February 08, 2004
Very short gripe about calculators in class
I shocked a classmate in one of my math classes when, in response to a question about how to graph a polynomial on his super-duper TI-89 graphing calculator, I told him I didn't know... and I'd never gotten around to learning how to graph on my older TI-85. I'd never been interested in learning how to plug the numbers in to generate the graph, because I actually bothered learning how to use Descarte's Law and synthetic division to find the real zeroes of a polynomial, and DeMoivre's Theorem to generate the complex zeroes (the circular intercepts on a polar coordinate graph) of a polynomial.
People who have to rely on calculators to do their thinking have no business driving them. I did learn to do graphing on my TI-85 later, of course, because it's a useful thing to know, but only to confirm one's work using the appropriate problem solving methods.
Posted by Russell Whitaker at February 8, 2004 09:52 PM | TrackBackHooah!
On a related, yet far less mathematically complex, note; I had the same reaction when I taught a Computer Networking class and got to the subject of subnetting networks. I allowed the students to use subnet calculators if they could find them and learn how to use them, but that I would provide no training on them. The words "Pencil and paper make you smarter!" were written on every test and handout and I still had students submitting answers which had been regurgitated from calculators and usually reflected a complete lack of understanding of the concept. (I asked them to submit their scratch paper or supply me with the name of the calculator software)
The students who worked the problems on paper not only knew the process better, but could be pointed to the place in that process where they went wrong and learn to fix it. Plus, they got partial credit for the answers if they were on the right track before their math errors hosed them. I can say this for sure, if you think downloading a calculator excuses you from listening to the lecture, you are as wrong as most of the answers on the tests those kids handed in.
Dirk
Posted by: Dirk Koenig on February 9, 2004 04:57 AMThe calculator is a good focal point to get a childs attention. I show them how it works on the inside. Then I teach them on a paper calculator how to add fast. When they understand this they can beat a real calculator in a race. It is a good tool but should be used to explain and not as a crutch. To find out more about the paper calculator and how to teach a child to beat the calculator go to http://dotmath.tripod.com/
Owen
