In the last decade, there has been an increase in calculator use in schools. Educational institutions all over the world have come to recommend calculator use among students from Kindergarten onwards. This remains a controversial issue, especially regarding calculator use in primary schools. This essay seeks to synthesize current literature, analyse the opinions of a small sample population and re-evaluate my stance on this issue.
I firmly believe that using calculators to aid learning in primary school is not appropriate and should be banned. There are 2 main reasons for this. Firstly, the use of calculators can be very distracting during the lesson as many calculators nowadays have a ‘games’ section. These games could distract students and affect their learning process from focusing on solving mathematics problems. Secondly, calculator use in primary school may hinder the development of basic arithmetic and problem-solving skills among students. Primary school learning seeks to enable students to gain fundamental skills needed in everyday lives and future employment. These include learning the 4 basic operations (addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division), performing mental calculations and grasping mathematical concepts. During my primary schooling in Malaysia, I learnt mathematics using the traditional pencil and paper method without the aid of a calculator. It was helpful for me as I learnt numeracy skills and gained a clear understanding of mathematical concepts independently without relying on the calculator as a crutch. From my high school experiences in Australia, I witnessed many students who were in the same grade as mine having the lower sense of mathematical concept and most of them were choosing Foundation of Mathematics which this course does not require high order thinking. This demonstrates the use of calculator affects students’ performance and stop them to achieve higher level of Mathematics. Therefore, I strongly believe that Western countries should implement the traditional method from Asian; allowing students gain a clearer understanding of the Mathematics processes. I think that the calculators should not be the first tool to use for students, as calculators only provide the correct answers ‘ an over-reliance on it at an early age can encourage laziness and hinder the development of fundamental numeracy skills. These skills are far more important than having the right answers as it is these skills that can be applied in the future workplace.
In contrast, current literature is largely in favour of calculator use in primary school. Many studies conducted by universities all over Australia found evidence to support the use of calculators in primary school. According to Kershaw, Sparrow and Jones (1994), calculators play a crucial role in mathematics education; it helps students to develop number sense, operation and estimation skills. The calculator use cultivates students’ numeracy skills and the ability to solve problems in the early age. The study also mentions the concept from Girling (1977), he strongly believed that the sensible use of the calculators should enable children to check results in many reasonable ways, understand number magnitude and its relationship to a particular task and to make accurate, quick mental computations. Moreover, English (2013) asserts that a calculator would mean students spend less time manually doing complex calculations, for example, a large number of multiplications or divisions, which would free more time for deeper study in the topic. Furthermore, the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) (2015) affirms that calculators aid understanding of arithmetic operations, algorithms, and improve levels of student motivation in learning, and that they can develop the higher-order thinking and reasoning skills needed for problem-solving in contemporary society. According a study conducted by University of Western Sydney (1991), primary school teachers are mostly in favour of calculator use in primary school with 85% of the respondents supporting its use. Yet, only 32% of them are actually teaching with the aid of calculators. This is because there is current no standardised national primary Mathematics curriculum regarding the use of calculators. This study found that there is currently limited literature on calculator use in primary school, pointing to the need for more studies to be undertaken regarding the effectiveness of calculator use in Australian primary mathematic classes. This would be helpful in the development of the national calculator integrated primary mathematics curriculum.
While the majority of the literature supports the use of calculators in primary school, Mogari & Faleye (2013) assert that university students who started using calculators in primary school performed considerably worse compared to those who were exposed to calculators at the end of the schooling. This is because the students who were exposed to calculator use early developed a reliance on them and failed to gain the critical thinking skills required for complex questions. This study recommended that students should first master number computations before they are introduced to the use of calculators.
An investigation was done on the public’s opinion on whether calculator use in primary school should be banned. 7 interviewees aged between 10 and 50 were asked for their opinion regarding this controversial issue. Majority of them were against calculator use in primary schools. One international primary school student aged 11 is in favour of the use of the traditional pencil and paper method to learn Mathematics but admits that calculators are a helpful aid to check her answers after completing difficult questions. Another interviewee thinks that calculators should be banned. He strongly believes that the fundamental concepts of additional, subtraction, multiplication and division are the building blocks for learning Mathematics and that primary school students should be very familiar with these concepts before calculators are brought into the picture. On the other hand, 2 local students support the use of calculators in primary school as they had used calculators to check their answers to difficult examination questions when they were in primary school.
The responses gathered from this investigation seemed to have an association with the cultural background of the interviewees. The Asians tended to be for the ban of calculators in primary school while the Westerners tended to be against the ban of calculators in primary school. This could be due to the different pedagogies in the teaching of Mathematics in Asian schools and Western schools. While Asian countries generally shy away from the use of calculators in primary schools, Western countries are more inclined to use calculators as a learning tool. How one was taught Mathematics seemed to affect their views regarding this controversial issue. However, it is salient to note that these trends drawn from the responses to this investigation may not be representative of the public opinion due to the very small sample size. For the results to be more representative of public opinion, the sample size would have to be much larger.
The literature review and interviews I conducted allowed me to reflect critically on my perspective on this controversial issue. The literature review opened my eyes to the many benefits of calculator use in Mathematics education while the interview I conducted reinforced my stand and highlighted to me how one’s perspective on this issue is very much shaped by one’s educational background. Upon evaluation and reflection, my initial viewpoint is supported and qualified. My stand still remains that calculators should be banned in primary school as an over-reliance on it at an early age can encourage laziness and hinder the development of fundamental numeracy skills. The use of calculator also makes students’ lack confidence and attention during classes which directly affect their performance. Students should master basic arithmetic skills that is needed for everyday life and future employment before being introduced to the use of calculators. However, I recognise that calculators can be a helpful learning tool and judicious use of it can be beneficial. Hence, I feel that more studies could be undertaken regarding the effectiveness of calculator use in primary school mathematic classes to aid the development of a national primary school mathematics curriculum that generally bans calculator use but regulates a judicious use of it.
References
English, L. (2013). Using calculators in the primary school. Brisbane: School of Curriculum QUT Faculty of Education.
Howard, Peter T. (1991). Master of education thesis. University of Western Sydney, Nepean (Australia), ProQuest Dissertations Publishing, 10309057.
Mogari,D., & Faleye, S. (2013). Introducing Calculators to Learners Early in their Schooling: the Effect on Long-Term Arithmetic Proficiency. African Journal of Research in Mathematics, Science and Technology Education, 16(3), 363-375. doi: 10.1080/10288457.2012.10740751
National Council of Teachers of Mathematics. (2010). Calculators Use in Elementary Grades: A Position of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics. Retrieved from: https://www.nctm.org/uploadedFiles/Standards_and_Positions/Position_Statements/Calculator%20Use%20in%20Elementary%20Grades%20July%202015.pdf
Sparrow, L., Kershaw, L., & Jones, K. (1994). Issues in primary mathematics education: calculators: Research and curriculum implications. Perth: Mathematics, Science and Technology Education Centre Edith Cowan University.