Balancing Technology & Student Questioning

The questioning, the mess, trial and error, reflection and "the ugliness" is what engages students and gets them interested in something! As Musailam points out, you can't engage a student from just watching a lecture over a phone: they need to experience the learning. Human interaction and student questioning is so much more valuable than simple mindless implementation of technology. Be a cultivator of curiosity!

Math technology in Alberta

I've studied the 3^rd grade math curriculum from the Alberta Education Division in Canada. I’m currently tutoring high school students in math and found that some of the students lack certain skills. I notice that if these skills are not developed before entering into high school the students struggle with upper level math. 

As mentioned in an article by the Edmonton Journal, the math curriculum has not satisfied parents in the way students are learning math (French). When working with high school students, I noticed many using calculators to solve simple multiplication problems such as 9 x 7. This article addresses the same issue about how students are not being prepared enough in mental math strategies. This article was written in 2014, so many of the students I currently have were affected by the curriculum when they were in elementary school.  Students will continue to be affected until changes to the curriculum will be made in the fall of 2018 and 2019 (Alberta).

I wonder if some Alberta schools would benefit by using apps to help students learn their multiplication and division facts. One that I have used before is Mental Math. It is a free app and simple to use. It has a timer and is similar to flashcards. This gives the student a feeling of playing a game and encouraging them to improve their points from the last try.

Download the app 

https://itunes.apple.com/ca/app/mental-math-cards-challenge/id500595081?mt=8

Alberta, G. O. (2016, June 15). Alberta updating curriculum to better prepare students for future success. Retrieved November 08, 2017, from https://www.alberta.ca/release.cfm?xID=429254F30CF8B-FC56-7936-ADA544AE037D475C

French, J. F. (2016, June 19). As new school curriculum looms, Alberta parents say math woes unresolved. Retrieved November 08, 2017, from http://edmontonjournal.com/news/local-news/as-new-school-curriculum-looms-alberta-parents-say-math-woes-unresolved