It's the mind vs. the machine. The cogitator vs. the keypad.
Lawrence public school teachers are pondering pluses and minuses of student reliance on calculators for their math studies, trying to craft a policy that strikes a balance.
Jeff Miller, left, calculates a math problem as his classmate Jon Corkins offers advice over his shoulder. Tanya Waters' fourth-fifth grade class at Langston Hughes School, 1101 George Williams Way, played math games Friday. The Lawrence school district is re-evaluating the use of calculators in class.
A network of teachers from each of the district's schools is drafting the policy, said Lynda Allen, the district's director of math and science.
"It's one of the basic tools we use in math," she said of the calculator. "Knowing how to use the tool is very important."
But heavy reliance on a calculator, Allen said, could undermine students' development of mental math skills.
"There are teachers concerned that some students are not getting their basic facts," she said.
Calculators are available to students in all grades in the Lawrence district, and their use is among many issues raised during recent meetings to plan overhaul of kindergarten through eighth-grade math programs in the 10,000-student district.
Lawrence school board members have given the go-ahead for development of a reform plan, but won't take final action on the package until later this year.
Allen said conflicting research exists about the benefits and drawbacks of calculators. While one study says calculators undermine student performance on standardized tests, Allen can pull other research that says students move more quickly to advanced math if allowed to work with calculators.
The conflicting views also exist among members of the district's math policy network.
Tanya Waters, who has a combination class of fourth- and fifth-grade students at Langston Hughes School, said she would prefer students memorize root math concepts rather than depend on a calculator. If not, the calculator crutch could hurt students when they take the Kansas math assessment.
"I'm not a big believer in them, especially since the state test doesn't allow them," she said.
Waters urges parents not to permit their children to use calculators while working on elementary-level math homework. The exception might be when students delve into rare problems with extremely large numbers, she said.
Junior high and high school teachers have told her the district needs to get calculators "out of the hands" of elementary school students, she said.
Fellow network member Kathy Wagner, who has taught math at West Junior High School for 19 years, said calculators were a valuable learning instrument.
"Calculators are a legitimate tool," Wagner said. "There's a place for calculators."
For example, she said, special graphing calculators are exceptionally good at helping students understand algebra concepts.
"But it shouldn't replace learning skills," Wagner said. "It should enhance what you're doing."
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