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at what age to you allow calculators???


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Help!

My dd is doing Saxon Alg. 1 and I "thought" she was flying threw it!

I realize she is using her calculator for all the problems.

I just asked her to do several problems without calculator and she said it "takes too long" and "it's too hard"!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Do you allow calculators at this level???

Im thinking of starting the whole book over, we are on lesson 38 and having her redo it all without the calculator!

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I started allowing a calculator at Singapore 6 - and discovered that they start putting calculator symbols on problems in 6B.

 

I also discovered they forget how to do math if I let them use the calculator for every problem and come up with answers that don't even make sense because they just punch in numbers and don't think about the answer. They also start using the calculator automatically and don't stop to think that they can do it in their head (10x10 - you need a calculator for that? really? :D)

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Well, im not sure to allow her to continue like this, I mean I did 2 problems "by hand" with her and she had to really think! Go figure!! LOL

 

Not sure what to do now,,hope someone else doing Alg. 1 and beyond chimes in.

 

What if she goes to college or takes the SAT's or whatever and they don't allow calculators?? Or do they???

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Help!

My dd is doing Saxon Alg. 1 and I "thought" she was flying threw it!

I realize she is using her calculator for all the problems.

I just asked her to do several problems without calculator and she said it "takes too long" and "it's too hard"!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Do you allow calculators at this level???

Im thinking of starting the whole book over, we are on lesson 38 and having her redo it all without the calculator!

We started in NEM, but only where it was indicated (very very little!) I had apparently missed the indicated questions in 6B because we went through that entirely without a calculator... poor DS! LOL Statistics was calculator-heavy, but that was more programming the calculator to use for particular tasks rather than saving him time on arithmetic. If it's just arithmetic he still does it by hand.

 

SAT and ACT both allow calculators, so that's not a problem, but I think the exercise of doing at least a moderate amount of arithmetic is good for the brain. So in your case I wouldn't start over, but I would start requiring at least some work by hand!

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We started in NEM, but only where it was indicated (very very little!) I had apparently missed the indicated questions in 6B because we went through that entirely without a calculator... poor DS! LOL Statistics was calculator-heavy, but that was more programming the calculator to use for particular tasks rather than saving him time on arithmetic. If it's just arithmetic he still does it by hand.

 

SAT and ACT both allow calculators, so that's not a problem, but I think the exercise of doing at least a moderate amount of arithmetic is good for the brain. So in your case I wouldn't start over, but I would start requiring at least some work by hand!

OKay, thanks, what is NEM btw?? Do they allow calculators in college?

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I allow calculator use for percentage and decimal problems and for any problems the text marks with the calculator symbol (Lials).

 

I also allow calculator use for radicals and logs and trig functions....

 

I DON'T want to see calculators used for 5 X 7

 

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I have one student who just cannot master negatives--she will be using a calculator on the basic problems--because it was holding her back and in her case she had a 'learning difference' (she does know her basic facts--just the negative sign gives her issues--we spent the whole first semester trying to overcome this problem and now it is just time to move on!).

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DD has been using a calculator since public school Algebra. We did require her to do some work by hand in Saxon 2. Her tutor wanted to make sure kids could do the work both with and without the calculator. Others may disagree, but I think it's considered an important skill in college math these days.

 

DD's college classes specify which calculator is required. Her calculus and statistics classes require mastery of those fancy calculators beyond what I will ever be capable of.

 

And I agree, those Saxon assignments would be way too long without the use of a calculator.

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OKay, thanks, what is NEM btw?? Do they allow calculators in college?

NEM is Singapore's New Elementary Math, which is about equivalent to Prealgebra/ Algebra/ Geometry covered over two years, and then Algebra 2 (ish) in the third year... and a fourth year of review and a little new material. In the algebra sections of the first book there were some parts where calculators were indicated, but not many, and none in geometry.

 

Whether colleges allow calculators is up to the professors... Some will and some won't.

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I don't want my students to get bogged down in the mundane calculations so much that they lose sight of the algebra or geometry or chemistry or physics concepts that they're trying to master. Once I know that they do know how to do the basic operations, I allow the use of calculators. I do, however, continually stress that they ought to have a good idea of whether a given calculator-produced answer is reasonable.

 

When I work thru sample problems in my co-op Physics class, I usually "think aloud" and come up with a ballpark answer while one of the students is plugging numbers into a calculator.

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My son is working through Saxon Algebra 2, and I have not given him a calculator yet. I might cave once he gets to Advanced Math.

thanks, this helps. My dd is doing Alg. 1 saxon and I am going to not let her use it now, she needs to know HOW to do the problem,...obviously!

We are on lesson 39, so if she can't do it, i'll start the book over if I have to!

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Algebra 2 without asking me (10th grade for us). With Singapore's NEM 1, 2, 3 however they must ask first.

 

We use Mary Dolciani's Algebra 1 book, published in the 60's (before calculators). The problems are geared to not require lengthy calculations--which I also love. IMO if helps to train the child to look for common factors, to re-check their work if the problem starts getting mathmetically complicated.

 

Carole

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Well, im not sure to allow her to continue like this, I mean I did 2 problems "by hand" with her and she had to really think! Go figure!! LOL

 

Not sure what to do now,,hope someone else doing Alg. 1 and beyond chimes in.

 

What if she goes to college or takes the SAT's or whatever and they don't allow calculators?? Or do they???

 

Colleges and SAT's allow calculators.

 

I allow calculators for my teens, but I also require them to show their work on paper for the quizzes, chapter reviews, tests. Their daily homework/drills it is up to them how much and how they get it done.

 

Dd usually does her math by hand and uses calculator to check her answers.

 

Ds can do most of his work in his head, but have no idea how to show it to me on paper. He just "gets" math. So we are working on him learning to show his work after he gets the answers... reverse math-LOL.

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