Calculator use also promotes group work and communication among peers and classmates and, subsequently, the exchange of ideas and conjectures. While it is understandable that parents and some teachers are apprehensive about implementing calculators into mathematics curricula at all grade levels, it is vital that they look at the facts. There is a myriad of research supporting the use of calculators in mathematics classrooms, and the benefits of calculator-use are extensive. As soon as people over come their fear of technology and begin and to accept that technology is changing the way mathematical computations and manipulations are executed, mathematics instruction will begin to take tremendous strides in its push toward a future of new and better opportunities for student learning. Footnotes i. Research has shown that calculators can aid in stimulating problem solving, in widening children s number sense, and in strengthening understanding of arithmetic operations.
Children often learn better and retain more information when they use calculators.
This statement applies across all grades and ability levels. Texas Instruments Incorporated. All rights reserved.