Calculators are widely used in mathematics education, yet limited research examines the effects of calculators for students with mild intellectual disability. An alternating treatments design was used to study the effects of calculator types (i.e., scientific and graphing) on the mathematical performance (i.e., computation and word problems) of…

Technology is a natural part of education for all students across a variety of subjects, including mathematics, as educators work to prepare students for tomorrow's work force and align their curriculum and teaching with national standards such those developed by the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM, 2000). This article reviews…

In this article, the author focuses on possible ways to develop the concepts of joint variation and function through the upper primary and lower secondary years of education. The examples demonstrate the building of a range of important mathematical ideas by modelling life-related situations using students' informal and intuitive knowledge. Over…

This reprinted article from the November 1976 issue of "Arithmetic Teacher" describes a series of calculator games suitable for all levels from kindergarten through calculus.

The beliefs of preservice elementary-school teachers regarding the use of basic calculators and "Illuminations" activities were investigated. The goals of the study were to describe preservice teachers' beliefs, identify the sources of those beliefs, and determine which interventions successfully modify them. Participants included 210…

Presents an activity on number concepts using a calculator. Suggests that by using a calculator, students can search for patterns and identify them more quickly. This activity helps students make mathematical connections about divisibility rules, carry out investigations, make sense of what happened, and continue their investigation by creating…

This issue of Mathematics Education Dialogues focuses on the use of calculators in the mathematics classroom. The eleven articles on this theme include: (1) "Groping and Hoping for a Consensus on Calculator Use" (Zalman Usiskin); (2) "Let's Abolish Pencil-and-Paper Arithmetic" (Anthony Ralston); (3) "Do We Need Calculators?" (Kim Mackey); (4) "How…

A one year project was started in the school year 2003/04 to test the use of symbolic calculators (SC)--the TIVoyage 200--in six 10th grade classes of three grammar schools in Bavaria (Germany). The project was repeated in school year 2004/05. The evaluation of the project was intended to give answers to the following questions: how basic…

It is concluded: (1) elementary school students enjoy doing problems, but have trouble thinking them out; (2) students need to work on a variety of types; (3) calculator use can definitely help students become better; and (4) students need experience in group work. Details of the instructional approach used are provided. (MP)

Two separate and simultaneous studies took place in middle socioeconomic schools. A considerable degree of consistency of results in problem-solving performance with and without calculators was found in the two investigations. Calculator-using groups performed significantly higher than non-calculator groups where differences occurred. (MP)

Ways elementary school teachers might use calculators to help students are noted. A total of nine activities, listed under place value, computation, and estimation, are provided to assist the classroom instructor in effectively employing calculators. (MP)

Presents an activity in which students build their flexibility in using numbers and explore the connections between numbers and their representations with base-10 materials using the TI-15 calculator. (ASK)

Geometry is an important branch of mathematics. Geometry curriculum can be enriched by using different Technologies such as graphing calculators and computers. Logo-based different software packages aim to improve conceptual understanding in geometry. The goals of this paper are i) to present theoretical foundations of any compute software…

This Information Bulletin reviews nine books or kits providing useful activities for using calculators in grades 2-9, plus several articles providing constructive suggestions. The materials were selected on the basis of five criteria: ease of integration within the present curriculum, power to sustain interest, degree of attention to essential…

Geometry is an important branch of mathematics. Geometry curriculum can be enriched by using different Technologies such as graphing calculators and computers. Logo-based different software packages aim to improve conceptual understanding in geometry. The goals of this paper are i) to present theoretical foundations of any computer software…