Computation vs. Calculator

There are those who feel that the use of calculators make students dependent on them so they never learn the basic facts. There are others who maintain that calculators are necessary as a time-saver and for those with disabilities who cannot learn math facts and computation skills. But having a successful middle school math program actually depends on a healthy balance between the two: computation and calculator.

As students start to solve higher level math problems, using a calculator allows them to do it faster. They can effectively perform and learn the steps required in the math problem without getting bogged down in the sometimes laborious task of computation.

On the other hand, students who don't regularly use their computation skills, sometimes lose some or all of them. Most middle school math curriculums don't come with computation exercises. Teachers who choose to include this piece usually do so with a daily drill or problems of the day at the beginning of the class. My favorite resource for this is the A.D.D. (Arithemetic Daily Developed)series by Cuisenaire. These small practice sheets give three mental math questions, a word problem, and several review problems. The drill sheets are based on NCTM standards. I have seens students'abilities and test scores improve as a direct result of using this resource.

I recently posted a poll where I surveyed about the importance of learning basic facts. Even though there were few responders, they both answered that it is very important for students to learn basic facts. I agree wholeheartedly--students who know the basic facts and can perform computation problems acurately will have more options in life and will do better in math overall.

But when you teach math to middle schoolers, the stark reality is that some of them have not learned the basic facts. This could be for a number of reasons: poor memory, gaps due to moving or truancy, immaturity, poor educational practices, lack of support for learning...and the list goes on.

Middle school math teachers and especially title I and special ed remedial math teachers must decide how much time to spend on basic computation and how often to allow calculators. Some students who don't seem to have the capability of remembering math facts are able to reason and problem solve because they understand math concepts. These students should be encouraged to use the "tools" they need. The danger of focusing only on math facts computation is that students view the exercises as drudgery and may not achieve success, whereas they may enjoy some other aspects of the math curriculum.

So like all aspects of life, we must seek a balance. Computation and calculator useage are both necessary to help students to learn and improve.