Will Kids Without Calculators Be Smarter?

It's bad enough that calculators are banned during some government exams but now they might be banned from the classroom. It seems that some school districts, mainly the Superintendents, aren't happy with the math skills of students in all grades. Their solution? Ban calculators.

Banning calculators means that students have to think for themselves instead of relying on a calculator for an answer. This isn't a bad thing but it also means students who are weaker in math will quickly be weeded out. As long as the answer is right it shouldn't matter if a student uses a calculator or pen and paper to figure out a math problem

Students can't be expected to show their steps for every math problem. If this were the case, then teachers would have to ask for the steps to every problem including the simple ones like 2x3. For some students, working out every equation takes more time than the teacher allows. There are several different areas of math a teacher must cover during the course. A student who is allowed to use a calculator stands a better chance of getting through all that work.

I find it interesting that the calculator is considered a cheating tool. I don't understand how a calculator gives the answer to a math question. How can a calculator provide the correct answer unless the person enters the right buttons? A calculator works faster than adding things up in your brain but the person using it still has to figure out the formula for themselves.

If the goal of math class is to make sure kids pass then they should be graded on whether or not they have the correct answers. Calculators should be allowed in this case. If a student's goal is to get a job then they should probably learn some math skills without a calculator. If a teachers goal is for students to be able to cope mathematically in our society then most of the course should be taught with a calculator.

Kids without them will be smarter because, if you're using a calculator all your life you've almost been cheating. You're not really learning because the calculator does it for you! Like a person in my class last year would sneak around a calculator with him, and about two weeks away from school ending, the teacher found it on his desk and took it from him. He didn't know how to do any math because he was used to sitting back and using a calculator. He did not pass 6th grade!

Kidz Submit By:

Nickname: riley
Age: 12

Kids with calculators will be, and are, smarter than kids without. Kids that rely only on calculators are the ones that aren't smart. I'm in 10th grade and I need a special type of calculator called a graphing claculator. It is used in a hard type of math called trigonometry. That last long word sounds like this trig-o-nom-a-tree. This kind of math needs a calculator. I do rely on my calculator for trigonometry, but I prefer to use a pencil and paper for all the other types of math.

Kidz Submit By:

Nickname: purplemonk
Age: 16

Personally, I think that we should be able to use calculators at any time in class. At my school we can use calculators, but we still gotta show our work as to how we got that answer. So, the calculator is just making us go through the test faster but with the same efficiency.

Kidz Submit By:

Nickname: HeyWhatsUrName
Age: 14

Do you have something you'd like to get off your chest? Is there anything you want to rant about?

Related Stories:

• Brushing Up On Your Study Skills
• Bug Splat - The Cool New Math Game
• Dean Kamen Puts You FIRST
• More Facts in The Lab!