Calculator in Upper Primary Mathematics PDF Download

Author: Dr Yeap Ban Har
Publisher: Shing Lee Publishers Pte Ltd
ISBN: 9812374027
Category : Juvenile Nonfiction
Languages : en
Pages : 64

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Book Description
In an increasingly technological world, mathematics curricula around the world have responded accordingly. Tedious computation, which is efficiently and accurately done using a simple calculator as well as more powerful software programmes, can no longer be the focus of any mathematics curriculum. In Singapore, the curriculum was recently revised to focus on the development and improvement of students’ intellectual competence (Singapore Ministry of Education 2006). The ability to visualize and to look for connections are given more emphasis than the ability to do tedious computation. Research in the use of calculators in mathematics teaching and learning has generally concentrated on two areas. First, there have been metaanalyses of the effects of calculator use on student achievement. Second, there are several studies on teachers’ beliefs on calculator use in the classroom. The metaanalyses of the effects of calculator use have found that there were improvements in computational, conceptual and problem-solving skills as well as in attitudes towards mathematics (Ellington, 2003; Hembree & Dessart, 1992). A study on instructional leaders showed that the majority of them agree with the research findings (Yeo, 2008). A study on practising teachers found that a majority of them did not believe that calculator use lowers students’ achievement (Carter, Ferrucci & Yeap, 2008). In a press release to explain the move to introduce the use of calculators in examination in upper primary levels, it was announced that calculator use can facilitate exploration to discover patterns and to make generalizations as well as make the use of authentic data possible (Singapore Ministry of Education, 2007). Without calculator use, the repetitive computations needed for students to discover patterns make this important aspect of mathematics learning tedious. Authentic data often involve numbers which may be difficult for students to deal with without calculators.