As promised, this is the second installment on my perspectives about an article that was featured on the CBC website yesterday, Are Manitoban's More Stupid. Yesterday I commented endlessly on technology and literacy and today, I am going to address mathematics.
As you all know, my battle with mathematics in highschool had high points and low points. However, no matter how low that low point got, I still could not use a calculator. Calculators were only permitted when doing quadratic equations and the like; and this was not until grade 11.
A lot of students struggle with math. The concepts are black and white. The answer is either right or wrong. There is generally one way to get the right answer. Some concepts are completely foreign to students who do not see the purpose in the conglomeration of letters and numbers on the board. I love it when students ask me things like, "Why do they call it Pi?" I tell them the history, but, ultimately, it does not matter as long as they know WHAT Pi is and HOW to use it.
Making mathematics relevant has been my goal since I started. Even though some of the tasks are mundane, I always try and connect it to something in everyday life. My hope is that students will see the connection. But, I never expected my other goal to be so basic in nature...
Right now I teach grade 7 and I am regularly shocked by their inability to formulate basic calculations in their head. When I started teaching math, I quickly realized that many of my students could not immediately answer 7 x 6. They would respond "42??", with ever increasing intonation. My response was always, "is that a question, or an answer?", or "Yes??", or "are you asking, or are you sure?" The lack of confidence in responding to basic questions like 7 x 6 left me perplexed and very concerned.
The calculator. Of course there are many different kinds of calculators, basic, scientific and the graphing calculator. I am sure there are others, but these are the ones I am most familiar with. But, it does not matter what kind it is, I have a problem with all of them. Now, I do use one regularly to speed up my calculations, otherwise I would be recording marks for hours longer than necessary and report cards would take triple the amount of time they already do. The difference is that I know what 7 x 6 is. Most of my students, do not.
They beg me endlessly to let them use calculators. They complain when they have to add
87 + 94 + 100 + 62. They whimper when I say they have to then do long division to determine the mean of the previous set of numbers. And, they are mortified if I ask them to multiply or divide DECIMALS without a calculator. They say, "Ms. this is too hard", or "it takes TOO LONG to do our homework. We NEED our calculators. Then, when I introduced the concept of Pi to them, without using a calculator, I think my students decided that I was delusional.
I was getting tired of the complaining about not having access to calculators. I decided to test their mental math to prove to them the necessity of not using a calculator. The results had the desired effect and although the beginning of the year was incredibly rough for the students (because they had become incredibly dependent on their calculators), their overall math ability has improved. Marks are higher now, than the beginning of the year. Most of the students have accepted that I will not let them touch a calculator...at school that is. Whether they use one at home is beyond me.
So, here again, I can see that the technology that makes our lives easier and more enjoyable has certainly reduced ones ability to successfully complete tasks without it. Technology is everywhere and we cannot avoid it. Are calculators necessary in school? Yes, most certainly. But, only in certain grades for certain topics. There is no need for ANYONE in grade 10 or under to use a calculator.
For example, when I was teaching grade 9 math, I attempted to teach the students Operations with Rational Numbers. This involves calculations of integers in fraction form, as well as decimals and whole numbers. I forged ahead with my lessons, without the use of calculators only to find that the class could not solve (-2) - (+7) without their trusty friend, Mr. Calculator. I had to retreat and teach them Operations with Integers, a unit that I taught to the grade 7's earlier in the year. This is the point that I discovered that they had been using calculators since grade 6. "No wonder they have difficulty with the math. They do not understand BASIC concepts", I thought.
Sure, I teach in Egypt. But, I can assure you this is not merely and Egyptian phenomenon. This is not even a phenomenon that involves only my classes. As technology becomes more prevalent, it starts to infiltrate the classrooms of students at younger and younger ages. So, where I was not allowed to use a calculator until grade 11, students in some classes are seeing a calculator as young as grade 6! Then, people wonder why the Mathematics scores are dropping in the province.
Students wonder why they need math. Before we left Canada, I was at the store as I watched the cashier fumble with my change, unsure that she was correct. Working in the restaurant, I watched customers stumble with their tip calculations...this is all BASIC math! I am not asking them to solve anything difficult!
The fascinating thing is that the best way to improve math skills is to practice. Just like anything else in life, practicing the skill will make the basic calculations a breeze. Once the basic calculations are memorized, then the confidence of the student increases. BUT, until the calculators make a grand exit from the classroom, I fear that the math skills will continue to decline.
Anyone can punch numbers into a calculator, but, a great mind understands WHY they are punching those numbers in! It has become my goal to ensure that the WHY and the HOW are solidified in the minds of my students. Then, I know, that they will be successful whether they use a calculator or not.
As you all know, my battle with mathematics in highschool had high points and low points. However, no matter how low that low point got, I still could not use a calculator. Calculators were only permitted when doing quadratic equations and the like; and this was not until grade 11.
A lot of students struggle with math. The concepts are black and white. The answer is either right or wrong. There is generally one way to get the right answer. Some concepts are completely foreign to students who do not see the purpose in the conglomeration of letters and numbers on the board. I love it when students ask me things like, "Why do they call it Pi?" I tell them the history, but, ultimately, it does not matter as long as they know WHAT Pi is and HOW to use it.
Making mathematics relevant has been my goal since I started. Even though some of the tasks are mundane, I always try and connect it to something in everyday life. My hope is that students will see the connection. But, I never expected my other goal to be so basic in nature...
Right now I teach grade 7 and I am regularly shocked by their inability to formulate basic calculations in their head. When I started teaching math, I quickly realized that many of my students could not immediately answer 7 x 6. They would respond "42??", with ever increasing intonation. My response was always, "is that a question, or an answer?", or "Yes??", or "are you asking, or are you sure?" The lack of confidence in responding to basic questions like 7 x 6 left me perplexed and very concerned.
The calculator. Of course there are many different kinds of calculators, basic, scientific and the graphing calculator. I am sure there are others, but these are the ones I am most familiar with. But, it does not matter what kind it is, I have a problem with all of them. Now, I do use one regularly to speed up my calculations, otherwise I would be recording marks for hours longer than necessary and report cards would take triple the amount of time they already do. The difference is that I know what 7 x 6 is. Most of my students, do not.
They beg me endlessly to let them use calculators. They complain when they have to add
87 + 94 + 100 + 62. They whimper when I say they have to then do long division to determine the mean of the previous set of numbers. And, they are mortified if I ask them to multiply or divide DECIMALS without a calculator. They say, "Ms. this is too hard", or "it takes TOO LONG to do our homework. We NEED our calculators. Then, when I introduced the concept of Pi to them, without using a calculator, I think my students decided that I was delusional.
I was getting tired of the complaining about not having access to calculators. I decided to test their mental math to prove to them the necessity of not using a calculator. The results had the desired effect and although the beginning of the year was incredibly rough for the students (because they had become incredibly dependent on their calculators), their overall math ability has improved. Marks are higher now, than the beginning of the year. Most of the students have accepted that I will not let them touch a calculator...at school that is. Whether they use one at home is beyond me.
So, here again, I can see that the technology that makes our lives easier and more enjoyable has certainly reduced ones ability to successfully complete tasks without it. Technology is everywhere and we cannot avoid it. Are calculators necessary in school? Yes, most certainly. But, only in certain grades for certain topics. There is no need for ANYONE in grade 10 or under to use a calculator.
For example, when I was teaching grade 9 math, I attempted to teach the students Operations with Rational Numbers. This involves calculations of integers in fraction form, as well as decimals and whole numbers. I forged ahead with my lessons, without the use of calculators only to find that the class could not solve (-2) - (+7) without their trusty friend, Mr. Calculator. I had to retreat and teach them Operations with Integers, a unit that I taught to the grade 7's earlier in the year. This is the point that I discovered that they had been using calculators since grade 6. "No wonder they have difficulty with the math. They do not understand BASIC concepts", I thought.
Sure, I teach in Egypt. But, I can assure you this is not merely and Egyptian phenomenon. This is not even a phenomenon that involves only my classes. As technology becomes more prevalent, it starts to infiltrate the classrooms of students at younger and younger ages. So, where I was not allowed to use a calculator until grade 11, students in some classes are seeing a calculator as young as grade 6! Then, people wonder why the Mathematics scores are dropping in the province.
Students wonder why they need math. Before we left Canada, I was at the store as I watched the cashier fumble with my change, unsure that she was correct. Working in the restaurant, I watched customers stumble with their tip calculations...this is all BASIC math! I am not asking them to solve anything difficult!
The fascinating thing is that the best way to improve math skills is to practice. Just like anything else in life, practicing the skill will make the basic calculations a breeze. Once the basic calculations are memorized, then the confidence of the student increases. BUT, until the calculators make a grand exit from the classroom, I fear that the math skills will continue to decline.
Anyone can punch numbers into a calculator, but, a great mind understands WHY they are punching those numbers in! It has become my goal to ensure that the WHY and the HOW are solidified in the minds of my students. Then, I know, that they will be successful whether they use a calculator or not.
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