The article recounts a conversation with preschool students about calculators. The author found the children to be familiar with calculators. Also, the Calculator and Mathematics Project, Los Angeles (CAMP-LA), a project which assumes every child has a calculator, is briefly described. (PK)

Three worksheets are given that use calculators to free students from computational restrictions and allow them to focus on the recognition of patterns and the application of numeration concepts in the development of their estimation skills. (MNS)

Use of calculators for teaching percent to first-year general mathematics students is explained by addressing such areas as sequence of lessons, teaching/learning problems, calculator errors, and recommended instructional strategies. Teaching concepts independent of calculator usage, not using special percentage keys, and initiating estimation as…

This study investigated the relationship between instructional use of handheld graphing calculators and student achievement in Algebra 1. Three end-of-course test forms were administered (without calculators) using matrix sampling to 458 high-school students in two suburban school districts in Oregon and Kansas. Test questions on two forms were…

Graphical representations play an important role in both science and mathematics education. Graphs can summarize very complex information or relationships very effectively. Although graphs are explicitly taught in mathematics classrooms as an end in themselves, many subject areas such as science or social studies utilize graphs to represent and…

Handheld devices, most familiar to educators today in the form of graphing calculators, are rapidly improving their interface, computational, and communication capabilities. Communication capabilities allow participants to rapidly share mathematical objects among their handhelds, potentially contributing to improved classroom discourse. We have…

The concept of function is central in mathematics and grows in importance as one progresses in depth and breadth of understanding mathematics. Results from national assessment progress reports indicate that the majority of students do not comprehend the concepts of function and graphing. Technology has the potential to improve the understanding of…

This book is a compatible instructional component to any algebra textbook and was developed by University of Hawaii under the Dwight D. Eisenhower Mathematics and Science Education Improvement Act. The tasks align with the content and instructional approach used in daily classes that emphasize standards-based teaching and learning. The tasks…

The Eisenhower National Clearinghouse for Mathematics and Science Education (ENC) helps teachers by offering a broad assortment of services to enable them to quickly locate educational resources. This theme issue of the serial "ENC Focus" is designed to give educators information about curriculum resources available for teaching math and…

Handheld computers, sometimes known as PDAs, have been available for purchase since the mid-1990s, as have their handheld relatives, the graphing calculators. It is only in the past few years, however, that these diminutive devices have made their way into K-12 schools in numbers significant enough to allow us to draw conclusions about their…

The SAT® and high school grades are the most accurate predictors of first-year college performance. Together, these two measures have a high multiple correlation (r = 0.7) with first-year college grades when the correlation coefficient is corrected for restriction in range, criterion unreliability, and different course grading standards…

A sequence of activities is presented that has been used to explore powers of numbers and patterns with middle school students. Experiences with use of this sequence are noted. The material is designed to serve three instructional purposes, which are noted at the conclusion. (MP)

Several outlines for a calculator usage course are presented, along with some suggested course objectives. The approaches seek to teach the utilization of calculators as computing devices into which formulas and calculations are translated. (MP)

Calculators that have the constant arithmetic feature are promoted, and examples of ways this feature can be used in lessons are presented. (MP)

A plan used successfully in the classroom to introduce pupils in grades one through six to calculators is outlined. It comprises a sequence of activities designed to help teachers have a good start when they take the first steps introducing calculators to students. (MP)