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Middle School Mathematics Teachers Learning to Teach With Calculators and Computers
Author(s) -
Bright George W.,
Prokosch Neil E.
Publication year - 1995
Publication title -
school science and mathematics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.135
H-Index - 2
eISSN - 1949-8594
pISSN - 0036-6803
DOI - 10.1111/j.1949-8594.1995.tb15787.x
Subject(s) - calculator , mathematics education , task (project management) , educational technology , computer science , psychology , engineering , operating system , systems engineering
This paper reports the results of a project in which experienced middle grades mathematics teachers immersed themselves in calculator and computer use for both doing and teaching mathematics and prepared themselves as leaders for communicating their knowledge to colleagues. Project evaluation included formal observation of students while they used technology in learning mathematics. Classroom observation data suggested that computers hold somewhat more attraction for students than calculators. Overall, students in all 13 classes, independent of the type of technology used, were observed to be off‐task 3% of the time. These data suggested a classroom environment in which the teacher worked hard to engage students in mathematical activity. The fact that students were observed off‐task so little is encouraging. The difference in off‐task behaviors for calculators versus computers suggests that different technologies will indeed have different effects on students. It appears that the introduction of technologies in classrooms altered the ways teachers taught.