Canadianmumof5 Posted June 9, 2012 Share Posted June 9, 2012 Just curious. DS11 is finishing up Saxon 7/6 and I've never allowed him to use a calculator. He is very solid in math and knows all of his math facts. At what level do you allow them to have a calculator? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spetzi Posted June 9, 2012 Share Posted June 9, 2012 When the math is no longer about the arithmetic I allow calculators. Every so often, I ask that a child do a problem w/o the calculator so I know they still remember how to do long division. Once in a while I throw multiplication problems at them in the car to keep us all fresh. I do not think that the calculator has caused any problems and helps the child focus on solving the math problems conceptually and not wasting time on tedious work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Walking-Iris Posted June 9, 2012 Share Posted June 9, 2012 I've wondered this too. I haven't allowed calculator use either. Although my kids know how to use one because they've played with them. I'm thinking I might introduce a calculator when they are doing things like pre-algebra etc. We have two graphing calculators and I want them to know how to work those. My high school was awful in that regard. Very anti-calculator math teacher and when I was a freshman in college I had to buy and self teach myself how to use the calculator. All my fellow college students had some rudimentary idea of it's use from high school. But a graphing and a regular are two different things, I guess. In middle school I think a calculator would come in handy for decimals, percents etc. *after* they've understood the concept. I also want to teach my kids about balancing a checkbook, shopping, etc and they can use a calculator for that as well. I don't think I would let them use one until I knew they could do the math without. I also don't think I would let them everyday for regular math lessons. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dana Posted June 9, 2012 Share Posted June 9, 2012 When the math is no longer about the arithmetic I allow calculators. Every so often, I ask that a child do a problem w/o the calculator so I know they still remember how to do long division. Once in a while I throw multiplication problems at them in the car to keep us all fresh. I do not think that the calculator has caused any problems and helps the child focus on solving the math problems conceptually and not wasting time on tedious work. :iagree: I let my son use a standard calculator on some word problems. He still has to show all work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lily_Grace Posted June 9, 2012 Share Posted June 9, 2012 Well, my son is starting algebra next year and we haven't used one yet for his math lessons. I mean, I can count on one hand the number of times he's touched a calculator over the years. This week was even an exciting week for us. He (and I!) learned how to find the square roots of large numbers with a simple algorithm. I never learned how in school (only guess&check and calculator methods), but realized not only can it be done, but that I had the tools that helped illustrate it in my math box upstairs. :D He got excited about breaking the numbers down and being able to play with the math. I think he'll start using a calculator sometime around Geometry or late in Algebra. From here on out we'll just see how it goes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
regentrude Posted June 9, 2012 Share Posted June 9, 2012 (edited) My kids are allowed to use a calculator when they have to compute numbers in their physics or chemistry homework, for selected problems in probability, and very very rarely to compute the values of trigonometric or exponential functions in algebra 2/precalculus. They will learn to use a graphing calculator in calculus. We largely avoid a calculator until then; they do not even need it for precalculus and trigonometry - if the book requires you to calculate the value for the tan(135 degrees), you're supposed to use trig identities to figure it out, not punch the number into a calculator. I do not see any need for calculator use in prealgebra and algebra 1. The math curriculum we use emphasizes concepts and makes it possible to solve the problems largely avoiding calculators. Edited June 9, 2012 by regentrude Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tarahillmom Posted June 9, 2012 Share Posted June 9, 2012 I let my DS in his Algebra I this year. For the most part it isn't used however. Knowing the fundamentals is important. We used the graphing portion the most so that he knows how to properly use the graphing calculator. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
melmichigan Posted June 9, 2012 Share Posted June 9, 2012 My kids are allowed to use a calculator when they have to compute numbers in their physics or chemistry homework, for selected problems in probability, and very very rarely to compute the values of trigonometric or exponential functions in algebra 2/precalculus.They will learn to use a graphing calculator in calculus. We largely avoid a calculator until then; they do not even need it for precalculus and trigonometry - if the book requires you to calculate the value for the tan(135 degrees), you're supposed to use trig identities to figure it out, not punch the number into a calculator. I do not see any need for calculator use in prealgebra and algebra 1. The math curriculum we use emphasizes concepts and makes it possible to solve the problems largely avoiding calculators. :iagree: DD has yet to use a calculator, if she uses one at all before calculus it will be a rare occassion. I believe it was discussed in my DD's AoPS class that if you need a calculator in any of the intro classes then you aren't doing the problem correctly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deniseibase Posted June 9, 2012 Share Posted June 9, 2012 I think a lot of it depends on the curricula you are using. AoPS is definitely meant to avoid calculator use, we used it last year and every time my DD asked if she could use the calculator, it turned out she was taking an approach to the problem that was not the approach the lesson was trying to teach :-) But when we did Saxon, I let her use the calculator for a couple kinds of problems once she had worked enough of them by hand that I felt confident that she understood the procedure - averaging problems that had a lot of numbers to find the mean of, or for finding square roots for numbers that are not perfect squares. AoPS didn't really have any of those kinds of 'computational slogging' problems :-) So if you intend to stick with Saxon, I would consider allowing calculator use for limited kinds of problems towards the end of Algebra I, when you start running into these sorts of 'slogging' problems, especially when the 'slogging' part is just one step in a multi-step problem. Some of the square root problems towards the end of Algebra I can take up a full page of paper just with computations if you are solving with the 'cut-and-try' method. I made her do those when practicing cut-and-try was the point of the problem, but for later problems when finding a weirdo square root was just one step in a multi-step problem, I let her use the calculator. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chepyl Posted June 9, 2012 Share Posted June 9, 2012 We were allowed to use calculators starting with algebra. Each test from algebra-calculus I.cluded a section that was calculator free. I plan to do the same with my kids. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Violet Crown Posted June 9, 2012 Share Posted June 9, 2012 Great Girl got to use a calculator after she had first built, and understood, a slide rule. (If only we had known that this awesome curriculum was free from NASA...) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2cents Posted June 9, 2012 Share Posted June 9, 2012 Mine got to use a calculator after completing Pre-Algebra. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nmoira Posted June 9, 2012 Share Posted June 9, 2012 Any time for massive amounts of repetitive calculations (e.g. relative frequency of the appearance of each letter in a block of text when studying cryptography). A scientific calculator starting with Algebra I. A graphing calculator, Wolfram Alpha, and computer math modeling software after Algebra I. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lily_Grace Posted June 9, 2012 Share Posted June 9, 2012 Great Girl got to use a calculator after she had first built, and understood, a slide rule. (If only we had known that this awesome curriculum was free from NASA...) THANK YOU! That's going to be so much fun this summer! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beth in SW WA Posted June 9, 2012 Share Posted June 9, 2012 A scientific calculator starting with Algebra I. A graphing calculator, Wolfram Alpha, and computer math modeling software after Algebra I. :iagree: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joani Posted June 9, 2012 Share Posted June 9, 2012 My oldest has gone through Algebra I and Geometry without touching a calculator. But, he'll be taking honors Geometry in public school this year and is required to have a graphing calculator. I'm not sure exactly why he'll need it. Joani Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snowbeltmom Posted June 9, 2012 Share Posted June 9, 2012 My two youngest have not used a calculator yet. My oldest has used one for physics and chemistry, but not for math (except when taking the ACT). He will need to use a graphing calculator when he takes AP Calc this upcoming school year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hunter Posted June 9, 2012 Share Posted June 9, 2012 I actually found Saxon to be a good curriculum to use without a calculator. The problems don't come out to be endless numbers. They are designed to be solved with pencil and paper. For students who have mastered the math facts as outlined in The Core, there will be no problems. Another option is to let students have access to math charts. My youngest was a very advanced math student. He started Saxon Algebra 1 in the 5th grade, after toying with algebra for about a year. But then we switched and overlapped and just made a mess of math, but learned a lot too. I obsessed over learning to use a graphing calculator as well as so many other things. And like so many other things my obsessing over a small thing distracted us from getting done the big things. If I had to do it over again, I wouldn't spend my time and money on the graphing calculator. IF my student were accepted into a college that would require that skill, I'd have HIM deal with it the summer before he went there. And if he couldn't deal with that mostly on his own, with a little help from me, then he wouldn't be ready for that type of college, and I'd right then transfer him to local junior college. I would teach a little scientific calculator use along with some bookkeeping, but not during actual math, and wouldn't use a math text as my core that required a calculator. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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