M-A-T-H. Those four letters are something you have either grown to love in life or have dubbed the dreaded enemy. While the days of using an abacus are long gone, the world of mathematics continues to grow, benefit and become more streamlined through technological advances.
Whether you are plugging formulas into an excel spreadsheet, graphing a line on a calculator or even doing a simple Google search for software to help solve problems, chances are you have avoided a painful process thanks to technology short cuts.
While that does make life and approaching math much easier, sometimes good old paper and pencil do wonders.
“In the digital age, it often becomes easy to forget or lose grasp of number sense,” Paul Kelly, center director at Dublin Mathnasium says. “Number sense is a simple understanding of how numbers work together.”
Keeping it Simple
Though Kelly admits that students often use calculators to speed up the process of their work, he still has those who are more than willing to put their phones and computers away to learn by paper and pencil.
“I liken math to solving a mystery or doing a jigsaw puzzle,” Kelly says. “You know, it’s one thing to just go and get the answer but another to go get it yourself and find clues to come up with an answer.”
By learning math without the presence of technology, you are able to engage with the material in a more active manner rather than passively going through the motions. This may encourage more problem solving and pattern seeking rather than just memorization of processes.
“If the students just watch the computer all period or watch me write on the board all period, they do not truly understand the concept on their own,” Gianna Marinucci, an Ohio high school math teacher, says.
In a recent study, it was also found that something as simple as writing your own notes longhand versus typing on a laptop proved to be more effective in retention rates, thus giving a better understanding of the material at hand.
“Students both young and old, they understand and accept the concept of working out the problems without technology,” Kelly says. “I really encourage students to do mental math. If they can do it in their head, they continue to develop that math sense.”
A Continued and Unlimited Education
While working out simple math operations by hand is an important aspect of your education, that doesn’t completely mean technology is an enemy of math.
Thanks to computers, the answer to any of your questions can be found within seconds, but even more exciting, there is no limit to the amount of opportunities for additional education. Popular websites and video series like Khan Academy are quick and simple ways to brush up and learn difficult topics at your own pace.
These resources are useful to students looking for instruction outside of classroom hours when a teacher is not available. Google offers Google Classroom and other sites allow students to see when homework assignments are due, check answers, print out additional copies and, in some cases, communicate with teachers outside the classroom.
“This also helps prepare them for college because a lot of communication with professors is done via email and information about the courses is all found online,” Marinucci says. “In terms of math, technology is awesome.”
Building confidence and number sense in mathematics is essential for future courses, careers and in everyday life. While technology continues to afford a more streamlined and hands-on approach to learning math, there is still a benefit of writing out and solving problems on your own.
“Once students can write out the steps to solve the problem by hand, that shows they are starting to or do actually understand the concept,” Marinucci says. “When they write the information down, they are committing it to memory.”
Rocco Falleti is an assistant editor. Feedback welcome at rfalleti@cityscenecolumbus.com
