Kissane Barry. Introducing Mathematics with ClassWiz

Reliable&Durable, 2016. — 120 p.Over 40 years, the scientific calculator has evolved from being a computational device for scientists and engineers to becoming an important educational tool. What began as an instrument to answer numerical questions has evolved to become an affordable, powerful and flexible environment for students and their teachers to explore a wide range of mathematical ideas and relationships.
The significant calculator developments of recent years, together with advice from experienced teachers, have culminated in modern scientific calculators, the CASIO fx-82 EX and the CASIO fx-350 EX, with substantial mathematical and statistical capabilities, including a powerful table facility, and extensive use of natural displays of mathematical notation. These ClassWiz models offer many learning opportunities for students in the early and middle years of secondary schooling.
This publication comprises a series of modules to help make best use of the opportunities for mathematics education afforded by these developments. The focus of the modules is on the use of the ClassWiz in the development of students’ understanding of mathematical concepts and relationships, as an integral part of the development of mathematical meaning for the students. While meeting the computational needs of students in the early and middle years of secondary school, the ClassWiz can also be used to advantage by students to support their initial learning of the mathematical ideas involved; the calculator is not only a device to be used to undertake or to check computations, after the mathematics has been understood.
The mathematics involved in the modules spans a wide range, from early ideas of number and algebra through to the study of functions, trigonometry, sequences, probability and statistics. I expect that readers will decide which modules suit their purposes. Although mathematics curricula vary across different countries, I am confident that the mathematical ideas included in the modules will be of interest to mathematics teachers and their students across international boundaries.
The text of each module is intended to be read by both teachers and students, to understand how the ClassWiz is related to various aspects of mathematics, and also to help them to use it efficiently. Each module contains a set of Exercises, focusing on calculator skills relevant to the mathematics associated with the module. In addition, a set of exploratory Activities is provided for each module after the first, to illustrate some of the ways in which the calculator can be used to explore mathematical ideas through the use of the calculator; these are not intended to be exhaustive, and I expect that teachers will develop further activities of these kinds to suit their students. The Notes for Teachers in each module provide answers to exercises, as well as some advice about the classroom use of the activities (including answers where appropriate).
In addition, an accompanying set of mathematical Investigations is available, to illustrate some of the ways that the ClassWiz can be used to support modern pedagogies such as student-centred learning to encourage mathematical discussion and enhance mathematical thinking. This set of investigations is intended to illustrate some possible ways in which students might use a ClassWiz productively for learning purposes.
Each investigation is related to an Activity Book module.