I’m starting to think about how I want to handle calculators in my class next year.
I have a classroom set of TI83 calculators, and they are fine, but I find that I frequently want to take them away during the test because they either do the skill I’m testing or the students know how to download programs that will do what I’m testing. On the other hand, sometimes the numbers are large and it would be helpful to have something to crunch the numbers.
There are two choices, I think: I could take the calculators away altogether and write the tests so that calculators aren’t necessary, or I could require students to purchase a $10 TI30Xa scientific calculator and allow that to be used during tests.
It hardly seems right to me to assign homework that encourages the use of calculators and then yank them away on the test. On the other hand, I really think my students are leaning on them way too much.
There are three of us that teach Algebra II at my school. Early in the year, when we taught order of operations and graphing, none of us allowed the students to use calculators on the tests, but we didn’t use them in class, either. Later in the year, we began to use them in class, and soon I was the only one not allowing them during tests, so I relented, and now they are expected during tests. I’m beginning to regret this because they TI83 is SO powerful that I can’t tell when I’m testing their algebra understanding and when I’m testing their calculator skills.
Those of you who teach — what do you do in your classrooms? I know that at a local university last year, students were not allowed to use graphing calculators on tests, but since all tests were taken online in a proctored computer lab, students were allowed to use the calculator included in the Windows operating system.
5 responses so far ↓
mathmom // January 20, 2008 at 10:45 pm
This is a hot-button issue for me. If you’re not confident that they are strong on the basic skills, I say take the calculators away and write the test so the numbers work out easily. Or have two separate tests, one that tests calculator skills and one that tests the skills you want to make sure they have mastered without the calculator.
But, if you’re not going to allow the calculator on the test, then there should also be substantial time in class where it is also not allowed, and homework where it is not “allowed” and not required, so they get sufficient practice working on the problems without using the calculator as a crutch.
I’m least partial to the “make them use a weaker calculator” plan. I figure if they are learning calculator skills, they may as well learn them on a powerful calculator, including finding the programs that do the things they want them to do. And I don’t think it’s so hard to write a test where a calculator wouldn’t be required. You could even provide old-fashioned tables if you wanted them to have some trig functions available or something.
I would try to discuss the issue with the other teachers, though, so you can put forward a consistent face on this. Good luck!
Alane Tentoni // January 20, 2008 at 11:49 pm
I think there is a lot in what you say, and I enjoyed reading your post about calculator dependence & all the comments that went with it.
Like you, I’m also leaning toward writing the tests so that the numbers are nice. A compromise that has been used frequently this year is that they are allowed to use the calculators (and thus the shortcuts) on the test, but they are required to show their work, too. This made a huge difference when we tested (for example) solving systems of equations. Because they had to show the intermediate steps, getting the right answer on the calculator only served as a way to check one’s work. Same thing on complex numbers & matrices.
Having two separate tests or possibly a two-part test also has some merit. I’m sure we will be discussing this as a department as we prepare for next year. I know there are changes I want to make, and we all want them to be as calculator-independent as possible without being calculator-ignorant.
mathmom // January 21, 2008 at 11:00 am
Alane, having them show all their work is another good way to test their understanding even when they have their calculators available for “backup”. Just make sure that whatever you plan to require on tests you also have them practice in classwork/homework as well, to be “fair” to the kids.
I’m so glad that you are concerned enough about this to make the extra effort required to revise tests, etc.
It seems to me that in many ways teaching mathematical concepts and understanding, and teaching calculator skills are in many ways antithetical to one another, and math teachers are made responsible for both sets of skills. (When I was in HS, way before graphing calculators, we learned calculator skills in science classes. I don’t think we ever got to use them in math class, or if so only rarely…) Good luck working out the balance!
Math Resources Blog » Calculators? // January 21, 2008 at 11:45 am
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jd2718 // February 3, 2008 at 1:23 am
You can design several calculator-useless questions for each exam. I do that, and allow calculators.
My favorite, not arithmetic, is a graphing question. System of linear equations, I ask for a graphic solution to something like 4x + 3y = 12, 3x – 5y = 7 (They know that I will likely do this. It’s not a shock when they estimate the intersection point at (2.8, 0.3) and the check comes close but fails.