4Real Forums: Calculators !!!

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Topic: Calculators !!!

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Donna
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Posted: Dec 20 2005 at 5:20am \| IP Logged

Do you let your children use calculators while working their math problems? Jackson is using Saxon 87 and is really doing well. Math has always been very easy for him. Lately, he wants to use a calculator, just to get finished quicker, and I don't know how much I should allow him to use it. My girls never used one.

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mom3aut1not
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Joined: May 21 2005
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Posted: Dec 20 2005 at 10:20pm \| IP Logged

Donna,

I generally don't let my kids use a calculator until I am sure they know the arithmetic algorithms. Once those are solid, I am happy to let them use a calculator. However, much of Saxon 87 might be unnecessary if a student can use a calculator.

In Christ,
Deborah

Mary G
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Posted: Dec 21 2005 at 6:27am \| IP Logged

I had the older kids come and ask when they wanted to use the calculator on some of the problems -- some it doesn't make sense NOT to use a calculator. As Deborah mentioned, as long as they knew the concepts and could do the manipulation of numbers on a "small" problem, than I never had a problem with them using the calculator. I just didn't like them to use the calculator becuase they weren't sure on their long division or didn't want to have to do the fractions, etc.

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mathmama
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Posted: Jan 07 2006 at 8:46am \| IP Logged

I have not yet started schooling (DD is 14 months!), but I have a PhD in math and have had alot of experience teaching college aged kids. It is my opinion that calculators, in most cases, are very detrimental. I never used them and found that I had a much better foundation than my fellow students who did use calculators. Students that I taught that had used calculators in high school often had lost the ability (or more accurately the confidence) to think about a problem before just blindly referring to the calculator. That is not to say that they can't be used well, but I will say this, it is my opinion you lose nothing by not using them but you could lose alot by using them. Just my two cents.

ALmom
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Posted: Jan 07 2006 at 4:48pm \| IP Logged

We did not let our dd use a calculator in Math and found out on the PSAT that calculators were allowed. I wish we had been able to do a crash course a little sooner so she would have gotten a feel for when to use one and when not. It put her a little at a disadvantage on the timed test. I still do not regret not letting them use calculators for daily work or tests. I just wish we had planned a bit and had a few lessons and some practice on using one a month or so before the PSAT test.

Janet

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