1 Graphic Calculators in the Classroom: Students ’ VIEWPOINTS1 (original) (raw)
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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).
Proceedings of 10 th Asian …, 2005
Graphic calculators were introduced into the Malaysian New Curriculum for Secondary Schools to enhance the quality of teaching and learning of mathematics in the classrooms. This is also in line with its new revised curriculum. A number of schools were selected to receive graphic calculators (TI-83 Plus) to be incorporated into the teaching of mathematics and science subjects. A project on exploration of graphing calculators has been carried out at a rural school. The students involved were in Form 4 (16 years old) at the secondary school. They come from low income families and have limited access to the new technology. Because of that, their interests in mathematics are questionable and they thought mathematics is a very difficult subject in school. Two topics (Statistics and Straight Line) from the syllabus of their mathematics curriculum were chosen. In addition to the traditional way of teaching, the students were also exposed to the graphic calculators to help them understand mathematical concepts. Their perception after learning the topics were noted before and after using the graphic calculators to see whether their interest has changed due to the usage of graphic calculators. Their preferences towards the topics in the syllabus were also noted to see whether graphic calculators could change their preferences on certain topics. At the end of their learning process, a test was given to this group of students and their scores were compared to the control group (not exposed to graphing calculators). Statistical analyses show that their interest in the Statistic topic have been altered by the usage of graphic calculators. There is also a tendency for certain topics to be preferred over others due to graphic calculators. The t-test shows that there is a significant difference in scores achieved by the two groups of students. The project students were very satisfied with what they have achieved and they feel that the use of graphic calculator has given them a significant change in the way they think about mathematics as a whole. At the end of the paper, the problems and constraints that the teachers may face during teaching and how to overcome them were discussed.
Although much has been written about technology in mathematics, much less has happened in schools. A major reason for this is the limited availability of com- puter hardware, not only in lesser-developed countries. Discussion among teachers both within and between countries is hampered by different metaphors for technology. These metaphors are described and their significance explained. It is suggested that regional use of technology is likely to be more effective if emphasis is placed upon graphics cal- culators rather than on microcomputers. The portability of graphics calculators is a key element. As well as economic and curriculum impediments to change, the central rôles of teachers and the need for effective support is acknowledged.
2005
This article focuses on three key factors that a survey of literature indicated impact the teaching and learning of mathematics with graphing calculators: access to graphing calculators, the place of graphing calculators in the mathematics curriculum, and the connection between graphing calculators and pedagogical practice. Access to graphing calculators is associated with student achievement gains and a wide array of problem-solving approaches. The research suggests students ’ achievement is positively affected when they use curricula designed with graphing calculators as a primary tool. Studies of teachers ’ use and privileging of graphing calculators illustrate the impact professionals have on students ’ mathematical knowledge and calculator expertise. Implications of these research findings for preservice and in-service teacher education are summarized. Graphing calculators were first introduced in 1985 and within a few years mathematics educators began to study the role and imp...
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.
2015
Over the past two decades, graphics calculators have been prominent in many discussions of technology in mathematics education. This paper describes how they have become part of teaching, learning and assessment in school mathematics in each of three different countries: Australia, Singapore and the United States of America, as well as directions for future use. Critical issues associated with effective implementation of graphics calculators into the school mathematics curriculum are highlighted, including the nature of school mathematics, examination practices, Computer Algebra Systems, the support of teachers and students, curriculum change and development, the focus on learning, dealing with inherent limitations of graphics calculators, school and university differences, future technologies.
2005
This article focuses on three key factors that a survey of literature indicated impact the teaching and learning of mathematics with graphing calculators: access to graphing calculators, the place of graphing calculators in the mathematics curriculum, and the connection between graphing calculators and pedagogical practice. Access to graphing calculators is associated with student achievement gains and a wide array of problem-solving approaches. The research suggests students' achievement is positively affected when they use curricula designed with graphing calculators as a primary tool. Studies of teachers' use and privileging of graphing calculators illustrate the impact professionals have on students' mathematical knowledge and calculator expertise. Implications of these research findings for preservice and in-service teacher education are summarized.