8/14/2019 Calculators for all?
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Student Name: Thomas GroveI.D. Number: 22661727Programme: PGCE
(Primary)
Calculators for all?
WILLIAMS, H.J. and THOMPSON, I (2003) Calculators for all? IN:
THOMPSON, I. ed., EnhancingPrimary Mathematics Teaching,
Maidenhead: Open University Press, 153-168.
Before:
I personally believe that there is a place for calculators
within primary mathematics education,however, I think this should
be restricted, or at least extensively monitored until Key Stage 2,
asused responsibly calculators can be used as a invaluable teaching
aid. I believe that during Key
Stage 1 the emphasise of teaching and learning should be placed
on childrens numerical knowledgeand understanding, which in turn
can be built upon in Key Stage 2 with the introduction
ofcalculators. I also believe that introduced during Key Stage 1,
calculators could be a distraction, withchildren becoming highly
dependent on them, thus impairing the previously mentioned
numerical
knowledge and understanding.
After:
Twenty years after the appearance of Girlings article1 a
Numeracy Task Force wasestablished by the Secretary of State for
Education and Employment, David Blunkett, to
develop a national strategy to raise standards in order to reach
the Governments nationalNumeracy targets by 2002 (DfEE, 1998: 4).
Included in this brief was a request to look atthe calculator
issue.
(Williams & Thompson, 2003: 153)
It seems a long passage of time passed before any official
stance on the place of calculators withinprimary mathematics
education was released, and even then this was only a request to
look at the
calculator issue (Williams & Thompson, 2003). This less than
confident stance furthers the notionthat the Government, namely the
Secretary of State for Education and Employment at the time,David
Blunkett, are not completely in agreement over the issue.
After reading this article I was amazed at the amount of
contradictory advice from Governmentreleases, such as, The
Framework for Teaching Mathematics from Reception to Year 6, that
suggestthat they (calculators) offer a unique way of learning about
numbers and the number system, placevalue, properties of numbers,
and fractions and decimals (DfEE, 1999). However, this
favourable
stance towards calculators in primary mathematics education is
later completely contradicted withthe statement schools should not
normally use the calculator as part of Key Stage 1 mathematics,but
should emphasise oral and mental calculation (DfEE, 1999), a
position previously adoptedpersonally.
The research presented within this extract is extremely
convincing and, after unravelling theenormous amount of
contradiction surrounding the issue, puts forward an excellent and
compellingargument for the introduction of calculators through both
Key Stage 1 and 2. Any issues raised
personally, relating to calculators becoming a distraction and
children becoming highly dependenton them, are dealt with in a
clear and concise manner with relevant and appropriate research
to
substantiate any claim made.
References
DfEE (DEPARTMENT FOR EDUCATION AND EMPLOYMENT) (1998) Numeracy
Matters: ThePreliminary Report of the Numeracy Task Force, London:
DfEE.
DfEE (DEPARTMENT FOR EDUCATION AND EMPLOYMENT) (1999) Framework
for TeachingMathematics from Reception to Year 6, London: DfEE.
GIRLING, M.S. (1977) Towards a definition of basic Numeracy.
Mathematics Teaching, 81, 4-5.
1Defining basic numeracy as the ability to use a four function
calculator sensibly (Girling, 1977).
Mathematics Directed Activity 3. 1.
