Students’ difficulties in operating a graphics calculator (original) (raw)
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1 Graphic Calculators in the Classroom: Students ’ VIEWPOINTS1
2016
This paper presents the results of a study about the views and attitudes of students of a low achiev-ing 11th grade class who were involved in an innovative experience with graphic calculators for all academic year. Contrasting the results obtained from a questionnaire and from interviews, it con-cludes that students tended to point some improvements in the mathematics class, but attributed their origin more to their teacher ’ style and personality than to the use of this technology. Graphic calculators are a quite powerful new technology for mathematics teaching (Demana & Waits, 1990). They have obvious curricular implications, especially at high school and college level. They point towards significant content changes, emphasizing graphical representations, stressing issues such as units and scale; and they may even favor a shift in learning styles, with more exploration and student activity. This paper presents a study that investigated students ’ views and attitudes towards graph...
Graphic calculators in the classroom: Students’ viewpoints
This paper presents the results of a study about the views and attitudes of students of a low achieving 11th grade class who were involved in an innovative experience with graphic calculators for all academic year. Contrasting the results obtained from a questionnaire and from interviews, it concludes that students tended to point some improvements in the mathematics class, but attributed their origin more to their teacher' style and personality than to the use of this technology. Graphic calculators are a quite powerful new technology for mathematics teaching (Demana & Waits, 1990). They have obvious curricular implications, especially at high school and college level. They point towards significant content changes, emphasizing graphical representations, stressing issues such as units and scale; and they may even favor a shift in learning styles, with more exploration and student activity. This paper presents a study that investigated students' views and attitudes towards graphic calculators as well as mathematics classes and its effects in their personal relation with this subject. Theoretical background The general conceptions, views and attitudes of the students regarding mathematics and mathematics classes are increasingly seen as crucial factors affecting their performance (Schoenfeld, 1989). It is of great interest to know how much can these be addressed by curriculum innovations. In a recent experience of a new national curriculum, 7th grade students' views and attitudes were found to improve significantly, in close relation with the introduced methodological changes. However, in the same experience, the views' and attitudes of college-bound 10th graders showed no positive change, but rather an increase in anxiety and distrust regarding the system (Ponte et al., 1992). Students' response to innovations in mathematics teaching is not always what the innovators seek. With powerful technologies, the students' approach to mathematics tasks may differ significantly, in an impoverished or even counterproductive way, from the original intentions (Hillel, 1992). And also, students' agendas and personal expectations regarding mathematics classes may resist to what they perceive as departures from the usual, and, on their view productive learning activities (Ponte & Carreira, 1992).
The graphics calculator and students’ solution strategies
Mathematics Education Research Journal, 2000
hl a one-year functions and calculus course using a common textbook, three classes of Grade 10 students worked with graphics calculators throughout, five classes worked with graphics calculators for about two months, and four classes did not use graphics calculators. Posttest results showed that the students who had worked with graphics calculators tended to attempt more problems and obtain higher test scores than the students who had not used graphics calculators. Further analysis showed that the higher percentage of correct answers in the calculator classes appeared to be a result of students using graphical strategies more frequently and was largely restricted to below-average students. Use of graphics calculators did not lead to any reduction in heuristic or algorithmic strategies.
International Journal of Mathematical Education in Science and Technology, 2001
The paper describes an inquiry into students' uses of graphics calculators in the Tertiary Entrance Examination of Calculus in Western Australia for 1998, which was the rst year that calculators were allowed for the examination. The prevalence of calculator usage and marks allocated for six questions are considered, based on data collected from examination markers. The nature of calculator usage is described, including errors made, based on our perusal of examination scripts and interviews with students, teachers and markers. A comparative analysis of boys' and girls' performance, as measured by raw examination scores on the examination for 1995-1998 is given. The results suggest that the main areas of diYculty for students are interpreting graphics calculator outputs and knowing when use of graphics calculators is appropriate or possible. While initial indications are that the eVect of introducing the calculators is non-discriminatory between boys and girls, no claims can be made without longer-term analysis.
The graphic calculator as a thinking tool : perspectives from the classroom
Aare 2001 Crossing Borders New Frontiers in Educational Research Australian Association For Research in Education Conference Proceedings, 2001
For over a decade the graphic calculator has been promoted not only as a computational tool but also as a thinking tool-for example, as an aid to enhance conceptual understanding, as a problem-solving tool and as a means of enabling students to engage in meaningful investigations. However, research studies focusing on these aspects have shown mixed results and have mostly focused on graphs and functions. This paper reports on one aspect of a case study in a year 10 mathematics classroom-the role of the graphic calculator as a thinking tool. Data from observations of nine statistics lessons and interviews with the teacher and five students are analysed from three perspectives: the teacher's intentions with respect to the use of the graphic calculator as a tool to promote conceptual understanding as opposed to procedural competence; the opportunities afforded during the lessons for student investigation; and students' views of how the graphic calculator enhanced conceptual understanding. The results provide insights into ways in which students perceive the graphic calculator as promoting conceptual understanding, as well as some of the difficulties encountered in practice in a classroom.
Assessment in calculus in the presence of graphics calculators
Mathematics Education Research Journal, 2002
In this paper we explore the extent and nature of students' calculator usage as determined from examination scripts in the Western Australian Calculus Tertiary Entrance Examination. Errors made and understanding called upon are discussed for seven questions. The inquiry highlights that skills associated with graphical interpretation need to be the subject of instruction, and that an awareness of the differing cognitive demands of graphical interpretation is needed when setting assessment items.