Calculators in the IMP Classroom

Technology in Society and Education

The world in which we live is becoming increasingly more technological:

Today, real people in real situations regularly put finger to button and make critical decisions about which buttons to press, not where and how to carry threes into hundreds columns. We understand that this change is on the order of magnitude of the outhouse to indoor plumbing in terms of comfort and convenience, and of the sundial to digital timepieces in terms of accuracy and accessibility.¹

Our students are headed for a job market powered by computer systems, electronic spreadsheets, numerical analyses, and computer graphics packages. It is important that they enter the world with both technological and problem-solving confidence. Today's programmable calculators are, in fact, hand-held computers.

Technology is not only an essential tool in the world of work, but it has also opened new horizons for mathematics education. The graphing calculator expedites numerical computation, graphing, matrix manipulation, statistical analysis, and many other mathematical processes, allowing students to examine and analyze mathematical topics at a deeper level.

Mathematics has traditionally been a filter in the education process, eliminating students based solely on their level of computational proficiency. The calculator helps remove that filter, breaking down the barriers to mathematical understanding and allowing students to investigate numerical patterns, efficiently test strategies, and explore the "whys." IMP does not propose abandoning computation, but instead encourages students to use the particular computational method--such as mental computation, calculator computation, or estimation--that they consider most useful for the problem being solved.

Calculators Always Available

Each IMP student should have a graphing calculator within arm's reach at all times during class. At all times means just that! For the calculator to be a natural tool for doing mathematics, the student must make the decision as to when to use it. It is not up to the teacher to decide "Today is a calculator day," or "They should not need to use calculators today." You will often be pleasantly surprised by when and how often the students reach for the calculator! Homework assignments and POWs do not require the use of a programmable graphing calculator, but students are expected to have a scientific calculator for home use. You may want to check out graphing calculators to students for home use occasionally, either for special projects or if they simply want to learn more about them.

What about Computers?

The Interactive Mathematics Program decided early in its work that it wanted every student always to have a powerful technological tool at hand. Economic realities led to the decision to build the curriculum around graphing calculators rather than computers. Thus, there are no activities in the program that require the use of a computer. There are many activities in which computer programs can provide valuable enrichment; schools that have computer labs can supplement the program with appropriate software.

¹ Leinwant, Steve, "It's time to Abandon Computational Algorithms,"Education Week, February 9, 1994.