Debate: Should kids use calculators for basic math or learn it all by hand first?

My kid's 5th grade teacher says calculators just speed up the boring stuff, but I remember drilling times tables until they stuck. Which way actually works better for building a foundation, or does it not matter after a certain point?

3 comments

3 Comments

oliver_torres42d ago

Used to be team no-calculators" - my dad made me do math in my head at restaurants and I still resent it lol

abby_kim553d ago

Used to be team no-calculators, but yeah this changed my mind completely.

anna_green482d ago

Hate to push back but I feel like there's a big difference between memorizing times tables at dinner and using calculators in 5th grade. My kid learned basic operations by hand first and I swear it made her faster at mental math than any calculator shortcut could. Yeah the dinner table thing sounds rough but there's gotta be a middle ground where they practice the actual steps until it clicks. Once they understand the why behind the math, sure hand them a calculator for the boring stuff. But skipping the manual practice feels like building a house on sand to me.