In the Ministry of Education (MOE) website, one of the aims of Mathematics education is to enable the students to "make effective use of a variety of mathematical tools (including information and communication technology tools) in the learning and application of mathematics" (MOE, 2006).
Time has changed. I was allowed to use calculators in Secondary School. After three decades, students are using calculators from Primary 5. My daughter was one of the first batch of students that were required to use calculators in their Math lessons, perhaps one day, the Primary 1 students will start to use calculators in their studies too.
Reading Chapter 7 changed my perspective on the use of technological tools to guide our students in their learning. In the preschool, we make use of computers, interactive white board, computer software, and projectors to facilitate children's learning. It did not occur to me that calculator is one of the tools we can utilize to teach Math concepts.
A simple "0+1===" enables the children to "count by ones" on the calculator. We can make use of "o+2===" to teach counting by twos, "0+3===" to teach counting by threes and so on. Yes, this makes counting easy and fun for the preschoolers, and we can place the calculators at the Math learning centre too. However, is the usage of calculators appropriate for the 2 to 5 year olds, or even the 6 year olds?
According to Jerome Bruner's Concrete-Pictorial-Abstract approach, children learn through concrete materials such as unifix cubes, counters, base-ten blocks, and objects that can be physically manipulated. Children must reach the abstract level in order to understand symbolic representations such as numbers. At 4 year old, children may not understand the concept of "0+1". To further complicate matters, there are 3 equals after "0+1". It is not easy even for a 6 year olds child to understand why we need to press 3 "=" after "0+1" to "count by ones" and children may assimilate the same in their daily work too. The challenge, then, falls back at the educators.
As educators, how can we get the children to differentiate the language used in their daily work is different from "technology language"? Is it too early to use the calculator in the preschool years?
I agree with the author that calculators can be used for "exploring patterns, conducting investigations, testing conjectures, and solving problems", and should not be used for "practicing computational skills" (Van de Walle, 2010, p. 112). So, is using calculator age-appropriate in the preschool? In my opinion, use it sparingly.
I like the website "illuminations" link from the blog. It is a comprehensive and easy to use website and the online activities are fantastic for all ages. I especially like the "Bobbie Bear" online activity. In this activity, the children are supposed to guess the number of outfits that Bobbie Bear can mix and match. Children first make a guess, and then try out the various options of mixing and matching Bobbie Bear's outfit. When all options are used up, the door will be closed and Bobbie Bear can embark on his vacation.
Indeed, technology tools provide many avenues for children to engage in learning. The sound effect, colours, animation, and varieties of programmes available naturally lure our interest in learning. A 2 year olds girl in my school uses her mother's iphone4 to read e-books, play games and watch cartoons; she is one of the few children in the Playgroup class that could recognise numbers, shapes, and colours. Technology enables the children to learn in a different light, however, we must not forget the wonderful moments of learning through the "traditional" methods; learning through play, teamwork, hands-on activities and many others.
References:
Ministry of Education (2006, March). Mathematics Syllabus Primary. Retrieved September 29, 2010, from http://www.moe.gov.sg/education/syllabuses/sciences/files/maths-primary-2007.pdfVan de Walle, J. (2010). Elementary and middle school mathematics: Teaching developmentally (7th ed.). New York: Longman.
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