Posted in Math videos, Mathematics education

Should we do away with calculation?

We don’t need to spend much time with calculation. Technology can do that for us. We can use the extra time saved for engaging in ‘higher-level’ thinking. Mr. Conrad Wolfram in his TEd Education Talk makes a lot of sense in this video. But, I have my reservations but not because I’m for teaching a lot of calculations.

We also said the same during the era of calculator. Did it improve the math education of our youth? So, what makes us think it will happen in the age of Mathematica, GeoGebra, Sketchpad? There is something in our math classes or math education that’s stuck in the middle ages, that’s not keeping with time. Unless we find and address this, no amount of technology can help us.

Posted in Algebra, Geogebra

GeoGebra, Calculator, and Mathematics

GeoGebra is a dynamic mathematics software for teaching and learning mathematics. As tool for the teaching part is pretty easy to do. But the learning part, well, that’s always been the one that is problematic, GeoGebra or not GeoGebra.

Studies about integration of technology in teaching and learning have always acknowledged that despite the availability of the technology, teaching and learning tools like GeoGebra is still not widely used in many classes even with the availability of computers for students. If ever, it’s the teacher who uses it and more often, for demonstration and sometimes ‘staged’ discovery of concepts and for visual effects  for all the students to enjoy but not to learn. I discuss my thoughts about it in my first post about GeoGebra and Mathematics.

To date, the calculator is still the undisputed teaching and learning tool in many mathematics classes. And for calculators, I can confidently claim that it is indeed both a teaching and learning tool. Students use it and can use it to investigate mathematical relationships, depending how lucky they are to have a math teacher that makes it possible. I think students use calculator not just because they know how to use it but because they understand the mathematical ideas represented by the keys. Now, if we can do the same for GeoGebra then maybe, just maybe, we can maximize its potential for facilitating mathematics learning.