When I was growing up, programmable calculators were allowed in math class, but not required. Even so, I was the only kid in my class without one. (They were expensive then.) I failed every test, both because the work was difficult without all the formulas saved, and because the problems were complicated enough that I never had time to finish.
The school I taught in was rural and poor. Part of my budget was for calculators, so I had enough TR99’s and the school issued chromebooks for each student to use. My students would moan and groan about not getting to use a calculator, but they quickly understood why and when we would use them or not.
I wasn’t a tyrant about using them. Sometimes, those magic devices made complex tasks far more approachable and teachable. But you need a good basic foundation to get the best out of them.
When I was growing up, programmable calculators were allowed in math class, but not required. Even so, I was the only kid in my class without one. (They were expensive then.) I failed every test, both because the work was difficult without all the formulas saved, and because the problems were complicated enough that I never had time to finish.
The school I taught in was rural and poor. Part of my budget was for calculators, so I had enough TR99’s and the school issued chromebooks for each student to use. My students would moan and groan about not getting to use a calculator, but they quickly understood why and when we would use them or not.
I wasn’t a tyrant about using them. Sometimes, those magic devices made complex tasks far more approachable and teachable. But you need a good basic foundation to get the best out of them.