MS.

OLIVER'S 1ST GRADE

CLASSROOM NEWS
Our class has been learning about the value of coins
and adding them together. The students have made
great progress, and it is now time for me to introduce
calculators. I will teach on how to use the calculators,
when to use the calculators, and the benefits of using the
calculators. The purpose of this newsletter is to discuss
the use of calculators and to share with you the debate
around using calculators. I will also share my thoughts on
the calculator debate. Thank you for taking the time to
read this newsletter!

NCTM'S STANCE ON THE CALCULATOR DEBATE

The calculator debate is about
whether calculators should be used in
classrooms or not in addition to whether
they hinder student learning or bring
conceptual benefits. The National Council
of Teaching Mathematics’ (NCTM)
position on this debate is that the
support of calculators should be
prevalent in all grades. The NCTM states
that calculators can be used to enrich
student learning of mathematical skills
as well as improving their fluency in
these skills.
 THE DEBATE ON CALCULATORS

The debate surrounding the use of calculators within math has been going
on for many years at this point. There are those who believe that using
calculators is cheating and lazy, and there are those who believe that using
calculators can enhance the learning process and further student capability.
According to an article called “Calculators OK in Math,” Bethany Rittle-
Johnson, who is an assistant professor of psychology, suggests “...it is
important children first learn how to calculate answers on their own, but
after that initial phase, using calculators is a fine thing to do, even for basic
multiplication facts...” (2008, P. 22). This is just one of many viewpoints on this
debate that was backed with evidence. There is also the point of view of
parents who ask if they should allow their child the use of a calculator while
at home because they fear it will be doing the work for their children
(Gilliland, K. 2002, P. 150). This a valid concern, especially with all the
technological advances in calculators but at point, beads on a wooden frame
was used as calculators and were a advantage in their time (Reynolds, B.,
1993, P. 219). When first invented, it is possible that these devices were also
thought of as a lazy way of doing math but as technology advances the
devices get easier and easier to use, for example, the people of that time still
had to work more for their answer while calculators do more of the work
themselves, and now there are even applications such as “PhotoMath” that
show the steps in solving equations (Webel, C., & Otten, S., 2016, P. 372). The
argument for such applications is that there is no point focusing on teaching
students to do what the application does and that they can instead look
deeper into the meaning and concepts of mathematics instead of
meaninglessly applying “’plug and chug’” (Webel, C., & Otten, S., 2016, P. 372).
Calculators can also be used as a learning tool in which they can view one
way the problem can be solved and learn from it before trying to complete a
similar problem without a step-by-step (MacDonald, L. et al., 2002, P. 37). This
calculator debate has and probably will continue to have many people for
both sides and has even caused calculators to be banned in some states and
schools (Lederman, N., & Niess, M., 2000, P. 170).
 MY STANCE ON CALCULATORS

My instructional viewpoint concerning calculators in the classroom aligns with

Bethany Rittle-Johnson’s statement in that I believe that calculators are a good
tool and can increase student interest in math but that it is best to first teach the
math using the traditional paper and pencil method before teaching with
calculators (2008, P. 22). That is why I’m introducing calculators to the students
after we have already been counting coins and their values for a while.

BELOW I HAVE PROVIDED WEEKSHEETS THAT STUDENTS CAN

WORK ON TO PRACTICE WITH AND WITHOUT A CALCULATOR

Links to the worksheets:

Worksheet page 1: https://math-salamanders.s3-us-west-
1.amazonaws.com/Money/1st-Grade/Counting-Dimes-Nickels-Pennies/counting-
nickels-and-pennies-1.pdf

Worksheet page 2: https://math-salamanders.s3-us-west-

1.amazonaws.com/Money/1st-Grade/Counting-Dimes-Nickels-Pennies/counting-
nickels-and-pennies-2.pdf

Workheet page 3: https://math-salamanders.s3-us-west-

1.amazonaws.com/Money/1st-Grade/Counting-Dimes-Nickels-Pennies/counting-
nickels-and-pennies-3.pdf

If you have any questions or may need or want more activities for calculator
practice, contact me at: faketeacheremail@school.com
 REFERENCES
Calculators OK in math. (2008). The Science Teacher
(National Science Teachers Association), 75(7), 22-
26.

Gilliland, K. (2002). Families ask. Mathematics

Teaching in the Middle School, 8(3), 150.

Lederman, N., & Niess, M. (2000). Abracadabra abacus.

School Science and Mathematics, 100(4), 169.

MacDonald, L., Vasquez, S., & Caverly, D. (2002).

Techtalk: effective technology use in
developmental mathematics. Journal of
Developmental Education, 26(2), 36-37.

Reynolds, B. (1993). The algorists vs. the abacists: an

ancient controversy on the use of calculators. The
College Mathematics Journal, 24(3), 218-223.

Webel, C., & Otten, S. (2016). Teaching in a world with

photoMath. The Mathematics Teacher, 109(5), 368-
373.