- Improved engagement through being able to investigate STEM problems by changing parameters and quickly seeing the results of change.
- Better differentiation through the use of tools which work best at the particular cognitive level of the students. Each learner can use the tools which best help them.
- Improved pace through access to multiple representations ensures that the lesson never stands still. Each student can progress at their own pace and adopt analytical tools which suit the way they learn and enable them to make rapid progress.
- Improved retention through visualization. While number theory remains the queen of the mathematical sciences, it is through visualization of algebraic functions and geometrical transformations that most young people learn. Scientific data remain strings of numbers until they are visualized so that students can “read” the story they tell.
- Support of personalized learning by creating a private learning space in which the student is free to experiment and make errors. It is possible to learn very rapidly by being able to check and reinforce with many examples executed quickly and without pain! Data can be re-collected, functions can be re-graphed and shapes re-drawn, all at the press of a button.
- Development of coding skills through using the same platform which is used in mathematics and science classes. Students have instant access to a program editor and can easily connect via USB to a microcontroller, robot and data-logger. Having the program editor available in the handheld device supports the development of the algorithmic process, or being able to think systematically.
- Development of critical thinking through having access to a set of tools which enable the student to model real world data in ways that are simply not possible in the time available without the technology. Being able to collect data and analyze in real time using the same instruments in both maths and science classes is a very powerful signal to the student that the scientific process is simply not possible without mathematics.
The value of teaching with
TI technology
Teachers have the task of motivating young people to learn and motivation is made easier when students use and apply technologies which are current in their everyday lives - engagement and pace are improved.