Division quiz and worksheet

Calculator project with lesson plan:

Moran, Melanie (2008). Journal of experimental child psychology: calculators okay in math class, if students know the facts first. Medical News Today, Retrieved February 10, 2009, from http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/118809.php

SUMMARY: In this article, Moran explains the information found in a case study done at Vanderbilt University. It found that students have had success in using calculators for computation purposes. In fact, students who already memorized basic math facts improved in mathematics. Students, who did not have a strong foundation of basic arithmetic skills, also showed improvement by using calculators. This is only true whenever students performed on subsequent tests. However, the observation of a third grade class shows that it is not always a good tool. The research found that students became more dependent on calculators for easy multiplication facts when they did not know them from memory. Whenever students knew all basic computations, the students only used the calculator to check work; it became a sort of a game for the students to use a calculator that way. Having students check work also gives the students direct feedback into how much he or she knows about the certain math problem. As I read this article, I could not have agreed more. I always felt that students should know basic facts by heart. It makes computing more abstract problems like algebra and geometry easier. From my experiences in the classroom, I see that most struggling students are always grabbing for the calculator to work out problems like 12+5. In that case, the students would need to work on basic facts so he or she will have more ease on mathematics. I feel that students need to know these basic skills to become a better person and easier to be employed.

I also think that using calculators for immediate feedback is imperative for some learners. With a class of 25 students, the teacher can not stop and grade 25 math problems instantly. One thing that I would stress to students is that it is an aide not an answer provider.

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