Describes how teachers can present their students with a variety of experiences that promote the thoughtful use of calculators and a positive attitude in students and parents. Discusses using classroom banks, problem solving, writing word problems, holiday catalog ordering, and parent education. Includes sample activity pages. (MKR)

Two students (ages 18 and 20) with moderate mental retardation were taught to use a pocket calculator to make purchases. Progressive time delay and general case programing methods were used. Results indicated that the purchasing behaviors generalized to two untrained community sites and to untrained items and were maintained four weeks after…

Discusses three methods to teach the order of operations to middle school students: (1) asking students to fill in operations in a statement to obtain a given answer; (2) using mnemonics to remember operation order; and (3) having students discover the logic system used by their calculators. (MDH)

Utilizes a computer-generated graph to solve an equation for methods using trigonometric tables or less sophisticated calculators would likely fail because of round-off errors and limitations of the instruments. Discusses how this new technology can be utilized in mathematics instruction. (MDH)

Presents several problems that use calculator or computer-generated graphs of the absolute value function as related to the maximum and minimum functions to illustrate the statistical concepts of range, median, mean, and variance. (MDH)

Entering a value into a calculator and repeatedly performing a function f(x) on the calculator can lead to the solution of the equation f(x)=x. Explores the outcomes of performing this iterative process on the calculator. Discusses how patterns of the resulting sequences converge, diverge, become cyclic, or display chaotic behavior. (MDH)

Presents 24 activities related to the theme of area to illustrate how algebra can empower students, not impede their progress. Activities use grid tools, manipulatives, computational tools, and paper-and-pencil tools to facilitate access, discourse, independence, and multiple representations. Well-chosen themes offer connections, motivation,…

Discusses how applications from microbiology and sociology can be used to involve students. Presents a physical context for critical concepts in a first-semester calculus course. (Author/ASK)

Technology offers tools and information that students need to explore real-world mathematical connections and investigate questions reflecting their own interests. This article illustrates how students can use technology to gather and interpret information, perform descriptive and graphical analysis, make statistical predictions, and create and…

Illustrates how graphing calculators can be used to address the knowledge and skills promoted by the National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS) and other educational organizations. Focuses on plotting capability and facilitating various types of data and information analysis. (CMK)

Describes a teaching experiment in which spreadsheets and computer algebra systems were used to teach a low-level college consumer mathematics course. Students were successful in using different types of functions to solve a variety of problems drawn from real-world situations. Provides an existence proof that computer algebra systems can assist…

Presents a program in the United Kingdom that trains every serving teacher and trainee teacher how to use Information and Communication Technology (ICT) to teach their subjects more effectively. Discusses mathematics education related to this part of the program. (ASK)

A study compared the performance of rural and urban Western Australian students on the college-entrance mathematics examination following introduction of graphics calculators. Although urban students scored higher than rural students in the 3 years studied, the gap remained relatively consistent, indicating that rural students were not further…

This paper recounts the experiences of eighteen student teachers who used graphics calculators to teach mathematics in secondary schools. As part of their formal assessment, they submitted twenty accounts, listing the problems and benefits they had encountered in the course of using this technology. These accounts are analysed in terms of the…

High school algebra and geometry teachers use graphing calculators extensively in their classes today. National and state mathematics curriculum standards recommend their use for class work, tests and assignments. Because of recent legislation, including "IDEA 2004" and "No Child Left Behind", most students with mild…