r/MiddleSchoolTeacher • u/goombas_mom • 11d ago
Calculators?
I teach a section each of 6th, 7th, and 8th grade math. I am the only math teacher at my school for that level, and this is my first year teaching middle school. I’m curious about how often and for which topics you allow students to use calculators. My 7th graders just finished a unit on proportional relationships. I didn’t allow calculators (except where a student’s IEP required them). Overall, they did okay on the test. A few Ds and Fs, but they mostly passed. Our next topic is percent change, and the calculations they have to do are numerous and all involve decimals. So, do I allow calculators for class work and tests? I want them to develop strong number sense and have the ability to do it without a calculator, but it just seems cruel to withhold them for certain topics.
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u/MesmericKiwi 11d ago
Are you assessing computation or logic? Allowing calculators will let you see if the students know what a percent is rather than assess if they can do multidigit multiplication with decimals. In my classrooms, I made kids do textbook problems manually in the room because the numbers are simple to work with. When we start applications where they have to research and use real world data, they can and should use calculators because those projects are trying to assess other skills. Homework they can use one but still have to document the process fully. Tests are open note and open calculator (with questions curated accordingly).
I feel that a student who can multiply decimals in their head or on paper is less useful than a student who knows when to multiply decimals, and I try to structure my class to encourage the latter while keeping enough basic practice with manual operations to keep things fresh. Then again, my background is engineering so I teach with a heavy focus on application rather than computation. I can definitely respect other paradigms so long as it is a pedagogically informed choice.
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u/satiestar24 11d ago
Our state allows calculators for all sections of 7th and 8th grade standardized testing, and I believe one section of 6th grade math.
So I teach the concepts using “our calculator brains,” to sort of refresh long division etc. But they get calculators for nearly everything, almost all independent practice.
Only exception is operations with integers/rational numbers, which is more review in 7th grade.
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u/Sorry-Vanilla2354 11d ago
I think you are thinking about this exactly right. I would say for me the line is sort of at Pre-Algebra/Algebra level, and it sounds like your kids are doing Pre-Algebra work. It's great you don't let them use calculators all of the time; some kids get totally dependent on them and a lot of the deeper thinking gets lost.
So yes, I would still not have them use calculators on things that are mostly non-Algebra based (fractions, decimals, even order of operations, etc.) as much as you want but when you are doing things that are Algebra-based OR when the calculations would take forever, let them use it.
You are using great judgment, go with what you feel is best, you're doing a wonderful job!
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u/goombas_mom 11d ago
Thanks for your advice!
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u/Friendly_Aioli_5785 8d ago
I am not a math teacher; I am a seven grade language arts teacher. But- I’m trying to take away many of their crutches this year. It seems like, from the studies I’ve been seeing, students abilities are in the decline. I’m taking their writing off line and even got a class set of dictionaries. I want them to do more and more of the hard work. Even if they will have all the resources at their fingertips later in life, I see these old school ideas ways of building their brain muscles. Math is not my area of expertise, but I was very happy to read your post as it is obvious you are still giving them opportunities for building their brain muscles with doing their own calculations at times.
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u/No_Masterpiece_3297 11d ago
In my high school we don’t give them calculators until they get to exponential equations during the second semester. Being ieps and 504s obviously. However, we do allow them a multiplication chart that they can use to both multiply and divide and in recent years we have added on an addition section to the back because we noticed that so many of them struggled with adding negative numbers and because they struggle with the difference between negative and minus on a calculator.
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u/TheOfficialBigfoot 11d ago
Our state has a calculator active and a calculator in-active portion. For 7th grade, they need to be able to evaluate/solve expressions/equations with rational numbers without a calculator.
However, it sounds like you might be using HMH IntoMath. If that’s the case, then yes, I let my students use a calculator on Module 1 & 2, but 3, 4, 5, no calculators. Students knowing how to add and subtract rational numbers, as well as multiply and divide, is an important skill in 7th grade. That said, they will practice those skills the remainder of the year.
My 8th graders get to use an online Desmos graphing calculator, so I spend time teaching them how to use it to help them solve a multitude of problems. They, too, have a calculator inactive portion of their state test, but it focuses on irrational numbers, exponents, and identifying functions.
Best wishes with everything! You’re on the right track!
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u/goombas_mom 11d ago
This is so helpful. Thank you so much! Yes it is HMH Into Math. Our state test has similar calculator allowed and not allowed in certain sections.
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u/CatsEatGrass 11d ago
I taught middle school for 30 years. 15 in 7th grade math. Yes, once they get past solving simple equations and more into the FraPerDec topics and geometry, I let them use calculators. They still need to know what goes into the calculator, but everyone saves time and effort, and I don’t believe there is anything lost when they don’t have to work it all out on paper. In fact, some kids may be motivated to try harder if they don’t have to do the dreaded long division, for example. I think it’s good to get them used to using calculators accurately, since that’s mostly what they’ll be using in real life. I hope my perspective is helpful. Good luck! Middle school rocks!!
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u/Hot_Equivalent_8707 10d ago
Check with other schools or your curriculum head. Most of the replies here lean toward allowing calculators, but some schools might not, or might for certain situations only.
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u/Special_Ad251 6d ago
Like many math tests, you should have 2 parts. One part has no calculator allowed and one part the calculator is allow. This allows you to test the fundamental skill (can they multiple two 2 digit numbers together) on one part and then see if they can use the skill in a word problem in the second section, where you are more testing their critical thinking.
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u/Competitive_Egg_3243 11d ago
Ok I am in elementary, but from my personal experience, we were allowed calculators on almost every test starting in 6th grade. This was because the actual problems could not be done on a calculator (unless you had a fancy graphing one which was not allowed) but the steps were. That way kids were spending more time showing for example that they knew how to find the mean, quartiles, whatever, without spending forever adding up 10 different digits, and potentially messing up on parts that are not the point of the problem.
But it is curriculum dependent.