The Calculator: An instrument of math destruction?

This is a guest post from Joshua Foster, one of my speech students this past year. He originally presented this as a speech and I really liked what he had to say and asked him to turn it into a blog post. Enjoy!

In an age where technology can be found everywhere, it is not hard to find useful applications of technological advances. However, not all of these changes are for the better. Integration of calculators into classroom settings has been one major challenge facing the world, and more directly, the United States. When is the proper time to introduce children to calculators?

The answer can be derived easier through the use of an analogy.

When a child is taught to walk, he is placed on his feet and shown how to take his first steps. Then, given that there are not any disabilities, he continues practicing until he has both mastered walking and is able to extend it into running. It is not until much later that he is given a tool to make mobility easier. These tools come in the form of bikes and cars. If the child were to be given a car before he could walk, it would severely limit both his mobility and his access to various locations, since he would only be able to travel main roads.

Similarly, a student is taught first to count. When he is able to count fluently he then learns to add and subtract these numbers. These basics must be drilled, and each set of problems memorized before he can progress further.

Once adding and subtracting have been mastered, he can be taught sequences of adding called multiplication and then, inversely, division. Once multiplication and division are mastered, the child is given a tool to enhance their capability and make the processes easier and faster. Unless these fundamentals are taught in order and in proper depth, though, the child will be severely impaired when trying to apply these basics to more advanced thinking and problem solving.

David Gelernter  (see footnote for article referenced) quotes the principal from a school in Kentucky, saying “Drilling addition and subtraction in an age of calculators is a waste of time”. This school’s scores on computation tests have subsequently dropped ten percent.

Gelernter then continues to quote a Japanese professor “Calculators are not used in elementary or junior high school because the primary emphasis is on helping students develop their mental abilities.”  Is it purely coincidental then that Japan’s 4th and 8th grade test scores are among the highest in the world (Brunette)? The different test results are derived from different teaching styles. Japanese students master fundamentals and then are taught to apply them in various forms, whereas American students are given a calculator and expected to figure out application themselves.

If this is the case, then is it strategic to ban usage of calculators from school in general? According to Waylon Brunette, “Calculators should only be allowed on a regular basis in elementary schools after the student has mastered the basics”.

Elementary school might still be early for students to use calculators, however. Calculators may serve better if they are only used during situations requiring integration of the basics in a more advanced scenario.  If a student is in the middle of a complex algebra problem and finds himself needing to accomplish long division, he would have to break his thought process, complete the calculation, and then attempt to regain his thought-process. This is where a calculator can reach its full potential. It allows a student to apply a concept he has already mastered into a problem much faster and more precise than he could have originally. This enables the student to progress further and faster than without the calculator.

Since calculators are a very useful tool in advanced math, why is it that they are so harmful when learning the basics? Brunette explains this phenomena in great detail: “Students become dependent on their calculators and have difficulty doing math problems when they don’t have a calculator available… students leave as much as work as possible for the calculator… skills learned through practice in the lower grades are no longer being carried through by the student into college level math. This makes math more challenging for students later on because they do not possess the natural intuition and skills needed to approach a hard symbolic problem.”

These hard symbolic problems require more than the answers to addition or multiplication problems. They require an understanding of the basics and an ability to integrate those basics into more complex scenarios. It would be equivalent to showing a child a video of a virtuoso pianist, and then expecting that child to be able to play the same piece the same way. This expectation is completely unrealistic and embarrassing. In order to succeed at anything, whether mathematics or the piano, one must first understand the basics and drill them.

Every student is different, and from these differences a difficulty in finding teaching patterns arises. There is no way to create a course that is perfect for every student that will take it. Calculators have served to inflame this problem further. With the integration of calculators into grade schools to replace the basics, the teacher has not only attempted to bring every student’s mathematical thinking and competency in the class to the same level, but also that of every student in every grade using calculators.

If this trend is allowed to continue, it could bring about disastrous results as the next generations grow older, mentally unprepared.

Works Cited:

Waylon Brunette’s article “Computers in Education”

Gelernter, David. “Computers Cannot Teach Children Basic Skills.” in The Bedford Guide for College Writers. Ed. X. J. Kennedy, Dorothy M. Kennedy, and Marcia F. Muth.

What makes a great teacher?

What makes a great teacher? With Teacher Appreciation Day falling this week, I decided to ask a number of people who their favorite teachers were and why. I asked family, friends and the Work At Home Moms Google + community I belong to. The people who responded were of all ages – some were at school a long time ago, but still had memories of their favorite teacher.

The answers fell into 3 main categories:

1. Great teachers care about their students

 

My favorite teacher was my German teacher. Her teaching style wasn’t amazing BUT we all knew she cared about each of us as people. While I was at college, I would go back and visit her during summer vacations. Here is what other people had to say.

Jennifer F shared: “A great teacher is one who takes the time to really know your child, what makes them tick, their interests and worries.”

Jessica K’s favorite teacher was one of her college art professors because “he cares so deeply about his students and invests in who they are as people and doing that creates better students and better artists.”

Stephen T chose his math teacher: “He took me ahead in math, teaching me separately to the rest of the class, taking extra time to prepare lessons, tests and do marking (‘grading’ in American English) for me, and as we got closer to my exams he gave me extra lessons during his free time at school.”

And Jenna R summed it up by saying, “My favorite teachers are the ones that saw my interests and used them to help me grow academically.”

2. Great teachers make learning fun

 

Chloe T picked her science teacher and had this to say:” I loved him because he understood children and the way we think. Some days he would just tell a joke for the whole lesson instead of teaching. He was hilarious, and made every single lesson fun, no matter if you liked science, or not. “

Yelena M chose her 6th grade teacher because “she was fun and very on it. She was
strict but maintained a level of likeability. She pushed you really hard. High standards but not rude if you weren’t doing well.”

Stephen L’s favorite was his English teacher  because “she was a wonderful teacher, and always had fun and educational classes.”

Lydia M’s said this about her 3rd grade teacher: “She had fun lessons and she was super awesome.  She made learning more fun. I knew she cared about me. It was like she wasn’t just my teacher, she was my friend too.”

Josh W loved his 5th grade teacher who “thought outside the box and engaged us and let us learn in a different way.”

3. Great teachers get students to do their best

 

Photo by Jose Kevo

Jackie L said : “My favorite teacher was the one who inspired me to learn more about what I was interested in. She also encouraged me to keep learning even when things were hard for me, she made sure I knew I could do anything I set my mind to. “

Sabrina T : “My favorite teacher was my choir teacher, who celebrated being different, had high expectations of every single one of us, was demanding of our best, but also treated us as friends before or after class.  Many of us stayed friends with him for years after graduation.”

Rachel V loved her 7th grade teacher ”probably because she saw each students’ individual potential and expected nothing less from us”.

If your children have a special teacher this year – encourage them to show their appreciation this week. Great teachers, who embody the characteristics mention here, end up putting in much more time into their job than they are paid for. They do it because the students matter to them. This week show these great teachers that they matter to you.

And please share in the comments who your favorite teacher was, and why.

Disclaimer – the ‘I love my teacher’  and ‘Peace, Love Teacher’ images are from Cafe Press and do contain my affiliate link. This a great place to buy cool products for a favorite teacher!

Science Fair Projects: Tips to do your best

Today we have a guest blogger, Madeline Binder, who has years of experience with science fairs. If your children have taken part in one, please share their experiences in the comments below.

There is a lot of pressure on today’s kids to be the best, whether it is the best in sports, the best in academics or the best in some other skill. While this demand for being the best can be overwhelming to many students and deplete their enjoyment of their school years, science fair projects can be used to give kids the chance to develop their science skills and their desire to be the best scientist that they can be in a very fun way. To help students do well in a science fair a few simple concepts need to be integrated into their project.

Innovation

One of the most important characteristics that science fair judges look for in winning science fair projects is innovation. Innovation is important in science fair projects because it is the driving force behind the science industry. Innovation in science fair projects can be demonstrated through unique takes on common science fair project topics, through unusual project topics and through creative experiment designs. Think out of the box!

Topical

Another important characteristic that science fair judges want is a topical project. To be topical a science fair project has to explore something that is relevant to today’s issues. Projects that explore out-dated or overworked science topics that have little impact on modern life are not going to be scored as well as projects that explore topics and science concepts that have a large impact on modern life. Example: global warming, global water supply, energy conservation.

Valuable

The value of the science fair project will also impact the score that a project receives from science fair judges. Value can be based on a number of factors including relevance to modern problems, the discoveries that were made by the student and the implications that are drawn from the project. To get the best score possible students need to make sure that their project contributes something to some field within the science community.

Complete

While all of the above characteristics will improve a student’s chances creating a winning project, your project must include all the 6-steps of the scientific method. A complete science fair project will have a well defined hypothesis, an experiment design that tests specifically for the variables identified in the hypothesis, results will need to be collected and analyzed and conclusions will need to be drawn. Furthermore, the project will need a well designed display board that clearly details the progression and findings of your experiment.

The Step-by-Step Infographic Cheat Sheet outlines every step you will need to do a winning project.

Conclusion

Winning at the science fair may not provide students with an automatic get into college free pass, however, it provides them with a prize that is far more valuable. Just doing a science fair project will teach you a process that you will be able to incorporate throughout your life: encouragement to continue the development of your science skills, spurs on your thirst for knowledge, ignites your competitive nature and it provides you with the confidence required to reach for their dreams.

Madeline Binder, often referred to as the SciFairLady, has been helping kids complete a successful science fair project since 2004.

Main Photo by C.C. from Flickr courtesy of terren in Virginia 

Will Knowing Become Obsolete?

The man who dreamed up the Hole in the Wall project

Image courtesy of Campuspartybrasil.

When you think about the future of education, have you ever considered that ‘knowing’ could become obsolete? This is one of the startling statements Dr. Sugata Mitra makes in his riveting TED talk.

Dr. Sugata Mitra won the TED2013 TED Prize of the year because of his vision for a new type of learning – one where teachers ‘let learning happen’ and then stand back and encourage and praise as it does. This vision was born out of Hole-in-the-Wall experiments he did with children in the slums and rural areas of India – children who could not speak English and had never seen a computer. He left them with a computer (built as a kiosk into a wall) for a few months and on returning discovered they had achieved what most of us would think was impossible. They learned English in order to operate the computer and through trial and error learned how it worked.

He also learned the importance of ‘grannies’ in education – they don’t need to be literal grannies, though those are very successful, but they do need to apply the ‘granny’ technique of admiring and encouraging the work of children as the children teach themselves.

This is a video you need to watch – it will probably be the most exciting 15 minutes of your day. My daughter sent me the link and called it ‘incredible’. She was right. So here it is. I look forward to hearing what you think about it in the comments below.

So, what do you think? I am excited and definitely plan on implementing the SOLE system both in my home and in the classroom. Will you try it? You can download the SOLE Toolkit here.

Let me know your thoughts in the comments.

Time for Learning: A review

I’ve been invited to try Time4Learning for one month in exchange for a candid review. My opinion will be entirely my own, so be sure to come back and read about my experience. Time4Learning can be used as a homeschool curriculum, for afterschool enrichment and for summer skill sharpening. Find out how to write your own curriculum review for Time4Learning.

Well – here is my review – at last! Life has been busy and I struggled to find time to actually try out this program (no pun intended).

If your children enjoy using the computer for learning, this could be a great fit for them. Not only can they learn new material, but they can also check they have remembered and understood the material by taking quizzes and playing games.

 

Time4Learning offers courses in Math, English, Science, Social Sciences and now also Art. You can select the grade level as well as the subject.

 

And you can see how your child is progressing by looking at their portfolio. As all the grading is done instantly, you don’t have to do anything but check on their progress and you can assign extra practice in areas they are struggling.

Is this program right for your children? That depends on how they enjoy learning. My children prefer books, in particular ‘living books’ so this isn’t the best fit for us but I can see that this could be perfect for many families. I suggest you view a demo to see for yourself. Here is an example of part of a learning session for science:

The program costs $19.95 per month (additional $14.95 for additional children) and you get all the subjects on offer available for that price. You pay per month – no contracts – so it isn’t a big risk to try it out for a month. After you have been on the program for one month you also get access to an online Art Program from Creativity Express. My daughter did this program a few years ago and LOVED it. It combines art history, art theory and the chance to actually ‘do’ art either online or offline. It has cute animations and really is very engaging and informative.

If this review has piqued your interest, hop on over to Time4Learning.com and take a look around. And if you are a Time4Learning user, please leave a comment about how you like the program.

10 New Year’s Resolutions for Teachers

New Years Day

These resolutions are for each and every person who has the privilege of being a teacher in some way – whether you are a teacher in a school, or at a club for kids or a ’24/7 teacher’ i.e. a parent.

1. Make Education Fun

Need ideas? Well, that’s what this blog is for. In my years of teaching both my own kids and groups of kids and have noticed that when they are enjoying themselves they remember what they are taught without even trying. And, I like having fun and I like watching kids having fun. Works all round!

2. Make Education Relevant

How often did you sit in class wondering why on earth you had to learn something? Make sure your students know why you are teaching them what you are. Make it applicable.

3. Teach children to teach themselves

This is a biggie! Don’t spoon feed.Yes, I know it is quicker but if you keep providing all the answers, how will children ever develop into lifelong learners? Don’t be afraid you will make yourself redundant – they will still need advice and someone to bounce ideas off of.

4. Challenge your students

I see mediocrity in most students I come into contact with. And it makes me sad. I know each child has so much potential but they need someone to nurture it and encourage it. On the other hand I have seen ‘average’ students achieve amazing things when their teacher, coaches or parents believed in them.

5. Be passionate about what you teach

Recently I watched a 60 Minutes segment where author David McCullough suggested people who want to be teachers should rather study the subjects they are passionate about than study how to teach. And I agree. If you love a subject you will most probably convey your excitement to your students. I won’t teach anything I can’t get excited about.

6. Allow each child to be an individual

A 17 year old student, Nikhil Goyal, has just published a book titled “One Size Does Not Fit All” about how the American education system is churning out ‘cogs’ to fit into the ‘machine’ of our society. I haven’t read the book yet, but I do agree with his premise that we should see the uniqueness in each student and encourage each one to walk their own path.

7. Encourage creativity

This takes time. It is far quicker to just tell kids exactly what to do. And some students will be scared to break away from the mold and do something different from their peers. So you will need to encourage and praise and foster each little spark. But do it. It is so worth it.

8. Remember – what we are doing matters

New Year’s Day is a good day to reflect on the fact that what we are doing is very very important. We are not teaching so that students can pass a test and move on to the next grade. We are preparing them for life. And the future. Do your best so that they will be the best they can be.

9. Keep learning yourself

It is so important that you both keep up to date with what is new in your field, and also that you get re-inspired on a regular basis. I know this is hard to do. But make the time and your students will benefit.

10. Have fun!

I know this was also number 1 on my list … but to me this is such a key concept that I need to be doubly resolved to be sure teaching and learning is as much fun as it can be!

 

I didn’t include ‘love your students’ on this list as I hope that everyone who does teach, really does love their students. If you don’t, none of the above will be easy to do because your heart won’t be in it.

Any extra resolutions you can add to this list?

Funglish: A Fun Guess-the-Word Board Game

 

How good are you at giving clues? And at guessing them? Funglish is a really fun word game that gives you a chance to try your hand at both.

Players take it in turns to take a card with 6 different terms listed on it. They have a 3 minutes to describe as many of those words as possible using the words provided on 120 different tiles. These word tiles are adjectives and nouns that put together well can lead the guessers to the correct term – or not! The player who is providing the clues selects relevant words and puts the on the board under the headings ‘Definitely’, ‘Kind of’ and ‘Not’.

For example, to describe the word ‘kitten’, a player could select ‘small’ and ‘furry’ and put that under ‘Definitely’ and select ‘scaly’ to put under ‘Not’.

The player providing the clues scores a point for every word that is guessed. The successful guesser also scores a point.

As everyone guesses simultaneously it means everyone is playing simultaneously. No boring waiting for your turn to come around. It is fast-paced and SO much fun. We played it with 6 people ages 12 to adult and it took us about an hour for everyone to have 2 turns at giving the clues.

The game can be bought at Amazon and possibly also at local stores. If you have played it, let us know in the comments what you thought of it.

Printable Christmas Games and Activities


Printable Christmas games for all the family

As I teach a number of middle and high school classes and am a volunteer 4-H leader, I am always on the look out for good printable games. I was pleased to get the chance to review a huge pack of 60 Printable Christmas games.

Not all the games are suitable for children and teens, but a good number are. What I like about this set is that there is a nice variety of different types of games. I teach a 5th-8th grade class at a homeschool co op which is titled “Dynamic Detectives”. I find fun activities for them to do that involve some kind of critical thinking. Last week I selected 2 activities from this pack of Christmas printables for the class and the students really enjoyed both of them. For both they were divided into teams of 4.

Christmas Dinner Spot The Difference Game
Firstly, they were given 2 Christmas dinner scenes and they had to find the 12 differences between the pictures. Only 2 of the 6 teams found all 12 ie this was a reasonable challenging exercise and tested how carefully they paid attention to details.

Secondly, they played a ‘Pictionary’ type game. Each team received a stack of cards with fun Christmas related phrases on them. Instead of just having terms that everyone expects eg Santa Clause, this one has a twist and has items like ‘An elf on a skateboard’. The kids LOVED it and every team was laughing and having a lot of fun. Their powers of deduction came into play as they tried to guess what their team mate was drawing.

Other items in this Christmas activity pack include a variety of match up worksheets with Christmas themes (Christmas movies, Bible trivia, Frosty the Snowman trivia etc), Christmas-themed Mad Libs and even Christmas Paper Dolls. Many of these will be great to use in classrooms, but there are also some activities which are perfect for families and group Christmas parties. Some will be perfect to play on Christmas Day round the dinner table, or to decide who gets to clean up after the meal! Very creative ideas – and many that I have never comes across before.

The whole pack costs $19.95, though you can also buy the individual games. The pack comes as a group of pdfs which makes the activities really easy to print off and they will be easy to re-use year after year. You can purchase them from Python Games.

I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

The Nutcracker Music Game Review and Giveaway


The Nutcracker Music Game has been around for a few years. I discovered it shortly after we started homeschooling and was very excited about the concept. Imagine a CD Rom game which uses the music and story of the Nutcracker Suite to teach children about music!

So often I read about a something that sounds amazing and then when we actually get the item, I find it disappointing. This didn’t happen, however, with The Nutcracker Music Game. If anything it was actually better than I imagined.

And now, receiving the latest version to review, I played it myself, instead of watching my kids play. Here are my impressions.

1. You will get familiar with the music of the Nutcracker Suite

So many of the games used the music as part of the game, and you can also choose to listen to whole pieces. If you play the whole game, you will know the music. Impossible not to.

2. You will learn to identify musical sounds

A number of the games require you to identify which instruments are playing or to match the music to an identical piece of music. Great ear training.

3. You will be challenged

Well, maybe not if you are a musician, but otherwise you will be. I struggled as the levels got harder and had to concentrate, listen a second and a third time and really persevere to get through levels.

4. You will have fun

Yes, it meets that criterion too. It is definitely fun. It is not just an educational exercise. It really is a game. The graphics are bright and cute and the whole experience is enjoyable.

This game could be played by any age but the style of graphics lends it to elementary age children (though my middle schoolers played it too). This game has won numerous awards over the years – and it is well-deserving of them all.

Here is a preview of the game:


 

And as a special for all my blog readers, you can buy this game now at a 40% discount if you click through here. This makes great Christmas gift or just buy it for your children to play over the Christmas season. Try and take them to a live performance of the Nutcracker Suite – I know we have one running in our town at present.

You can also enter our contest which lasts until December 8, 2012, and you will stand a chance to win a copy.
a Rafflecopter giveaway


Let me know in the comments if your kids enjoy playing it!

I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

Did Wordsworth write this with Black Friday in mind?

Black Friday and Cyber Monday. Shoppers. Crowds. Money. Spending.

I was reflecting on the craziness of our culture where people will stand in lines for hours to get slightly better deals than usual. When people will spend because they feel they would be losing out on a bargain if they didn’t.

And then Wordsworth’s sonnet came to my mind

And it struck me what a great time of year this is with these two crazy shopping days – and the Christmas shopping rush now around the corner – to study this poem with middle or high schoolers.

Read it to them. Discuss the form of the poem. But mostly discuss its theme. Wordsworth wrote so long ago about “Getting and spending”. It’s as if he could see our world of today. It’s interesting to think that while we do not think of his generation as being materialistic, it is obvious that the problem of the “too much with us” has been here since time began. Challenge your students to consider whether they, like the the people Wordsworth is writing to, have given their hearts away.

If you do this, let me know how it goes in the comments.

Main photo courtesy of tshein from Flickr.

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