SEPTEMBER 2022 MONTHLY NEWSLETTER Vol 1 Issue 1

WHAT'S IN THIS
Ms.
MONTH'S ISSUE:
Cover/First Page
Welcome

Draugelis' The Debate

Second Page
The debate

Classroom
Pros/cons
NCTM's thoughts
Third page
My perspective

News How It will be Used

Fourth Page
Examples
Games to try at home
Sources

WELCOME BACK!!!
Hello families! We have been working

hard these last few weeks, getting back

Into the swing of things :) We have

wrapped up our lesson on ordinal

numbers first through twentieth! We

are now starting adding and subtracting

numbers within 20! to start, we will be

using mental strategies BUT will be

Integrating calculator use as well!

Calculators?? YEP! Included In this

newsletter Is research on the benefits of

calculator usage In the classroom and

my opinion on why!
Please don't hesitate to reach out If you

have any questions! THE DEBATE: CALCULATORS? OR NO

CALCULATORS?
There are conflicting perspectives on

whether or not students should be allowed to

use calculators In the classroom! Those who

are all for calculators In the classroom say

that It; allows students more time on

understanding, less time on calculating,

students are able to develop better number

sense, and that It decreases the amount of

students who get frustrated which Increases

more students to enjoy math!

 Those who are against It say; students

lose the ability to perform basic

problems without a calculator,

students won't grasp the actual

understanding of which method to use

and why, and It may give students

false confidence.
(Education World)

NCTM'S THOUGHTS
Who Is NCTM? NCTM stands for

the National Council of Teachers

of Mathematics. They are the

world's largest mathematics

education organization.
NCTM's thoughts on the calculator

use In elementary school debate

may surprise you! They believe

that "when calculators are

effectively used to support

problem solving, they enable

students to engage with cognitively

rich problems that dress

explorations of patterns and

relationships" (NCTM) .
They do not believe the use of

calculators will be used as a crutch

for students but rather a tool that

can strengthen students love and

Interest for mathematics!

 MY PERSPECTIVE
I can see both sides to this debate! I felt

like I was biased based on how I grew

up In school - no calculators allowed! I

want students to be able to figure out

solutions not using a calculator, to not

have It as a crutch In their learning! But

on that same note, we ALL use

calculators on a daily basis! I know I use

one to calculate my tip when I'm at a

restaurant, to quickly figure out

dimensions for a home project, etc! I

think It's so beneficial for students to

use one In their daily learning as a tool!

It also decreases all of their stresses and

frustrations! I think that Is one of the

most Important parts; cutting down on

the frustration! Students will be less

likely to shutdown!
I believe giving students to opportunity

to use calculators and collaborate on

different methods and strategies that

HOW WE WILL USE THEM
work best will definitely get them ready

In our classroom, I plan on providing

for real-world scenarios!

each student a calculator to use during

class! They will use them daily and we

will start my practicing how to properly

use them and care for them! I don't

want my students to forgot the mental

math strategies we have learned, so I

plan on teaching them that sometimes,

that Is the fast way to solve problems!

We will use calculators as more of a tool

to check our answers! I want my

students collaborating and working

together to find solutions and more

effective ways to getting an answer

using the calculators! Learning with

peers Is also very effective In their

learning as well!
 EXAMPLES AND GAME TO TRY AT HOME!

Play Beat the Calculator! You can use this with addition, subtraction, multiplication,

and division! This Is great mental practice AND calculator practice! This game Is a 3

player game, can be adjusted to more or less as needed. One person will be "the brain:,

one person will be "the calculator", and the other person, "the ref"! The ref will give

the problem that needs to be solved, will It be the brain or the calculator that solves It

first??

Calculator riddles! Each card has a riddle along with an equation for students to Input!

Once they've completed the equation, they will flip their calculator and the answer to

the riddle will be revealed!

SOURCES:
 EDUCATION WORLD: THE EDUCATOR’S BEST FRIEND. “EDUCATORS

BATTLE OVER CALCULATOR USE: BOTH SIDES CLAIM CASUALTIES.”

 NATIONAL COUNCIL OF TEACHERS OF MATHEMATICS. “OVERVIEW.”

2015. WEB. JUNE 2022

 NATIONAL COUNCIL OF TEACHERS OF MATHEMATICS. “CALCULATOR

USE IN ELEMENTARY GRADES.” 2015. WEB. JUNE 2022

TEACHERSPAYTEACHERS "CALCULATOR PRACTICE" 2017 WEB. JUNE 2022
TEACHERSPAYTEACHERS "BEAT THE CALCULATOR" 2017 WEB JUNE 2022