The use of calculators in the teaching and learning of mathematics

Background and context

In mathematics, the calculator can be an effective teaching and learning resource in the primary classroom. Calculators can be used with children in all age groups across the Foundation Stage, Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2.

The revised Framework for mathematics includes objectives that promote the use of calculators as a tool for calculations. These objectives span Years 4, 5 and 6. However, in the context of exploring numbers and the number system, the calculator can be used with other age groups as a teaching and learning tool. This paper sets out to offer guidance on the use of calculators in the teaching and learning of mathematics.

In the primary mathematics classroom calculators can be used for different purposes by teachers and children. These include:

• teaching children how to use a calculator effectively to calculate and to recognise how and when it is appropriate to do so, by first deciding if mental and pencil-and-paper methods are quicker or more reliable
• supporting the teaching of mathematics where the aim is to focus on solving a problem rather than on the process of calculation
• providing a tool with which children can explore patterns in numbers and identify properties and relationships
• consolidating children's learning of number facts and calculation strategies.