₦airaland Forum

Math teachers protest against calculator use in 1986

A headline from 1986.

Jon Erlichman's post shares a 1986 newspaper headline depicting maths teachers protesting calculator use in elementary schools, arguing it would prevent students from grasping core concepts.

This reflects a recurring pattern of resistance to educational technologies, akin to contemporary debates over AI tools potentially eroding critical thinking skills in classrooms.

Peer-reviewed studies, such as those on graphing calculators' impact on achievement, indicate that such tools enhance problem-solving and performance when introduced after foundational skills are established, rather than hindering learning.

Source

E don tey wey these people wicked

Calculators were a product of the eighties? What?! I always thought they existed since the ‘50s if not ‘20s.

A headline from 1986.

Jon Erlichman's post shares a 1986 newspaper headline depicting maths teachers protesting calculator use in elementary schools, arguing it would prevent students from grasping core concepts.

This reflects a recurring pattern of resistance to educational technologies, akin to contemporary debates over AI tools potentially eroding critical thinking skills in classrooms.

Peer-reviewed studies, such as those on graphing calculators' impact on achievement, indicate that such tools enhance problem-solving and performance when introduced after foundational skills are established, rather than hindering learning.

Truth is, I currently stay in an area where majority teenagers and youth cannot successfully type or construct a simple sentence correctly without the use of google translation. I see them marauding on the street as big boys. Sometimes I laugh, like big boys without sense. Majority without certificate or skills, just yahoo yahoo. Sometimes I want to tell them that it’s not hate but I pity the future of these ones.

Back to the use of calculator at elementary classes, that is literally a bad idea, cos till date, simple arithmetics that I can solve offhand, majority of the high school students today will need a calculator to solve. And it saddens my heart when I see that most of them cannot solve simple arithmetics without the use of calculator. It’s a disaster in disguise when machines have to replace our critical thinking and the use of our common sense.

merrymike47:
Truth is, I currently stay in an area where majority teenagers and youth cannot successfully type or construct a simple sentence correctly without the use of google translation. I see them marauding on the street as big boys. Sometimes I laugh, like big boys without sense. Majority without certificate or skills, just yahoo yahoo. Sometimes I want to tell them that it’s not hate but I pity the future of these ones.

Back to the use of calculator at elementary classes, that is literally a bad idea, cos till date, simple arithmetics that I can solve offhand, majority of the high school students today will need a calculator to solve. And it saddens my heart when I see that most of them cannot solve simple arithmetics without the use of calculator. It’s a disaster in disguise when machines have to replace our critical thinking and the use of our common sense.

Are there empirical evidence to support your assertion though?

WantsandMore:
Are there empirical evidence to support your assertion though?

Are there physical evidence to support that you can assimilate what you read?

merrymike47:
Are there physical evidence to support that you can assimilate what you read?

your question only raises a new hypothesis without answering my question and this is not how to engage in intellectual discourse. You come off as defensive rather curious

WantsandMore:
your question only raises a new hypothesis without answering my question and this is not how to engage in intellectual discourse. You come off as defensive rather curious

I only occurred to you as defensive because you didn’t show any character of being an intellect at first. Did you understand what you read would have bn a yes or no answer, we can then proceed to what you did not understand or what need to be proven and etc... would you want me to post proofs online or we take a survey by visiting high-schools and coming to my area to see those guys by yourself or how exactly would you want me to prove my points here?

merrymike47:
Truth is, I currently stay in an area where majority teenagers and youth cannot successfully type or construct a simple sentence correctly without the use of google translation. I see them marauding on the street as big boys. Sometimes I laugh, like big boys without sense. Majority without certificate or skills, just yahoo yahoo. Sometimes I want to tell them that it’s not hate but I pity the future of these ones.

Back to the use of calculator at elementary classes, that is literally a bad idea, cos till date, simple arithmetics that I can solve offhand, majority of the high school students today will need a calculator to solve. And it saddens my heart when I see that most of them cannot solve simple arithmetics without the use of calculator. It’s a disaster in disguise when machines have to replace our critical thinking and the use of our common sense.

There's a study recently conducted. I'll look for it and share shortly. It shows how the use of ChatGPT destroys students' critical thinking skills and is a disadvantage in long term learning.

The question is: 'are people getting smarter now or not? "

WantsandMore:
Are there empirical evidence to support your assertion though?

Check this out

https://www.newsnationnow.com/health/study-chatgpt-critical-thinking/?st_source=ai_mode#:~:text=Your%20Money,language%20comprehension%2C%20creativity%20and%20memory.

ThatWriterBoy:
There's a study recently conducted. I'll look for it and share shortly. It shows how the use of ChatGPT destroys students' critical thinking skills and is a disadvantage in long term learning.

Of course. When I saw this headline, I think this was what they were trying to prevent. Although, we need these tools to help us but we must first develop critical thinking before giving our brain away to a machine.


https://www.tiktok.com/video/7539663223230844182


https://www.tiktok.com/video/7545935110688787743

merrymike47:
I only occurred to you as defensive because you didn’t show any character of being an intellect at first. Did you understand what you read would have bn a yes or no answer, we can then proceed to what you did not understand or what need to be proven and etc... would you want me to post proofs online or we take a survey by visiting high-schools and coming to my area to see those guys by yourself or how exactly would you want me to prove my points here?

ok

ThatWriterBoy:
Check this out

https://www.newsnationnow.com/health/study-chatgpt-critical-thinking/?st_source=ai_mode#:~:text=Your%20Money,language%20comprehension%2C%20creativity%20and%20memory.

Aha this makes sense... Checking it out

ThatWriterBoy:
There's a study recently conducted. I'll look for it and share shortly. It shows how the use of ChatGPT destroys students' critical thinking skills and is a disadvantage in long term learning.

Thanks for this update, you are soo on point.

Chatgpt go dey laugh dem 😆

Lol

Now, it's AI chatgpt they're protesting about

Every new learning tool faces fear before it finds its place. History shows that when technology is introduced after strong basics, it strengthens thinking, it doesn’t replace it.

Exactly what's happening to AI

Same way some pastors are against digital Bibles in 2026. “You must have the REAL word of GOD” while raising their well worn bibles. If na by like that, we for still dey use scrolls and papyrus paper.

Same problem till today. ManMany secondary school student can't do simply maths off hand. Calculator must be used. I used 4-Figure table to solve all my WAEC questions back then but today genzs are avoiding it like plague.

if u see those yoots,just FREE/avoid them like plague. Those ones dey drag their papa steady @home talkless od strangers/outsiders. Make dem nor gang up stone u.

merrymike47:
Truth is, I currently stay in an area where majority teenagers and youth cannot successfully type or construct a simple sentence correctly without the use of google translation. I see them marauding on the street as big boys. Sometimes I laugh, like big boys without sense. Majority without certificate or skills, just yahoo yahoo. Sometimes I want to tell them that it’s not hate but I pity the future of these ones.

Back to the use of calculator at elementary classes, that is literally a bad idea, cos till date, simple arithmetics that I can solve offhand, majority of the high school students today will need a calculator to solve. And it saddens my heart when I see that most of them cannot solve simple arithmetics without the use of calculator. It’s a disaster in disguise when machines have to replace our critical thinking and the use of our common sense.

I doubt if an average secondary school student today knows how to use Four figure tables

The same way they are fighting against gpt use.

In 5 years, it will be normal to use gpts

ThatWriterBoy:
There's a study recently conducted. I'll look for it and share shortly. It shows how the use of ChatGPT destroys students' critical thinking skills and is a disadvantage in long term learning.

Absolutely!

You nailed it!

Even ChatGPT would agree that being original is always the best approach.

Racoon:
Same problem till today. ManMany secondary school student can't do simply maths off hand. Calculator must be used. I used 4-Figure table to solve all my WAEC questions back then but today genzs are avoiding it like plague.

and why would they do that?
Must we stress ourselves in this life?

meobizy:
Calculators were a product of the eighties? What?! I always thought they existed since the ‘50s if not ‘20s.

Japanese calculators were existent in 1953.

Mr Kimo Yomiyubu gave me one when he taught me at a college in Nagano.

20's? I doubt.

If those teachers now hear of google and chatagpt what will they have done

ThatWriterBoy:
There's a study recently conducted. I'll look for it and share shortly. It shows how the use of ChatGPT destroys students' critical thinking skills and is a disadvantage in long term learning.

I even see people here using ChatGPT to answer basic questions

meobizy:
Calculators were a product of the eighties? What?! I always thought they existed since the ‘50s if not ‘20s.

you are wrong run your research well.

TheStoriesOfMan:
Japanese calculators were existent in 1953.

Mr Kimo Yomiyubu gave me one when he taught me at a college in Nagano.

20's? I doubt.

calculator could date back to and beyond the days of abacus.

I wonder what they’d do about AI?

SEGLIZ:
you are wrong run your research well.


calculator could date back to and beyond the days of abacus.

Was calculator present in the days of Al Khawazim?