A calculator on the other hand, adds the fraction without any understanding=
of the concept. Maybe great for applications, but I treat my basic math =
class as learning basic math concepts with applications thrown in to show =
how to use the concepts in the "real world". The concepts they learn will =
help them in their other math classes.
I teach my other math classes how to use the calculator and how to use it =
right, but it doesn't do the algebra. I use the calculator extensively in =
statistics because of the long data sets. But the students have to =
understand how to use the answers the calculator gives them. Same for =
applied calculus.
Calculators are great. I can't imagine living without them, but I do get =
a little upset when I go to the store and the computers are down so no one =
can wait on you, because they don't understand the concept of sales tax =
and discounts. :-)
Sandra Rena Chandler (A listserv is now available for )
Mathematics Faculty (all my students. If you would )
Thomas W. Moss, Jr. Campus (like to join, let me know. )
Tidewater Community College
Norfolk, Virginia 23510
tcchans@tc.cc.va.us
http://www.tc.cc.va.us/faculty/tcchans
757-822-1335
--------------------------
"Mathematics is the alphabet with which God has written the universe." -- =
Galileo Galilei (1564-1642)
=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=
=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D
>>> Edward Laughbaum <elaughba@MATH.OHIO-STATE.EDU> 02/25 1:44 PM >>>
At 12:04 PM 2/25/99 -0500, Bret Taylor wrote:
>Thank you.
>
>Our school is apparently one of the dwindling few who do not allow use of
>technology at the developmental level.
THE PROBLEM WITH THIS IS THAT HAND-HELD TECHNOLOGY IS A TEACHING TOOL. SO
BY REFUSING TO ALLOW CALCULATORS IS TO DENY TEACHERS THE TOOLS THEY NEED =
TO
TEACH. ANOTHER RELATED PROBLEM IS THAT HAND-HELD TECHNOLOGY IS A
SOPHISTICATED TOOL AND REQUIRES TRAINING ON THE PROPER USE -- SOMETHING
TEACHERS (COLLEGE) MAY THINK THEY DON'T NEED.
ED
______________________________
>At 07:22 AM 2/25/99 -0600, Seese, Lillian wrote:
>>I recently noted that 6 of my differential equations students began here
>>in our developmental math classes - most in Basic Math (arithmetic). So
>>I had a luncheon with these students and all of the math, science, and
>>engineering teachers who had been their instructors, and we chatted for
>>about 2 hours about what made them successful, advice they had for us,
>>etc. Without exception they stated that they really felt that doing
>>arithmetic without calculators was a big factor in their success in
>>uppor level math classes. They said (without our asking them to) that
>>the felt it was not possible to make the jump to abstractions in algebra
>>without a firm understanding of the arithemtic operations in Basic
>>Math. My favorite statement came from a young man who said that =
the
>>one thing that was most influential in his moving forward in his math
>>classes was when he finally had the courage to stop doing the
>>comfortable and easy homework problems (because he felt so good when he
>>got them right) and pushed himself to do the hard ones that he was
>>almost sure he wouldn't be able to complete successfully. Getting
>>outside of his comfort zone, and realizing that he could make some
>>progress on difficult problems encouraged him to continue in this =
mode.=20
>> Lillian Seese SLCC Meramec
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