ABC Elementary School

Everyone can learn.

Everyone will learn.

Welcome to Ms. Obandos first grade math class!

A little about me:

My name is Silvia Obando and I am a new teacher here at
ABC Elementary. I am very excited to have your child form
a
part of this wonderful class. This year we will form a team
while exploring all the opportunities math has to offer! It is
my philosophy that math is an integral part of daily life and can be learned by
everyone. Of the Mathematical Processes, Building Connections is one that would
be prominent in my classroom; This encourages students to be engaged in the
content as well as see the real world relation. I hope you agree that we use math
in daily life. A great way to engage children in learning is to make the topic
relevant to them.

The Calculator Debate

There is a divide between those who resist the calculator as a classroom
technology and those who believe it is an essential tool for enhancing math
learning.
Those who argue against the calculator in the classroom fear this will take
away from the basic knowledge and skill each student should have. They think it
could weaken students and they would be used as a crutch.
The calculator advocates support with responsible use. There is a time and a
place to introduce this tool in the lesson. Inez Figueroa, a mathematics teacher

at American School for the Deaf, shares that calculators also have use in
classroom with students with special needs: the TI-NspireTM enabled
instruction and learning to be more collaborative, experiential, flexible, timely
and, most importantly for deaf students, more visual (Nelsen & Valadez, 16).
One strong argument in favor of calculator integration focuses on who these
calculators are continually being enhanced for: The additional functionalities
have not been devised and included to help scientists and engineers, but students
and their teachers (Kissane, 35). This tool is not only to help students do one
step calculations but also a way for teachers to represent a particular concept in
a new way that more students might be able to understand.

How does the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM)

feel?
According to the NCTMs website, calculators are an integral part of learning and
mastering mathematics when used appropriately. Appropriate use is defined as
using a calculator to enhance and enrich learning. The use of calculators give
students the opportunity to focus on various parts of a complex problem and
focus on abstract concepts without having to stop and do relatively simple
mathematics. The website emphasizes the strategic and selective use of
calculators. Students must still develop mental strategies for problem solving as
well as appropriate ways to display their work on paper. In addition to this the
NCTM website states that students should be able to make reasonable estimates
without the use of calculators. The calculator is seen as an enabling tool.
Their view on calculator use in the classroom can be summed
up with their own Technology Principle:
Technology should not be used as a replacement for basic
understandings and intuitions (NCTM 2000, p. 25).

Will we be using calculators in this class?

You better believe it!
There are various studies that support
incorporation of calculators in the
classroom, one in particular tested 4th and 8th
graders and found that Unlike their fourthgrade counterparts, eighth graders
average composite scale scores
benefited from the choice to employ
calculators as a tool to solve
mathematical problems. (Walcott & Stickles,

the

252)
The study still found that 4th graders who used calculators out performed their
counterparts but there was not as great of a point difference. This is not meant to be
used as a crutch for the students but I would like to introduce this as a tool. As math
concepts build upon one another students will be more focused on the steps of the
problem rather than the number computations. Exposing students to a tool they will
encounter for the rest of their lives gives them a head start at understanding how
expansive math is.

In Short
NCTMs position

Will I be Integrating
Calculators?

NCTM recommends that all levels of

courses of mathematical instruction
incorporate suitable technology, including
calculators, in instruction and
assessment.(Walcott & Stickles, 253)

How?

Their belief is that this is a tool and not a

crutch. It will enhance student learning
and push them to pursue a more involved
relationship with mathematics.

Incorporating multi- step addition/

subtraction problems where a
calculator is essential
Using the add/ sub functions to
show patterns in numbers
Checking answers
Games/ imagination: grocery store/
cash register

Why?
I agree with the NCTMs position on
calculator use in the classroom.

Do try these at home!

Math is everywhere, its my philosophy that if students
understand how essential math is they will want to
master it. Remember to HAVE FUN!
ActivitiesOn a budget:
In this activity allow your child to pick a dish from a premade list
1. Have ingredients that can make a small variety of easy dishes
2. price each one with a sticky note
3. Give the child a budget and fake/ real money
4. Let your child purchase the ingredients to make a meal
using the budget provided
Calendar countdown:
In this activity you and your child will mark special dates on a
calendar and count by 7s and 1s to reach countdown.
Beads:
In this activity you can be crafty and math-y.
Have your child make a necklace or bracelet with an addition or subtraction expression
using three colors
Color 1- space fillers
Color 2- the two factors
Color 3- the answer
Ex.

If you have any questions or concerns or

would simply like to keep in contact
please feel free to!

Email:

Phone: (757)123-0000
msobando@abcpubschool.edu

Sources:
Calculator Use in Elementary Grades. (2011, July 1). Retrieved November 30, 2015,
from http://www.nctm.org/Standards-and-Positions/PositionStatements/Calculator-Use-in-Elementary-Grades/
Kissane, B. (2015). Calculators: Learning, not learning. Australian Mathematics
Teacher, 71(2), 34-35.
Nelsen, B. J., & Valadez, M. S. (2012). Resistance to Technological Change: The
Case of the Unused Calculators. Journal Of Case Studies, 30(2), 14-20.
Powell J. Solve the Following Equation: The Role of the Graphing Calculator in the
Three Worlds of Mathematics. Delta-K [serial online]. June 2015;52(2):11-14.
Available from: Education Source, Ipswich, MA. Accessed December 2, 2015.
Walcott, C., & Stickles, P. R. (2012). Calculator Use on NAEP: A Look at Fourth- and
Eighth-Grade Mathematics Achievement. School Science & Mathematics, 112(4),
241-254. doi:10.1111/j.1949-8594.2012.00140.x