When a sixth grader reaches for a calculator to solve 8 x 7, we have to ask: are calculators helping students learn math—or making them forget how? In today’s tech-saturated classrooms, calculators are more accessible than ever. But as convenient as they are, their role in developing strong math skills—especially in middle school—is more complicated than it seems. While advanced high schoolers may benefit from using calculators to tackle complex problems, younger students might be missing out on the foundational skills they need. In this article I want to break down the complex topic of calculators in the classroom and when/where they should be used to help the students not hurt them.
Why This Question Matters in Today’s Classrooms
In the post pandemic world, education is becoming increasingly digitized. While in-person classrooms are the norm—more and more of these traditional environments are incorporating technology. Furthermore, most students have ready access to a calculator through their phone that they carry with them every single day. It seems like the world is actively encouraging the use of calculators, which for students can actually be a bad thing. Many foundational components of problem solving and mathematics can only be developed without the use of a calculator. A calculator can trivialize problem solving abilities for students and can build up a reliance in these same students. There’s a time and place for a calculator and it’s important to recognize when and where this is.
Are Calculators Helping in Middle School? Not Really.
As students enter and move through the grades in middle school, they are being exposed to more advanced mathematics. Many students will be required to understand basic multiplication, long division, and more. We’ve found in our own classrooms—students engage with the problems on a deeper level when ‘showing their work’ rather than using a calculator. A calculator can trivialize the problem solving that’s necessary to build a strong math foundation for pre-algebra and geometry. For this reason, we believe that calculators should be introduced in middle school but should not be used for everything.
Building Math Skills Without Calculators
As mentioned above—there’s a number of math skills that are essential for a student to develop in middle school.
1. Mental Math & Number Sense
One such skills is mental math and number sense. This concept demonstrates the ability to understand, manipulate, and estimate numbers in your head. Overall, this skill strengthens the intuition about quantities, operations, and relationships between different numbers.
2. Multiplication & Division Fluency
The next skill is multiplication and division fluency. This consists of the basic recall of math facts and multi-step procedures. Having a more holistic understanding of multiplication and division assists with laying the foundation for solving more complex problems and as mentioned previously—lays the groundwork for algebra.
3. Fractions, Decimals, and Percents
Learning to compute, compare, and convert these types of numerical values is another critical base for algebra, probability, and real-world math applications. When a student uses a calculator in middle school, they risk no having the full foundational knowledge of these values which can actually set them back in high school academically.
4. Problem Solving & Logical Reasoning
The significance of learning how to read a word problem, translate it into a math equation, and solve it step-by-step transcends just math. This is an essential life skill that gets overlooked when a student can use a calculator. Once again, the calculator can trivialize and hold the student back from developing this important skill.
Are Calculators Helping in High School? Yes, When Used Strategically
Calculators become an essential tool for high school students when entering more complex classes. Algebra I, Geometry, Algebra II, and Calculus all require a fundamental knowledge of how to use a calculator. In many respects, these classes are built around the use of the calculator so it’s important for students to have a good understanding of graphing calculators and their functionalities. In many respects, while students use calculators in these classes—the foundational skills they developed in middle school are an essential component to their success, because those skills tell students why problems are solved the way they are. The calculator when introduced in a student’s complex class can assist with exploring functions, graphing, matrices, and regression without having to waste time on basic arithmetic.
Teaching Students to Use Calculators the Right Way
In conclusion, calculators serve an integral role in schools and mathematics. They open the door to more complex topics but can trivialize more basic functions that are otherwise necessary for building a strong math foundation in middle school. For this reason, calculators will always have a place in the classroom, but the teachers should be intentional with their use. Here at The Tenney School, we do just that. In our one-on-one classrooms we introduce calculators in middle school but restrict their use so that students can build the foundational knowledge that is so important. When students enter high school and begin taking AP classes or advanced math courses, calculators are less regulated as the students need to learn how to use them for more complex problems and equations. If you’re looking for a school environment that prioritizes building a strong foundation for your student for continued success, look no further than The Tenney School! Through our one-on-one program we can completely individualize your student’s education. I highly recommend inquiring for more info if this sounds like the right fit for your child, and thanks so much for reading!