to do long division on paper. You should've learned that before 5th grade. I don't want to have to wait until college to get to use a calculator. I know what to do, but a calculator is faster.

 

And of course we rely on this device, just as much as we rely on ovens. Y'know what? I feel we're all starting to rely too much on ovens. We need to be taught how to make food using only fire! I SHALL PETITION THE GOVERNMENT! Not really.

[3005 332]

Technology is the future. That's just an undisputed fact; it's impossible to put aside the technological advancement and research developments that have spurred up in the recent decade and not move forward when it can improve our world so much. I think it all starts with education, and while Japan and China are preparing their students for the future, the US is preparing our students for a fictional world where we still use paper and pencils.

[Rudehamster 156]

Okay, I think that it is necessary to teach with calculators at a high school level for several reasons. During middle school you are being taught the basics, things that you should know how to do (basic subtraction, addition, etc.) During highschool you will enter a period of time where you are being taught math that may not be useful to use, or it may be unnecessarily difficult without a calculator, Plus, you won't need to worry about not having a calculator and having to do this math even if you do have to do it in the future, it isn't like your boss is going to have pop quizzes.

[Kyoshi Frost Wolf 41,689]

Oh, without, by far. Because we all know the kind of cultural and intellectual revolution that will occur because of it. (Obvious sarcasm)

 

Kids can walk in and say 'Yes! I can do maths without a machine!" even though they will be using machines constantly anyway in their life, most likely anyway, unless a solar flare wipes out all electricity.

[rcollinz13 428]

I think they should balance out how much they teach with the calculator, and how much they don't. I find that I am not really improving my math skills in my Precalc class, because my teacher doesn't teach you how to solve the problems without the calculator. His main argument is that nowhere in the real world will a job require to not use a calculator. This is true, but learning to solve math problems without a calculator is how you improve your overall mental math skills and brain power in general.

[Artemisia 166]

I feel that schools should teach students with and how to use calculators, for convenience and practicality but they must first teach students other methods and make sure they do not RELY on the calculators.

[Nah 3,182]

Considering my math skills are quite poor, I think calculators should be allowed, after all it is a tool, like the pencil, paper, etc.

[DiscordxChaos 34]

Yes. It makes math so much easier.

 

For example, I just can't solve pi times 13 on paper that easily. A calculator is such a valuable tool, as long as you don't abuse it.

[Zygen 6,066]

I actually pretty much refused to use a calculator up until 8th grade pre algebra when once it got to the point where I had questions that where out of my reach to do within my head.

I've goten a bit more rusty, but I use to be able to do some pretty decently sized equations all in my head(Or atleast I thought they where pretty decently sized equations)

However there are some questions that are just kinda to much. Sure technicly speaking you could do something like 35674*3847 but it would take sooooo long its ridiculous.

However I guess you could do it on paper... but it is still pretty time consuming.

I think they should have us learn the forumla then after that doing it on the calculator shouldn't matter.

Honestly I just use the calculator to do the math I know how to do but don't want to take all the time to do it not to cheat myself out of knowing how to do a formula.

 

I still don't see alot of logic in math, I just learn it and follow it. I don't try to understand it. It works for me Its not that I don't know how to do it, its just I don't understand why we do this or that most of the time.

 

Anyways enough math ranting.

[AegisReflector 886]

Why wouldn't you want a calculator? Why do something like 9928.6 / 56 when I can easily obtain a device that can give me the answer in less than 5 seconds? There isn't anything wrong with it. I deduced that I needed to divide, so I hit the division key and enter. It shows that I understand the general concept and have plain common sense with logistics.

[Retro*Derpy 3,191]

Why wouldn't you want a calculator?

Well what happens if you are on a job site, school, or some random place and your stuck without a calculator? Wouldn't you want at least some experience without a calculator to make harder math problems easier to solve?

[AegisReflector 886]

Well what happens if you are on a job site, school, or some random place and your stuck without a calculator? Wouldn't you want at least some experience without a calculator to make harder math problems easier to solve?

 

In this day and age? Highly unlikely. Calculators are available on computers, iPhones, Tablets, etc., all tools that are common on the job. In the game store I work at, we have at least 5 different calculators laying around to calculate tax.

 

My dad works construction, and his union REQUIRES that a calculator be present for all measurements, because they want NO room for human error.

[☢Navy☢ 81]

Seriously, I don't think calculators should be allowed in school, they don't really teach anyone how to do work on their own and give an easy "A" to the common imbecile.

 

I never use calculators (ever), I just don't need them... although I am shooting to go to MIT, I'm crazy good at math. =P