How Is Technology Influencing Learning Math?

Incorporating technology in mathematics classrooms enables educators to craft powerful collaborative learning experiences that support trouble solving and flexible thinking. With strategic integration of both content-specific and content-neutral technology, students and teachers can construct their learning together in authentic ways that elevate mathematics learning.

Until recently, one of educators' primary concerns around educational engineering was the lack of admission that existed in many American schools. That gap has decreased, but a new digital divide has emerged: The updated 2017 National Pedagogy Technology Programme explains that in today'due south classrooms many students are using technology every bit a tool for passive learning rather than engaging in active learning experiences that promote student agency.

The Importance of Content-Specific Teaching

In order to create technology-infused experiences that support active mathematics learning, educators must of form have pedagogical content knowledge (PCK)—an agreement of best practices specific to mathematics.

I method a instructor tin use to analyze the effectiveness of technology integration is the Technological Pedagogical Content Cognition (TPACK) framework. This tool supports careful educator reflection on pedagogy, content, and technology not only as separate entities but equally overlapping and intersecting domains.

A venn diagram depicting the intersections of technical knowledge, content knowledge, and pedagogical knowledge

For example, when planning to integrate technology into a lesson, educators tin can take into business relationship the engineering science knowledge the students will need, the mathematics content knowledge they'll need, and the best practices for education both the engineering science and the math. This procedure is extremely important because without it, the technology may be integrated in a way that is pedagogically inappropriate for mathematics pedagogy.

Using PCK to Spot Unhealthy Apps and Websites

Teachers beginning from their understanding of PCK, or all-time practices for mathematics instruction, in choosing effective engineering science tools for the mathematics classroom. We know that mathematics should non be focused on speed or quick reply finding. And timed fact testing is a known trigger of math anxiety, which tin can lead to low mathematics accomplishment and mathematics avoidance. Notwithstanding math apps and websites that focus on speed and rote memorization are readily available and widely used.

This use of technology can promote fear and stress, and it also sends inaccurate letters well-nigh the purpose of mathematics. Math is about thinking securely, discovering patterns, and making connections. Automaticity with math facts and math skills is disquisitional, but how we become students to automaticity matters. A focus on memorization without understanding promotes a joyless, nonsensical form of mathematics that requires remembering a large amount of seemingly asunder data.

In addition, technology that simply transfers a gradual release—the "I practise, we practise, yous exercise" structure—to an online format is a form of passive learning that strips math of student bureau and rigor. Although gradually releasing responsibility is an constructive model in other content areas, in mathematics this model is best flipped to give students the agency to decide what strategies they want to use and how they might solve a problem.

That'due south because students should productively struggle with math. We demand them to trouble solve rather than learn to repeat a specific listing of procedures given past the instructor. Problem solving skills are more valuable than memorization, and they're the true work of mathematicians. If we're integrating technology into our classrooms to engage students in real-earth experiences, our students must exist given opportunities to exercise real mathematics.

Technology That Fosters Deep Mathematical Thinking

When used appropriately, both content-specific and content-neutral engineering tin be effective in the math classroom. Research indicates that content-specific apps and websites that focus on math learning with the employ of virtual manipulatives are highly effective, and in some cases more than efficient than physical manipulatives.

The Math Learning Center, for example, provides several manipulative options, such as rekenreks, geoboards, number lines, and number frames. Apps and websites that provide these types of virtual tools are easy to utilize, support students with conceptual understanding, and increase student access to math tools.

Content-neutral technology includes tools such equally virtual whiteboards, handheld clickers, and pupil collaboration apps. Virtual whiteboard and websites, such as Explicate Everything, promote self reflection, enable students to make their learning visible and share and connect ideas, and have been linked with loftier-level student thinking and teacher questioning.

Just content-neutral technology that promotes fast answering, such as handheld clickers, is associated with decreased cognitive need, most likely due to the likelihood of being used with minimal educatee discourse.

Existence a Disquisitional Consumer of Applied science

The educational technology market is flooded with new apps, tech tools, and gadgets, and in some instances, teachers are commended for increased engineering science use whether it supports salubrious math learning or not. Engineering science can have a truly positive impact on student learning, only it should not replace pedagogy or ignore research-based best practices for math pedagogy.

If nosotros believe that students of mathematics need opportunities for discussing math, creating and connecting visuals, analyzing models, discovering patterns, and making generalizations, the technology that we introduce into our classrooms should lucifer those values.

There was a fourth dimension when simply getting applied science into the hands of our students was a goal, just the fourth dimension has come to slow downwardly and plan for engineering science integration that truly supports healthy and productive mathematics learning.