The basics of Math instruction in school have left a lot to be desired in recent years, and that includes primary school children using calculators for simple Math problems.
Schools have often argued the point that in the “real world”, calculators are part of the scenario. Registers do the math in retail stores, restaurants and entertainment sites. Calculators are used in offices of all sizes and all industries. Computer use has heightened this calculator dependency as most kids have a P or laptop available to them at home, but there is a very real downside to all this technology adoption.
Here’s a scenario: have you ever walked into a local fast-food joint to find that the register is not working properly when it’s time to make your change? Have you ever had to endure the embarrassing and incredulous struggle of a sixteen-year-old person sweating to figure the change from a $5.00 bill for a $4.32 order? Well, it happens and, in one opinion, much too often.
The real downside of reliance to technology for even basic math is not just the frustration experienced by both the cashier and the custom in the above scenario, but the long term effects can be much more frightening.
Math is a building subject, meaning that to move on to new difficulty levels in technique, one must have a hold on the skills that make up that new level to master it. For example, geometry includes techniques from algebra, combined with basic addition, subtraction, multiplication and division skills. Without mastering of the building techniques, a student will struggle to master the skills of geometry.
It all comes down to the question of “How.” Without full understanding why addition works, why multiplication works, etc., then grasping how geometry works is near to impossible. Think back to the scenario in the fast food joint – if the cashier could do the basic math in their head, then the scene could have been completely avoided.
To be succinct, the introduction of calculators may help a child understand the ways to use tools to ease their work and in classes like geometry or trigonometry and calculus it’s absolutely necessary. However, it is absolutely crucial that kids be able to learn the math basics and how to do them in the tool they have with them everywhere… their own head.
Posted By: Paul Adams
Monday, June 28th 2010 at 9:19PM
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