Reliance on outside sources makes Dick & Jane dumb

Gonz

Gonz

molṑn labé
Staff member
Not really surprising.

By Robin Lettice Published Tuesday 7th December 2004 18:42 GMT
Students who use computers frequently at school perform worse than their peers at maths and reading.

Those using computers several times a week performed "sizeably and statistically significantly worse" than those who used them less often.

Thomas Fuchs and Ludger Woessmann of the CESifo economic research organisation in Munich base their conclusions on an analysis of test performance and background data from the 2000 PISA study. This study involved tens of thousands of students in 31 countries, including the UK, organised by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).

The OECD pointed to a positive link between students' interest in computers and their literacy, and Fuchs and Woessmann found that the more computers there were in students' homes, the better their test performance.

However, they realised that more computers in a household generally means a more affluent family. Children from affluent homes tend to perform better academically, so Fuchs and Woessmann factored this in their analysis.

Having done this they found that the more computers there were in a student's home, the worse the student's maths performance.

Fuchs and Woessmann found that students performed more badly in schools with a significant lack of computers. However, they then took into account that schools with better computer availability also have better resources in general. They found that computer ability was not related to student performance.

They also studied the effects of computer use on test scores, and found that greater use of computers in the home impacted positively on test scores.

In schools the effect was different. Students who hardly ever used computers did a little worse than those who used them between a few times a year and several times a month. But those who used school computers several times a week performed "sizeably and statistically significantly worse" in both maths and reading.

The researchers suggest two theories to explain their findings. One is 'ability bias' - that it might be that teachers do not want lower-ability students to use computers.

The other is that high intensities of computerised learning come at the expense of more effective teaching methods and hinders students' creativity.

Dr Tim Rudd, from Becta, the UK government's computer agency, told BBC News, "There is evidence to suggest that ICT can be a very powerful tool for developing literacy skills but that this may vary across ages and in relation to different aspects of literacy.

"In maths however, the evidence appears stronger. In a recent Becta paper analysing available research about primary and secondary teachers' use of ICT in maths, key findings suggest that ICT has changed the nature of teaching and learning.

"A wide range of tools is now available that enables learning to take place in a way that is more dynamic and powerful." ®
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Inkara1 said:
...posted by the man with 14,826 posts at OTC. :D
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But he freely admits to not learning anything here.

for what it's worth, V2.0 (8) knows her times tables. When I heard that calculators were allowed in elementary school, I nearly lost it.
 
Professur said:
When I heard that calculators were allowed in elementary school, I nearly lost it.
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Allowed hell, they're a required part of the school list at the beginning of the year. I've taught all mine the times tables up to 12, I'm not real sure they would have learned them otherwise.
 
Why do you need a calculator for basic math, anyway? Unless it's a timed exam, which encompasses more than math. :shrug:
 
and in other related news...

http://news.com.com/What+corporate+America+cant+build+a+sentence/2100-1030_3-5481494.html
R. Craig Hogan, a former university professor who heads an online school for business writing here, received an anguished e-mail message recently from a prospective student.

"i need help," said the message, which was devoid of punctuation. "i am writing a essay on writing i work for this company and my boss want me to help improve the workers writing skills can yall help me with some information thank you".

Hundreds of inquiries from managers and executives seeking to improve their own or their workers' writing pop into Hogan's computer in-basket each month, he says, describing a number that has surged as e-mail has replaced the phone for much workplace communication. Millions of employees must write more frequently on the job than previously. And many are making a hash of it.
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and


http://www.oecd.org/document/18/0,2340,en_2649_201185_34010524_1_1_1_1,00.html
06/12/2004 - Finland once again came out top in the OECD's latest PISA study of learning skills among 15-year-olds, with high performances in mathematics and science matching those of top-ranking Asian school systems in Hong Kong-China, Japan and Korea. But some low-performing countries showed only small improvements or actually did less well, widening the gap between the best and poorest performers.

More than 250,000 students in 41 countries took part in PISA 2003, the second three-yearly survey of its kind. The survey involves pencil and paper tests lasting two hours, taken in the students' schools. The main focus in PISA 2003 was on mathematics, but the survey also looked at student performance in problem-solving, science and reading and at students' approaches to learning and attitudes to school.

Finland already led in the PISA 2000 reading assessment, and in PISA 2003 it maintained its high level of reading literacy while further improving its performance in mathematics and science. In mathematics, where the PISA 2003 tests sought to establish how well students can develop and apply mathematical models to deal with real-life tasks and interpret, validate and communicate the results, top-performing OECD countries also include the Netherlands.
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granted, it's a powerful tool, but can you even buy a slide rule anymore? the only place i've ever even seen a slide rule used was in 'Apollo 13'. i've got a basic idea of how they work but i won't admit to being proficient at it. i guess i figure if you're doing something that would require a slide rule, a calculator would provide the same benefits. and it's not nearly so nerdy, unless you're programming games on your calculator (i will admit to having done that).
 
Yes, you can still buy them. And given practice, it's faster than a calculator. Never runs outta batteries, and makes you smarter (since you have to think to use it.)
 
Professur said:
But he freely admits to not learning anything here.

for what it's worth, V2.0 (8) knows her times tables. When I heard that calculators were allowed in elementary school, I nearly lost it.
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How about calculas calculators being REQUIRED in high school?
 
If someone wants to show me an equation I can't solve with a slide rule and a logs table, I'll run right out and buy one.
 
for high school calc, you still don't have much _real_ need for them. most differentiation is good ole pencil and paper arthmetic with a twist. I think Texas Instruments is in cahoots with the textbook cartel who makes sh!tty new textbooks that rely on calculators that teachers have little choice but to force down kids' throats.
 
Although "requiring" calculators in younger grades pisses me off, I think it's necessary in the higher grades. Yes, Prof. You can solve most equations with your slide rule but do you know how to use a scientific calculator? That's what these classes should be about, not a math class per se, but more of a calculator class. Face it, how often do you hand figure 3 x 3 multiplication when you're sitting at your computer? I use calc myself, as well as most people in engineering and other scientific fields will do, it's just easier and quicker to use the calculator.
 
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