The Independent
Thursday, November 24th, 2005Maths: Add ICT into the equation
The use of computers in maths lessons can help overcome a mental block, says Amy McLellan
If the thought of simultaneous equations has you breaking out in a cold sweat and Pythagoras triggers flashbacks to gloomy afternoons of incomprehension and boredom, then the chances are you haven’t been near a modern maths class in years. Today’s mathematics lessons are punctuated with colourful PowerPoint presentations, interactive 3D problemsolving games and online sudoku puzzles.
This is not dumbing down, according to the people who make the software pupils still need to work through the methodology and grasp the concepts behind the mathematics. But the use of ICT is helping displace some of the fear that so many of us harbour when it comes to using numbers. (more…)