Chronology Current Month Current Thread Current Date
[Year List] [Month List (current year)] [Date Index] [Thread Index] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Date Prev] [Date Next]

Re: Programmable Calculator Policies



In my opinion the entire calculator issue is being blown out of proportion,
since the important part is the learning of the ideas and concepts, with
problem solving being secondary to the procedure

regards george marrash




At 03:28 PM 2/22/97 -0600, you wrote:
A student at my school has written a program that says the memory is
cleared when the buttons are pushed to clear the memory, thereby foiling
the teacher's attempt to clear the memory! The use of these calculators
to store equations is cheating if the the teacher forbids any such kind
of help on tests. I have found that my students fair much better on the
SAT II test when they have been forced to memorize the equations during
the year. The AP exam now supplies equations. My question to those who
have seen last year's test, "Is it a harder test, now or is this how they
have re-centered the AP exam?"
With regard to calculators, I have outlawed programmable
calculators in my honors physics course after a similarly unfortunate
experience. And, yes, they could be spending more time studying but the
lure of a higher grade temps many.

On Sat, 22 Feb 1997, Pang-Chieh Chou wrote:

I now have a policy of erasing students' calculator memories before
tests or to do without the calculator if the students scream. In
addition, as much as possible, I try to make test questions that do not
require the use of a calculator.

What are some of your comments or policies concerning programmable
calculators? I would like to hear from both high school and college
instructors.

----------
T.K. McCarthy Email:mcca6300@spacelink.msfc.nasa.gov



***************************************************************
* George Marrash Heaven help the man who is not *
* The McCallie School *
* 500 Dodds Ave. Scottish and hears the pipes. *
* Chattanooga, TN 37404 *
* gmarrash@truth.mccallie.chattanooga.tn.us *
* http://truth.mccallie.chattanooga.tn.us/george *
* (423) 493-5875 *
* (423) 493-5656 (fax) *
***************************************************************