Are graphing calculators the catalyzers for a real change in mathematics education?

Jaime Carvalho e Silva

In many countries, the teaching of mathematics has always taken a classical lecture form, for the majority of teachers, in a more obvious way at the secondary school and the university levels. There have been very successful experiences, major changes in the official syllabus have taken place almost everywhere, materials were produced in big quantities. But inside the mathematics classroom, the teachers speak and the pupils/students listen. The national examinations in the whole, test more routine knowledge than critical or independent thinking. But with the dissemination of graphing calculators things will have to change. Almost all the usual routines will become trivial. And the machines will never solve problems; the ones using it will have to think about what to do, and how to interpret the display. Computers can of course have the same effect; but they are not, and they will never be available as widely as the graphing calculator. At least beginning in the 10th grade, the daily availability of a graphing calculator will have an impact in teaching comparable with the impact of the availability of written texts after Gutenberg.

Jaime Carvalho e Silva

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Gómez, P. & Waits, B. (Eds.) (1996). Roles of calculators in the classroom.

Mail comments to Pedro Gómez: pgomez@uniandes.edu.co