NUMERICAL LITERACY

TUTORIAL 2.2

QUESTION

• Physical manipulative materials such as counters are commonly used to promote the learning of computation among primary school children. In recent years, the advancement in computer technology has resulted in the creation of virtual manipulative materials that can be seen and manipulated on a computer screen.

• Compare and contrast the effectiveness of using virtual manipulative materials and physical manipulative materials in the teaching and learning computation among primary school children.

COMPUTER / TECHNOLOGY TEACHING

PHYSICAL MANIPULATIVE MATERIALS

The materials

FingersSweetsCakes

Tamarind seedsAbacus

Any possible ABM

Identify appropriate and inappropriate uses of calculator and computer in the teaching of

computation among primary school children.

The advantage of calculator and computer

• Calculators and computers allow the students access to mathemathical concepts and experiences from which they were previously limited with only paper and pencil.

• In the past, paper and pencil were only the tools available. Appropriate use of technology and associated pedagogy will get more students thinking and reasoning mathemathically. Thus more people will develop usefull mathemathical understanding and mathemathical power.

• Calculators and computers eliminate much of that work, considered to be advanced techonological tools that are welcomed into classrooms.

• They are small enough to carry in a pocket, purse, or backpack.

• The use of calculators and computers simply allows teachers and students to spend more time on the non- computational parts of the problem solving process.

• Several investigation and studies have proven that calculators and computers are use makes students more confident about their mathemathical ability and the work they are doing.

• Allow students to become more active learners.

• Rather than just sitting back and passivelly accepthing the examples given by the teacher, students encouraged to develop their own examples and formulate their own hypothesis.

• Also promotes group work and communication among peers and classmates and subsequently the exchangeof ideas.

• Not necessary to memorize the rules and formulas.

• Calculate in several minutes and many sheets of notebook paper before can now be executed with the touch of a botton.

Inappropriate uses of calculator and computer

• Students use calculators because they are too lazy to compute the answers on their own, calculators and computers do the work for the student.

• The use of calculators prevents students from effectively learning the basic mathemathics they will need when they enter the workforce.

• Students will become so depend on calculators and computers.

• Because calculators do all of the work for the student, he/she will not be stimulated or challeged enough.

10 Q