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Why Should We Learn Math When Everyone Has Calculators?
I hear this question a lot. I teach remedial math for the army and have even heard an instructor say that the only reason we didn’t allow calculators in class was that the ASVAB/AFCT doesn’t allow calculators on the test, which he thought was ridiculous.
Yeah, that guy got a lecture.
I pointed out that a calculator requires the use of 2 hands, so if you only know how to use a calculator, and even one hand was busy, you can’t do math. That’s a rather severe limitation. Consider the parent who’s doing the grocery shopping and has to manage the cart, a list, and two rambunctious kids, or consider the plumber who is wrapped up in pipes and such under the sink. These people don’t have the ability to (and shouldn’t need to) pull out their phones to do basic math.
Calculators are crutches. They help you do something that’s currently beyond your ability, but prevent you from advancing. If you’ve broken your leg, using a crutch can help you get across a room, but if you insist on always using crutches to get across the room, even when your leg isn’t broken, you’ll never be a marathon runner. Heck, even participating in everyday life will be a lot of work. I saw this when I tutored a 6th-grade homeschooled girl who was having trouble factoring. It turns out that her mother had let her use a calculator for…
