Calculators in the Classroom: Help or Hindrance?

In a world where technology is ever present and ever changing, is too much technology at too young of an age detrimental to a child’s educational success? The purpose of this paper is to share the results of a four-month study that focused on the use of calculators in grade eight. This study was conducted in an eighth grade class, in a small kindergarten through twelfth grade school. This paper will share the findings of a study of a classroom in which calculator use was limited and mental computation was emphasized. The main focus of this study was whether or not there would be any improvement in the computation skills of my students and how, or if, their problem solving would be affected. As a result of this research project, I plan to permanently limit calculator use in grades seven and eight, as well as to implement a computational review that will be conducted yearly with all of my classes.

Departmentalization in the 5th Grade Classroom: Re-thinking the Elementary School Model

In this action research study of my 5th grade classroom, I investigated the benefits of a modified block schedule and departmentalization. The research consisted of dividing the 5th grade curriculum into three blocks. Each block consisted of two primary subject areas: Mathematics was paired with Social Studies, Reading was paired with Health, and Writing was paired with Science. These groupings were designed to accommodate district time-allotment requirements and the strengths of each teacher within the 5th grade team. Thus, one teacher taught all of the Mathematics and Social Studies, another all of the Reading and Health, and another all of the Writing and Science. Students had classes with each teacher, each school day. I discovered that this departmentalization had many benefits to both students and teachers. As a result of this research, we plan to continue with our new schedule and further develop it to more fully exploit the educational and professional advantages we found to be a part of the project.